President Trump cracked down on the ability of U.S. citizens to travel and do business with Cuba on Wednesday, a major step toward rolling back another Obama-era policy.
Under new regulations that take effect Thursday, the Trump administration is banning Americans from doing business with dozens of entities with links to Cuba’s military. The move affects stores, hotels, tourist agencies and even two rum makers.
President Obama's administration ended more than 50 years of diplomatic isolation with its Cold War foe, reestablishing embassies in Havana and Washington and making it easier for Americans to visit their long-isolated Caribbean neighbors.
Trump repeatedly questioned this easing of hostilities. He claimed during a speech in Miami in June that the U.S. gave away too much in exchange for too little.
The White House has also blamed Cuba for a series of unexplained attacks against U.S. diplomats on the island, prompting the U.S. to cut back its staff in Havana and halt the processing of visas for Cubans trying to reach the United States.
But on Wednesday, the departments of Commerce, Treasury and State took the next step, announcing a series of regulatory changes that will close many of the doors opened by Obama nearly three years ago.
"We have strengthened our Cuba policies to channel economic activity away from the Cuban military and to encourage the government to move toward greater political and economic freedom for the Cuban people," said Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin.
One of the biggest changes announced is to restrict "people-to-people" visas that thousands of Americans have used in recent years to easily travel to Havana and other cities in Cuba.
Under the Obama-era regulations, U.S. travelers could book a flight to Havana online, buy a people-to-people visa at the counter of a U.S. airport, and then head off on their trip. Now, those travelers will need to be accompanied by a U.S.-based tour guide who must ensure Americans are engaging in approved activities that help the Cuban people.
The administration released a list of hotels, marinas, stores and even rum factories that are owned by the Cuban military and will now be off-limits to American travelers. The list includes 84 hotels around the island, 27 in the capital city of Havana.
"At a time (when) President Trump is meeting with Communist leaders in China and Vietnam, these regulations show the absolute hypocrisy and political pandering of the Trump administration on Cuba,” said Collin Laverty, president of Cuba Educational Travel, a group that arranges trips for Americans to Cuba. “They serve to placate a fading minority in South Florida, harming American and Cuban workers and families."
Revelations that US personnel were hit by invisible attacks in Havana's Hotel Capri re-opened a medical mystery that had haunted Chris Allen for 3 years. While at the hotel he developed sudden-onset numbness and is convinced he was hit, too. (Oct. 19) AP
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