| Lonely Planet™ · Thorn Tree Forum · 2020 | |
Trump/US Cuba policy to be revealed next Friday in MiamiCountry forums / Cuba / Cuba | ||
Trump will travel to Miami next Friday to announce his administration’s changes to U.S.-Cuba policy, a source with knowledge of the president’s plans told the Miami Herald. http://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/world/americas/cuba/article155354549.html | ||
I leave for Cuba next Sunday (two days after the announcement). I'm hoping it won't affect my trip! | 1 | |
And then there's this:and then there's this: | 2 | |
I already purchased my airfare and visa a few days ago for my January trip. I'm betting that any OFAC general license won't be revoked retroactively. Remember that OFAC involvement happens on three events. 1) Purchasing the airfare. 2) Purchasing the visa 3) Returning to the USA. Item number 3 could mean that a detailed log demonstrating daily educational activities be presented upon reentry. | 3 | |
That comes up every year or whenever they renew policy, if the US government is serious about friendly relations with Cuba they will de fang Helms Burton.Trump is taking counsel from Mario Diaz Balart and Marco Rubio both anti Castro hardliners. | 4 | |
It doesn't come up "every year" that strategies to keep the Pestilence in check are being implemented by judges and senators. But sadly, the last paragraph in your link is likely true; to keep from being investigated, he will do anything that seems expedient. | 5 | |
It comes up all most every year since at least 2000, this article is from 2010 regarding a proposed bill to lift the embargo, http://www.newsweek.com/more-reasons-lift-cuba-travel-ban-74505 | 6 | |
I'm OK with the current arrangement. I would be OK if even the rules were tightened up a bit. If I need to buy a water testing kit and write a report for some obscure journal to qualify for a trip to Cuba, that would be fine. | 7 | |
LOL! Yeah,I don't think the government is quite that naive. | 8 | |
You're missing the point, which is that at the current moment, there is support for trying to keep T in check, on this and other issues. | 9 | |
Uh no,I'm not missing the point, for at least the last 17 years the republican party red states where all of the agriculture from the US is exported from has been lobbying to get the embargo lifted, throughout this entire time including the time president Obama had been in power that proposed legislation has failed. President Obama's move towards better relations with Cuba was done by Executive order not by congressional legislation, Trump is undoing all of president Obama's Executive orders . Trump will take a hardline on Cuba and most Americans won't care or even have an awareness of it. | 10 | |
Worst case scenario: Get busted by OFAC and plea bargain the penalty down to $500 or $1000 at the most. What OFAC fears is getting the travel restrictions overturned in court. I understand the embargo, but think the right wing would be better served using Cuba as negative showcase of Socialism's failure. Begging for soap and TP doesn't communicate success. | 11 | |
I think what you will see is return of, if they put restrictions on travel, are the boiler plate letters from the Center on Constitutional Rights on the right to travel wherever you want as an American citizen that you send to treasury and hope they don't respond to. I'm not worried, I have a ticket for November travel,I'm not going through 3rd countries anymore. | 12 | |
"What OFAC fears is getting the travel restrictions overturned in court ." | 13 | |
Supreme Court already upheld the Cuba travel ban so I don't see that being re-litigated. YanquiBoy is right that these bills to lift the embargo and tourism ban are filed every year, in 2003 the Senate actually voted to lift all travel restrictions but it died in the House. It is true that these bills have more support now than before but that's mostly because Democrats are almost unanimous in their support for it since it is now part of Obama's legacy. A Republican congress and president are not going to lift any sanctions. As for OFAC, I tend to believe they like keeping these sanctions in place since it keeps their jobs safe and justifiable. Enforcing it is another story, lol. | 14 | |
There's also the original dispute between the US and Cuba over nationalized property claims, now valued at over $8B, hanging over the normalization of relations. Senator Bill Nelson, Democrat from Florida, has joined Rubio in calling for Trump to make this a condition of normalization. http://www.cubatrade.org/blog/2017/6/5/senators-rubio-nelson-urge-administration-to-seek-compensation-for-certified-claimants And separately from that is the issue of lawsuits won in US courts by mostly Cuban-American plaintiffs against the Cuban govt. I believe those are valued at over $3B. Trump will likely sneak these disputes in to justify policy changes and demand a "better deal". | 15 | |
I've read that Trump will stipulate that Cuba drop all damage claims from the embargo against the US for the lifting of sanctions,can't see that happening since the Miami Cubans don't look like they're about to give up their claims,as you've posted.,he's also going to demand the return of all US fugitives living in Cuba under the protection of the Cuban government. | 16 | |
Yea, the issue of fugitives is another sort of | 17 | |
With regard to the speed of change of the rules, note that the last tightening of rules was 2004 - dated 10 June, published 16 June and took effect 30 June. - http://www.federalregister.com/Browse/Document/usa/na/fr/2004/6/16/04-13630 | 18 | |
Although Bush announced those measures on May 6, 2004 so I believe that's when the 30-day comment period begins. I also remember that in April 2009 Obama announced the lifting of travel and remittance restrictions for Cuban-Americans but it wasn't published in the federal register until September. Either way there will be a grace-period from announcement to implementation. But it should be mentioned that when Bush implemented those restrictions in 2004 they were retroactive, meaning Cuban-Americans who had visited Cuba before the announcement had to wait 3 more years to visit family and students in Cuba whose studies did not conform to the regulations had to leave. Important to keep in mind for anyone who may be planning a trip now. There may be no "grandfather clause". | 19 | |
The Bush -Fidel propaganda wars, those were the good old days in Havana, LMFAO!!! | 20 | |
Yep, the Abu Ghraib billboard in front of the US Interests Section, the "Plan Bush" billboards in Vedado warning of an invasion, fun times LOL. Trump is such a caricature that the Cubans should have an easy time mocking and ridiculing him but they've given him an easy ride so far. We'll see if he gets added to the "Rincón de los Cretinos" at the Museum of the Revolution(only GOPers make it there) lol. | 21 | |
I know from a very good source that discussions on this issue were going very well before Obama left office, the two sides actually making progress. Cuba demands a "discount" as a reparation for the 50 years of blockade, for hijacked planes that the US kept, the frozen accounts etc etc and reparations would be paid as a settlement of that. It's a thorny issue, but one that was being discusses and my Cuban source told me they were actually surprised at how much progress they were making. And then the orange person came along. One God knows what he will do. | 22 | |
This just in, This is not entirely accurate | 23 | |
A first preview of what maybe coming on Friday in Miami, http://nypost.com/2017/06/13/us-will-preserve-some-commercial-activity-with-cuba-rex-tillerson/ | 24 | |
Thanks for those. It seems they still haven't decided ! | 25 | |
This topic has been automatically locked due to inactivity. Email community@lonelyplanet.com if you would like to add to this topic and we'll unlock it for you. | 26 | |