Biden Administration Removes Cuba’s Terrorism Designation Ahead of Trump’s Return – One America News Network
OAN Staff Abril Elfi
4:30 PM – Tuesday, January 14, 2025
The Biden administration has officially lifted Cuba’s designation as a state sponsor of terrorism.
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On Tuesday, the White House announced the removal, reversing an action taken by the Trump administration in 2021.
Biden also issued a certification asserting that the Cuban government “has not provided any support for international terrorism during the previous six months,” and has “given assurances that it will not engage in acts of international terrorism going forward.”
“The United States considers the need for enhanced freedom and democracy, improved respect for human rights, and greater free enterprise in Cuba to be central to our policy. Achieving these objectives will necessitate practical engagement with both Cuba and its people, taking into account recent developments in the country and the evolving regional and global context,” read a national security memorandum released by the White House.
“Therefore, I am revoking NSPM-5,” he added.
Cuba received this designation in January 2021, shortly before Biden took office. At that time, the U.S. Embassy in Cuba claimed that the country had “consistently offered support for acts of international terrorism by providing sanctuary to terrorists.”
“The Trump Administration has always prioritized denying the Castro regime the resources it uses to suppress its citizens and counter its harmful interference in Venezuela and throughout the Western Hemisphere,” the statement indicated. “This action holds the Cuban government accountable once more and delivers a clear message: the Castro regime must cease its support for international terrorism and undermining U.S. justice.”
The statement referenced Raúl Castro, who at that time was the first secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba and the brother of infamous dictator Fidel Castro.
The State Department noted that Cuba was first designated a state sponsor of terrorism in 1982, a designation that was lifted in 2015.
“Cuba maintains strong ties with designated state sponsors of terrorism like Iran and North Korea,” the State Department’s 2019 report stated. “The Cuban regime continues to shelter ELN leaders associated with now-inactive peace talks, despite Colombia’s repeated extradition requests. Cuba also continues to harbor fugitives involved in or supporting terrorism against the United States.”
“The Cuban people are bravely asserting their rights after 62 years of oppression under a communist regime,” Rubio remarked regarding the protests in 2021. “This is an unprecedented moment, and as a Cuban American, I take pride in witnessing this. The voices of the Cuban people are clear. We must support their ongoing struggle for a nation free from tyranny and censorship.”
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