Biden removes Cuba from list of state sponsors of terrorism

President Joe Biden is removing Cuba from a U.S. government list of state sponsors of terrorism on Tuesday.

That move, and a number of other conciliatory actions, are being taken in the hope of securing the release of political prisoners on the island, according to administration officials who briefed reporters.

It could be a significant breakthrough in the bilateral relationship between the U.S. and Cuba, though President-elect Donald Trump may choose to reverse the decisions.

The officials said that in addition to removing Cuba from the list of state sponsors of terrorism, the White House will suspend a provision of the Helms-Burton Act which has allowed Cuban exiles living in the United States to file claims against Havana in court and seek compensation for assets expropriated following the 1959 Cuban Revolution. The administration will also eliminate a list of restricted Cuban entities barred from certain financial transactions that was set out in a national security memorandum during the first Trump administration.

The Biden administration has long wanted to see Cuba release hundreds of political prisoners in Cuban custody following mass pro-democracy protests in July 2021. The Catholic Church is leading negotiations for their release.

Both Havana and Washington said in 2024 the other needed to do more before further rapprochement between both countries could occur. Cuba consistently and specifically pointed to the state sponsor of terrorism designation as a major obstacle to improving relations.

The Biden administration officials said that they were in contact with figures in the incoming Trump administration about the policy changes.

Since leaving office, Trump has said little about Cuba specifically, but Trump put Cuba on the state sponsor of terrorism list during his first term, and his administration restored sanctions and restrictions on travel to Cuba. Trump has also named critics of the Cuban government to key policy roles in his administration, including former Inter-American Development Bank chief Mauricio Claver-Carone to be special envoy for Latin America and Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida to be secretary of State.