President Joe Biden will lift Cuba’s designation as a state sponsor of terrorism, the White House announced Tuesday, with less than one week left before the outgoing president leaves office.
Biden’s announcement marks a shift away from existing restrictions on the Communist regime, which were first put into place by the first Trump administration in its own final days in office.
The president has notified Congress of his decision, allowing federal lawmakers to review the proposal. There’s not much Congress can do to block it, but President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for secretary of state, Senator Marco Rubio (R., Fla.), could reinstate the designation — presuming he’s confirmed by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Wednesday.
The move was first reported by the Associated Press, which cited senior Biden administration officials on the condition of anonymity. The revocation of Cuba’s terrorism designation will be made in exchange for the release of dozens of political prisoners on the Caribbean island, the AP sources reportedly said.
Those prisoners would be released by noon on January 20, when Trump’s inauguration ceremony is set to commence. The deal was facilitated by the Catholic Church, which has been urging the Biden administration to remove Cuba from the list of state sponsors of terrorism for quite some time.
“We take these steps in appreciation of the Catholic Church’s efforts to facilitate Cuba to take its own, constructive measures to restore liberty to its citizens and enable conditions that improve the livelihood of Cubans,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement.
Four years ago, Trump’s then-secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, reimposed the designation in the final days of the administration in response to Cuba’s harboring of foreign and national fugitives. It’s likely Trump will place Cuba back on the list once again.
Cuba was first listed as a state sponsor of terrorism in 1982 because it provided support to guerilla groups and terrorists. That was rescinded by the Obama administration in 2015.
Biden’s last-minute move sparked backlash from Republican lawmakers, particularly those of Cuban-American descent.
Senator Ted Cruz (R., Texas) quickly denounced the rescission of Cuba’s designation as “unacceptable on its merits.”
“The terrorism advanced by the Cuban regime has not ceased. I will work with President Trump and my colleagues to immediately reverse and limit the damage from the decision,” Cruz said.
Representative Carlos Giménez (R., Fla.) also slammed Biden, calling him a “pathetic coward” for the eleventh-hour decision.
“Come January 20th, there will be a NEW SHERIFF in town & President Trump alongside Secretary of State [Rubio] will not only put #Cuba BACK on the list but PULVERIZE the regime once & for all!” Giménez posted on X.
Rubio, whose parents fled Cuba to the U.S. in 1956 before Fidel Castro took power, has not publicly responded to the news. Rubio has long supported harsher sanctions on Cuba and could possibly use his incoming position as head of the State Department to achieve that end. His confirmation hearing is scheduled for 10 a.m. Wednesday.
Three other nations are currently designated as state sponsors of terrorism: Iran, North Korea, and Syria.