WASHINGTON, USA – Representative Gregory W. Meeks, Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, welcomes shift in Cuba Policy, Calls for People-Centered Engagement, issued the following statement on the Biden-Harris administration’s changing US policy toward Cuba; meanwhile, CEDA applauds Biden administrations.
Representative Gregory W. Meeks, Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, issued the following statement:
“I commend the Biden-Harris administration for taking these long overdue steps removing outdated restrictions that have impacted the advancement of US national security interests across the western hemisphere. US policy toward Cuba has been ineffective and arbitrary, imposing one of the world’s most stringent embargo regimes against a small island nation, yielding little change. By prioritizing direct engagement and lifting punitive measures, this policy shift demonstrates a clear commitment to supporting the Cuban people, fostering economic opportunity, and advancing US foreign policy objectives in the region.
“The decision to remove Cuba from the State Sponsors of Terrorism list reflects a necessary alignment of policy with facts. This shift is a clear demonstration that sanctions, when used as a policy rather than a targeted tool, fail to bring about change. For decades, these measures have only deepened their economic hardship, fueling mistrust and slowing progress on an array of foreign policy priorities from extradition to cooperation on the rule of law and security. Constructive engagement, rather than isolation, is the best way to support US national security.
“I also commend former Representative Barbara Lee for her career of work to reform US policy towards Cuba and help institute the steps taken today. This is a pivotal moment to open doors for the Cuban people and demonstrate that diplomacy and engagement are the most effective tools for promoting democracy, prosperity, and freedom.”
Meanwhile, Center for Democracy in the Americas (CDA) applauds the Biden administration’s unilateral policy actions and acknowledges the Vatican’s role in facilitating the forthcoming release of 553 prisoners in Cuba.
“We welcome this long-overdue step toward a diplomatic policy grounded in facts rather than political fervor,” said María José Espinosa, executive director of CEDA. “At the eleventh hour, the Biden administration has shown what diplomacy can do. A six-decade economic embargo has failed to deliver the results that concerted engagement and diplomacy have achieved today,” added Espinosa. “Today is proof that isolation is not the way to promote freedom, economic opportunity, and support for human rights–engagement is,” Separately, the Cuban government confirmed plans to release 553 prisoners.
CEDA calls on the Cuban government to release political prisoners in good faith and allow them to reunite with their families and participate in Cuban life without persecution.
