OAN Staff Abril Elfi
4:30 PM – Tuesday, January 14, 2025
The Biden administration has officially removed Cuba’s designation as a state sponsor of terrorism.
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On Tuesday, the White House announced the lift, reversing a move made by the Trump administration in 2021.
Biden also issued a certification, stating that the Cuban government “has not provided any support for international terrorism during the preceding 6-month period,” as well as “provided assurances that it will not support acts of international terrorism in the future.”
“The United States maintains as the core objective of our policy the need for more freedom and democracy, improved respect for human rights, and increased free enterprise in Cuba.,” a national security memo issued by the White House read. “Achieving these goals will require practical engagement with Cuba and the Cuban people beyond what is outlined in NSPM-5 [National Security Presidential Memorandum 5], and that takes into account recent developments in Cuba and the changing regional and global context.”
“Accordingly, I hereby revoke NSPM-5,” he continued.
Cuba received the designation in January 2021, just before Biden assumed office. At the time, the U.S. Embassy in Cuba alleged that the country had “repeatedly provided support for acts of international terrorism by offering safe haven to terrorists.”
“The Trump Administration has been focused from the start on denying the Castro regime the resources it uses to oppress its people at home, and countering its malign interference in Venezuela and the rest of the Western Hemisphere,” the statement read. “With this action, we will once again hold Cuba’s government accountable and send a clear message: the Castro regime must end its support for international terrorism and subversion of U.S. justice.”
The statement mentioned Raúl Castro, who was then-the first secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba and the brother of notorious dictator Fidel Castro.
The State Department noted that Cuba was initially designated a state sponsor of terrorism in 1982, a status that was later revoked in 2015.
“Cuba maintains close and collaborative ties with designated state sponsors of terror such as Iran and North Korea,” the State Department’s 2019 report read. “The Cuban regime continues to host ELN leaders associated with now-defunct peace talks to reside in Cuba, despite Colombia’s repeated requests for their extradition. Cuba also continues to harbor multiple fugitives who committed or supported acts of terrorism in the United States.”
“The Cuban people are courageously standing up for their freedoms after 62 years of subjugation under a communist dictatorship,” Rubio said of the 2021 protests. “This is truly a historic moment, and one that as a Cuban American I’m proud to witness. The people of Cuba have made their voices clear. We must stand in support of the Cuban people’s ongoing efforts to live in a nation free from tyranny and censorship.”
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