(CMR) The United States has removed Cuba from a list of countries that it says are “not cooperating fully” in its fight against terrorism. This is not the same as taking it off the State Sponsors of Terrorism list; however, one official said it could be a step in that direction.
Cuba's removal from the list of countries not fully cooperating may not affect the current regulation under which people who travel to Cuba are ineligible for the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA).
US Customs and Border Protection explained that the Visa Waiver Program Improvement and Terrorist Travel Prevention Act of 2015 (“the Act”) makes nationals of Visa Waiver Program (VWP) countries who have been present in a country designated as a State Sponsor of Terrorism (SST), as well as those who are dual nationals of both a VWP country and a country designated as an SST at the time of applying for an Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) ineligible for travel to the United States under the VWP.
These travelers are not being barred from entering the US but will need to apply for a nonimmigrant visa at a US Embassy or consulate.
A US State Department official said on Wednesday that the resumption of law enforcement cooperation between Cuba and the US was one reason the previous designation was deemed “no longer appropriate.”
“The department determined that the circumstances for Cuba’s certification as a ‘not fully cooperating country' have changed from 2022 to 2023,” the official said.
According to Reuters, the decision marks a symbolically important move on behalf of the Biden administration, which until now has largely maintained Trump-era restrictions on the Communist-run island.
According to the department official, the cooperation against terrorism list, which the State Department is required by law to provide to the US Congress, is not the same as the State Sponsors of Terrorism list.
Former US President Donald Trump separately designated Cuba a state sponsor of terrorism just prior to leaving office, a jab that Cuba maintains has contributed to a severe economic crisis on the island and to shortages of food, fuel, and medicine.
“This move by the Biden Administration could well be a prelude to the State Department reviewing Cuba’s designation as a state sponsor of terrorism,” William LeoGrande, a professor at Washington's American University, told Reuters.
Cuban foreign minister Bruno Rodriguez applauded the Biden administration's decision on Wednesday but said it did not go far enough.
“The US has just admitted what is known to everyone: that #Cuba collaborates fully with efforts against terrorism,” Rodriguez posted on X.
“All political manipulation of the issue should cease, and our arbitrary and unjust inclusion on the list of countries sponsoring terrorism should end,” he added.
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