Reversing Donald Trump, Joe Biden moves to take Cuba off US state sponsor of terror list

WASHINGTON ? President Joe Biden notified Congress of his plans to remove Cuba from the United States' list of state sponsors of terror, in a goodwill gesture the outgoing administration says is meant to help facilitate the release of political prisoners.

The administration said Tuesday that it had completed an assessment and did not find information that supports the designation.

An administration official who briefed reporters said Biden made the decision with the understanding that the Catholic Church was advancing an agreement with Cuba that would allow for the humanitarian release of a significant number of individuals who were unjustly detained. The agreement that is in the works would include dozens of individuals who were arrested in 2021 protests against the Communist government. The official could not say how many political prisoners would be set free but said the Biden administration believed the release would take place in relatively short order.

Cuba's government said later that it would "gradually" release 553 political prisoners, according to Reuters.

The Catholic Church has been engaging directly with the Cuban government, the person said. The Vatican has consistently kept the administration appraised of the potential actions that Cuba will be undertaking.

Biden spoke this week to Pope Francis by phone, giving the administration confidence in the strength of the dialogue, the official conveyed. He also awarded Francis the Presidential Medal of Freedom with Distinction after their conversation.

An administration official said Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva also asked Biden to lift the state sponsor of terror designation. Biden met with Lula during the Group of 20 Summit in Rio de Janeiro in November. The administration said the Colombian and Canadian governments also asked the U.S. to remove Cuba from the terror list.

"In taking these steps to bolster the ongoing dialogue between the government of Cuba and the Catholic Church, President Biden is also honoring the wisdom and counsel that has been provided to him by many world leaders, especially in Latin America, who have encouraged him to take these actions, on how best to advance the human rights of the Cuban people," White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement.

"We take these steps in appreciation of the Catholic Church’s efforts to facilitate Cuba to take its own, constructive measures to restore liberty to its citizens and enable conditions that improve the livelihood of Cubans," she said.

Holding or releasing political prisoners is not a component of the state sponsor of terrorism designation. The U.S. applies the punishment to countries that are found to have repeatedly supported international terrorist organizations.

The Trump administration added Cuba to the state sponsor of terror list days before the Republican left office in 2021 and it has remained there throughout the Biden administration. Just three other countries, Syria, Iran and North Korea, are currently on the State Department list.

The designation allows for restrictions on U.S. foreign assistance, bans on defense exports and sales and other financial penalties, according to the State Department. It also gives the federal government authority to sanction people and countries that participate in trade with pariah nations.

In a letter on Tuesday to Congress the president said the administration had not found any instances of support by Cuba for international terrorism in the last six months and the country's government had provided assurances it would not do so in the future.

Trump's nominee for secretary of state, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., is known as a skeptic of increasing U.S. engagement with Cuba's communist government. He was influential in crafting Trump's first-term policy toward the island nation. Rubio will appear before the Senate on Wednesday and is expected to easily win confirmation to the position.

The outgoing administration told reporters that it been in communication with Trump's transition team about its plans and that Congress and the new president would have an opportunity to review Biden's decision. An official emphasized that Trump's team would be working off the same information.

The president-elect did not immediately comment on the Biden administration action. But the announcement came under scrutiny from other Republicans.

In a statement, Cuban-American Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, accused the Biden administration of appeasement.

"They push these policies both because they believe in them and to undermine the incoming Trump administration and Republican Congress," Cruz said. "These moves do incredible damage to American national security and send a message to our adversaries that they can rely on outgoing Democrat administrations – and wait out pressure from Republican administrations – to continue engaging in terrorism and other aggression against Americans.

Some Democrats were also critical of the move. Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried said in a statement that it "would be naive to think that this negotiated exchange would signal a change in treatment for the Cuban people."

(This article was updated to include additional information.)

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Biden moves to take Cuba off US state sponsor of terror list