On May 6, the Alliance for Commitment and Respect for Cuba (ACERE), an U.S. organization on behalf of over 200 Cuban-Americans, and 30 Cuban-American organizations and others, sent a letter to the U.S. Department of State with the following request:
- “[H]elp alleviate the . . .[dire economic crisis] on the island by issuing regulations to support the growth of Cuba’s private sector; rescinding Cuba’s unfounded designation as a state sponsor of terrorism; fully funding and staffing the U.S. Embassy in Havana in order to resume the processing of nonimmigrant visas; and further easing restrictions on travel to facilitate people-to-people exchange and family reunification.”
- “The signers also urge President Biden to return to a broader path of normalization of U.S.-Cuba relations, which polling indicates enjoys broad support among a vast majority of Cuban-American Democrats in Florida and an overwhelming majority of U.S. citizens.”[1]
The signers of this letter include former federal, state and local officials; academics and university administrators; business owners, executives and investors; lawyers; architects; doctors; scientists; educators; artists, musicians and filmmakers; non-profit administrators; social workers; veterans and other prominent individuals.”
U.S. Response to Letter[2]
On May 9, a State Department official responded to this letter with the following comments:
- The U.S. welcomes “the opportunity for exchange views with a wide range of civil society groups, including ACERE” and appreciates the work of civil society in achieving the objectives of freedom and democracy for the Cuban people.”
- “United States policy towards Cuba focuses on supporting the Cuban people, including their human rights, fundamental freedoms, and their political and economic well-being.”
- The “Administration previously announced a series of measures to support the Cuban people, including the elimination of previous limits on remittances, support for the development of the private sector, easing of travel restrictions and the expansion of consular services in the United States Embassy in Havana.”
Conclusion
As a U.S. citizen and voter without any Cuban genealogical connections, this blogger supports the ACERE request.
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[1] Press Release: Prominent Cuban Americans Call On President Biden To Fulfill His Campaign Promises on Cuba, acere.org (May 6, 2024); Remove Cuba from SST list, claims Cuban Americans, Prensa Latina (May 6, 2024); A group of Cuban Americans asks Biden for a ‘broader path of normalization’ of relations with the regime, Diario de Cuba (May 8, 2024).
[2] The US responds to criticism from ACERE: “the policy towards Cuba focuses on supporting the people, Martinotices.com (May 9, 2024); The US responds to Cuban Americans who demand that Biden ‘normalize’ relations with the regime, Diario de Cuba (May 10, 2024).
