The Biden administration’s reversal of some sanctions on the Cuban regime have sparked controversy in the Cuban-American community. The U.S. State Department announced on Monday that the government will allow commercial flights to go beyond Havana, remove the cap on how much money can be sent to the island, encourage investments in Cuban private businesses, and reinstate the reunification parole program.
“I’m very disappointed in the current administration lifting restrictions and then opening to create a normalization of relations with Cuba,” said Peter Gonzalez, a political refugee who came to the United States with his parents after Fidel Castro’s revolution.
Although the administration has emphasized that these changes aim to support the Cuban people, the news comes at a time when the regime has imposed a new penal code that could condemn Cubans to prison or even death for speaking out against the government.
Meanwhile, the Biden administration plans to reverse sanctions that have prohibited the Chevron Corporation from operating in Venezuela. This would happen if conversations are held between Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro and opposition leader Juan Guaido.
