United States of America (U.S.)

U.S. Congressmen Ask President Biden To Provide Sanctions Relief and Other Aid to Cuba

On November 15, a group of 18 U.S. Congressmen sent a letter to President Biden “with a deep sense of urgency to request immediate action to stabilize Cuba’s energy infrastructure and provide critical humanitarian assistance. The Cuban people are currently facing widespread blackouts and an escalating energy crisis, exacerbated by the impact of Hurricane Rafael. The situation is not only causing immense suffering for the Cuban people but also poses serious risks to U.S. national security interests. If left unaddressed, the crisis will almost certainly fuel increased migration, strain U.S. border management systems, and fully destabilize the already-strained Caribbean region.”[1]

“Since 2022, over 850,000 Cubans have sought refuge in the United States—the largest exodus in the island’s history. The ongoing collapse of essential services, particularly electricity, has further exacerbated this exodus. The latest energy crisis threatens to trigger another unprecedented wave of migration, with hundreds of thousands more Cubans likely to seek entry to the U.S.”

Therefore, their letter “respectfully urge your administration to quickly take the following actions to address this urgent crisis and safeguard U.S. interests:”

“Remove the State Sponsor of Terror Designation “

“We strongly recommend removing Cuba from the State Sponsors of Terrorism (SSOT) list. This will reduce barriers to oil shipments and clarify that carriers and insurers can operate legally in Cuba, facilitating access to energy and economic relief for the Cuban people.”

“Expedite Emergency Humanitarian and Technical Assistance to the Cuban People”

“The U.S. government should immediately provide humanitarian aid, including food and medicine, while deploying technical assistance and equipment to stabilize Cuba’s electrical grid. This aid should be delivered to the Cuban people without delay, and in coordination with international partners such as the European Union, FAO, WFP, and PAHO to maximize its impact.

“Issue Safe Harbor Letters to Address Overcompliance with Sanctions”

“One key barrier to increased non-government assistance to Cuba is the fear that private businesses and non-profit organizations have of running afoul of U.S. sanctions, whether or not a General License is available from Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). We strongly urge the provision of OFAC safe harbor letters to ensure that

humanitarian aid efforts to Cuba, including the provision of food, medicine, and technical assistance, fully comply with U.S. sanctions regulations and are protected from enforcement actions.”

“Suspend Sanctions Impeding Aid”

“We urge you to suspend sanctions that hinder the flow of humanitarian assistance, including restoring the EAR license exception to allow donations to Cuban health and humanitarian relief entities. These changes will enable quicker assistance from U.S. humanitarian organizations, religious groups, and private citizens to the Cuban people.”

“Facilitate Energy Infrastructure Repair and Modernization”

“The U.S. should fast-track the export of critical equipment needed to repair and upgrade Cuba’s energy grid. In addition, lifting Cuba-specific restrictions on oil and LPG exports will help prevent a total grid collapse.”

“Regardless of the Cuban government’s stance, it is imperative that the U.S. government demonstrates a willingness to aid the Cuban people directly. The Cuban government’s frequent attempts to blame the U.S. for the island’s problems should not deter us from offering the assistance necessary to alleviate suffering of the Cuban people and prevent further regional destabilization.”

“The escalating energy crisis in Cuba presents not just a humanitarian concern but a serious national security challenge for the U.S. If left unaddressed, the situation risks further destabilizing the Caribbean region, increasing migration flows, and straining U.S. border management systems, while strengthening the hand of malign actors in the Western Hemisphere. Acting swiftly to provide humanitarian and technical support will not only alleviate immediate suffering but also open avenues for broader diplomatic engagement. This engagement can extend to critical issues such as the release of political prisoners, human rights, and improved governance, building a foundation for more constructive dialogue between the two countries.”

“We understand that absent action from Congress, executive actions on Cuba are subject to reversal. That should not deter us from acting to avert further suffering and damage to United States interests. Even temporary relief can save lives and permit the Cuban people a chance to insulate themselves and their families from further vulnerability. We urge your administration to act swiftly to implement these measures and mitigate the growing crisis in Cuba while advancing U.S. interests in the region.”

The Congressmen who signed this letter were Barbara Lee, James McGovern, Gregory Meeks, Joaquin Castro, Pramila Jayapal, Ilhan Omar, Greg Casar, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Jesus “Chuy”” Garcia, Delia C. Ramirez, Nydia M. Velazquez, Raul M. Grijalva, Zoe Lofgren, Mark Pocan, Steve Cohen, Sydney Kamlager-Dove, Jonathan L. Jackson and Jan Schakowsky.

Comments

Thanks to these Congressmen for making these suggestions to President Biden in the last weeks of his Administration. They are measure that are needed by Cuba and by the U.S., and President Biden should implement them as soon as possible. He also should ask Congress to terminate the U.S. embargo of Cuba, but that faces the obstacle of Republican (slim) control of the House of Representatives.

========================

[1] Press Release, Representatives Lee, McGovern, Meeks, and Castro Lead Congressional Letter to President Biden Urging Sanctions Relief for Cuba Amid Humanitarian Crisis, (Nov. 10, 2024); Press Release, US Congressmen want Biden to facilitate the repair of Cuba’s ‘energy infrastructure,’ Diario de Cuba (Nov. 20, 2024); Letter, Congressmen Barbara Lee, James McGovern, Gregroy Meeks, Joquin Castro, Pramila Jaypal, Ilhan Omar, Greg Casas, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Jesus “Clay” Garcia, Delia C. Ramirez, Nydia M. Velazquez, Raul M. Grijalva, Zoe Lofgren, Mark Pocan, Steve Cohen, Sydney Kamlager-Dove, Jonathan L. Jackson and Jan Schakowsky to President Biden (Nov. 15, 2024); U.S. Congressmen ask Biden to remove Cuba from terrorist list, Granma (Nov. 19, 2024).

Cuba Prevents Cubans from Obtaining U.S. Auto Imports

Cuba maintains tariffs averaging between $20,000 and $56,000 on imported motor vehicles resulting in practically no such impots, and a Cuban journalist, Rafaela Cruz, claims there is no rational basis for those tariffs and instead wonders if the Cuban Government’s reason(s) could be one or more of the following:

“Maintain the monopoly in the hands of a few privileged people, on both sides of the Florida Straits, who get rich from car traffic.
It is not in their interest to improve the mobility of Cubans.
They do not want people to become economically independent from the State.
Castroism wants to protect the state company because its political power and social influence are correlated with the importance and relevance of these companies.
They do not want them to send cars from Miami for the use of the people, as they prefer that they send dollars for the use of the Government.
They need to torpedo private economic development in order to maintain the current extractive structure.”[1]

Recently the Biden Administration eliminated any U.S. reason for the absence of such exports/imports, and Rafaela Cruz asserts that this absence is due to the previously mentioned Cuban “tariffs, bureaucracy, cruelty and treachery.”

=========================

[1] Cruz, Lifting the veil of the US embargo, the true blockade of Cuba is discovered, Diario de Cuba (June 1, 2024); Cruz, Why doesn’t the Cuban Government allow the massive importation of vehicles from the US?, Diario de Cuba (May 19, 2024).

U.S. Criticism of Cuba’s Labor Export Program

On April 3, 2024, the U.S. State Department’s Office To Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons published its critical report on Cuba’s Labor Export Program.[1]

U.S. Summary of Cuban Labor Export Program[2]

“Each year, the Cuban government sends tens of thousands of workers around the globe under multi-year cooperation agreements negotiated with receiving countries. According to reporting from the Cuban government, there were roughly 28,000 workers in over 60 countries by the end of 2021. The greatest number of Cuban workers in foreign countries are medical professionals. The COVID-19 pandemic increased the need for medical workers in many places around the world, and the Cuban government helped fill the gap by increasing the number of its medical workers abroad, including through the use of its Henry Reeve Brigade, which Cuba first initiated in 2005 to respond to natural disasters and epidemics. There are serious concerns with Cuba’s recruitment and retention practices surrounding this program, exacerbating workers’ vulnerability to being subject to forced labor. In the 2023 TIP report, the Department carefully documented government-affiliated Cuban workers’ current or recent presence in 56 countries around the world. According to the Cuban government, medical professionals compose 75 percent of its exported workforce. Experts estimate the Cuban government collects $6 billion to $8 billion annually from its export of services, principally the foreign medical missions’ program.”

“The conditions of each medical mission vary from country to country. However, in 2021, 1,111 former participants filed a complaint with the International Criminal Court and the UN, claiming the Cuban government exploited them and forced them to work in the labor export program. The complaint stated 75 percent of these participants did not volunteer for the program, 33 percent never saw a contract, 69 percent did not know their final destination, 38 percent had their passport confiscated by Cuban officials once they arrived at their destination, 76 percent had “minders” and were subjected to surveillance, 76 percent could not freely associate with locals, 79 percent had restrictions on their movement, 91 percent were told they could not return to Cuba if they defected, 75 percent suffered threats or witnessed coworkers being threatened, and 40 percent were separated from their children as punishment for defecting. Many medical professionals reported being sexually abused by their Cuban government supervisors. While the medical missions remain the most prevalent, the government profited from other similarly coercive labor export programs, including those involving teachers, artists, athletes and coaches, engineers, forestry technicians, and nearly 7,000 merchant mariners across the world.”[3]

“The Cuban Ministry of Interior labels workers who do not return to the island upon completing their assignment as “deserters,” a category that under Cuban immigration law deems them as “undesirable.” The government bans workers labeled as “deserters” and “undesirables” from returning to Cuba for eight years, preventing them from visiting their family in Cuba. In addition, the government categorizes Cuban nationals who do not return to the country within 24 months as having “emigrated.” Individuals who emigrate lose all their citizen protections, rights under Cuban law, and any property left behind. These government policies and legal provisions, taken together, coerce workers and punish those seeking to exercise freedom of movement. A report published by the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child noted concern over Cuba’s policy to prohibit parents who terminated a civilian contract abroad from reuniting with their children. According to an international NGO, by 2021, the Cuban government had sanctioned 40,000 professionals under these provisions, and in 2022, there were approximately 5,000 children forcibly separated from their parents due to the government’s policies surrounding the program.”

U.S. Recommendations to Cuban Government [4]

This U.S. report made the following recommendations about this program to the Cuban government:

“Remove existing protocols used by the Ministry of Interior punishing and labeling medical workers who terminate their employment in foreign countries as “deserters.”
Revise Cuban immigration law currently labeling and punishing those who don’t return to Cuba after departing an international mission as “undesirable.”
Cease banning workers labeled as “deserters” or “undesirable” from returning to Cuba.
Allow former participants who terminate their employment to return to Cuba without punishment or retribution.
Allow workers to review proposed employment contracts with a reasonable time to consider the agreement.
Compensate workers fairly and similarly to other foreign workers in their country of destination.
Allow government-affiliated workers to befriend locals and move freely without supervision.
Cease the separation of families as punishment for terminating civilian contracts abroad.
Allow workers complete control of their personal passport and professional certifications.”

Reactions

On April 3, 2024, “Three Cuban-American congressmen announced . . . a series of measures that seek to prohibit . . . the granting of visas to anyone involved in “the exploitation of Cuban doctors.”[5]

The U.S. previously has made similar criticisms of the Cuban Labor Export Program, all to no avail.[6]

Although Cuba has an obvious economic incentive for its Labor Export Program, especially in its current economic problems, the above criticisms of the Program are justified and Cuba should end same.

=========================

[1] State Dep’t, Trafficking in Persons and Cuba’s Labor Export Program (April 3, 2024).

[2] The State Department report also summarized a 2021 complaint by 1,111 former participants about this Cuba program with the International Criminal Court and the U.N., but did not discuss what happened with this complaint.

[3] The International Criminal Court apparently has made no decision on this complaint, presumably because its jurisdiction is limited to crimes of genocide, crimes against humanity (large scale attacks against a civilian population involving murder, rape, imprisonment, enforced disappearances, enslavement, sexual slavery, torture, apartheid and deportation), grave breaches of the Geneva conventions on armed conflict and armed aggression. (Iint’l Crim. Ct., The Crimes.

[4] The State Department report also made recommendations to workers in the Cuba program and to governments hosting such workers.

[5] The US will not give visas to officials involved in the trafficking of exported Cuban doctors, Diario de Cuba (April 3, 2024),

[6] Here are some of the previous dwkcommentaries posts on this subject: U.S. Accuses Cuba of Being a State Sponsor of Trafficking in Persons (Jan. 18, 2018), Cuba Remains on “Tier 2-Watch List” in U.S. State Department’s Annual Trafficking in Persons Report (July 1, 2018); State Department Unjustly Downgrades Cuba in Annual Report on Human Trafficking (June 22, 2019); U.S. Unjustified Campaign To Discredit Cuba’s Foreign Medical Mission Program (Sept. 4, 2019); U.S. Litigation Over Cuba Medical Mission Program (Feb. 12, 2020), U.S. State Department’s Latest Report on Cuban Human Rights (April 15, 2022); U.S. Accuses Cuba of Being a Sponsor of Trafficking in Persons (Jan. 18, 2024),

Central American Countries’ Northward Busing of South American Immigrants

This October, the Costa Rican government declared a national emergency and formed a plan with Panama to shuttle migrants [on buses] from its southern border to its northern one. Costa Rican officials say the busing program has removed . . . [a migrant encampment], as well as alleviated the strain on border communities and provided people a safer alternative to paying human smugglers. A similar busing program has been adopted by Honduras.[1]

This Costa Rican program is in response to a “doubling the number of crossings from [200,000] last year and leading to a massive tent encampment along Costa Rica’s borders, complaints from business owners and a rise in abusive smuggling operations.”

This development “has raised alarms in the United States, which has called on its Latin American allies to deter people from making the treacherous journey north by encouraging them to apply for refugee status closer to their home countries.” U.S. officials have also argued that the busing routes only incentivize more migrants to flee their homes and make the dangerous journey to the U.S. border. Their Central American counterparts argue migrants are already set on traveling to the United States and the busing system is making the journey less dangerous.”

“The busing program is not free, and has added one more fee to the many that migrants are confronted with on their costly journey north. . . . In Panama, each person must pay $60 to be bused to Costa Rica’s main terminal. They then must pay another $30 to board a shuttle that will take them to the Nicaraguan border. The fees are collected by the bus companies, which are licensed by the governments.”

This busing “can also be dangerous. Earlier this year, at least 39 people were killed when a bus ferrying migrants through Panama fell from a cliff. Last month, 18 migrants died in a bus crash in Mexico and a crash in Honduras left four dead and a dozen injured.”

It should also be mentioned that Panama is in the midst of violent protests about a government contract that allows a Canadian company to expand its copper mining operations here and whether the country should preserve its natural resources or develop them.[2]

=====================================

[1] Youngs & Bolanos, A New Answer for Migrants in Central America: Bus Them North, N.Y. Times (Nov, 8, 2023).

[2] Salcedo, Why ordinarily quiet Panama has erupted in deadly protests, Wash. Post (Nov. 8, 2023).

Cuban Government Asks for U.S. Aid in Responding to Hurricane Ian Damages While Cubans Protest Over Continued Power Outages

As reported in a prior post, Hurricane Ian on September 27 stroke the western portion of the island of Cuba, and by the next day the entire island’s electricity was out.

Cuba Requests U.S. Aid for Restoring Electricity[1]

According to the Wall Street Journal on September 30 the Cuban government requested the U.S. government to provide emergency aid for responding to the damages caused on the island by Hurricane Ian. No exact amount of aid was specified, and a State Department spokesman reportedly told the Journal that it continues to communicate with the Cuban government regarding the humanitarian and environmental consequences of this hurricane and last August’s fire at the oil storage depot in Matanzas. That spokesman said, “We are evaluating ways in which we can continue to support the Cuban people, consistent with U.S. laws and regulations.”

On October 2, the Cuban Foreign Ministry on its Twitter account stated, “The Governments of Cuba and the United States have exchanged information on the considerable damage and unfortunate losses caused by Hurricane Ian in both countries.” But there was no mention of any Cuban request for assistance or any U.S. responses.

Complicating the U.S. providing any aid to Cuba for hurricane-damages is the need for the U.S. to address the immense Hurricane Ian damages in Florida, the Carolinas and Puerto Rico.

“If Cuba asks for humanitarian aid and the U.S. gives it to them, that would be a real breakthrough,” says William LeoGrande, an expert on Cuba at American University in Washington.

Cuban Protests Lack of Electricity[2]

In the meantime, many Cubans have gone to the streets in Havana, Matanzas, Cardenas and Holguin to protest continued lack of electricity and to demand the government restore electricity and provide aid to areas ravaged by the hurricane. For the most part, these protests were calm. The police did not interfere. There were no arrests. Instead, the government sent officials and Communist Party members to talk with the protesters. And the government appeared to cut off the Internet and telecommunications networks across the country, possible to prevent news of the demonstrations from spreading and encouraging others to join.

However, there have been reports of police detention of some of these protesters.

Ted Henken, a Cuba expert and a professor at the City University of New York, said after last summer’s protests “people are out again because the government has been unable to address the root causes of the protests. The frustration has bled into the general population because it’s a scarcity of food, electricity, the basics. That has only been exacerbated by this horrible hurricane.”

Conclusion

If any reader has knowledge of the substance of any Cuba-U.S. communications on this subject, please provide a comment with that information to this post.

================================

[1] Salama & Cordoba, Cuba Makes Rare Request for U.S. Aid After Devastation From Hurricane Ian, W.S.J. (Sept. 30 & Oct. 1, 2022).; Cuba and the US maintain exchanges on the damage caused by Hurricane Ian, Granma (Oct. 2, 2022).

[2] Acosta & Lopez, Cuba’s power grid fails in wake of Hurricane Ian, leaving island without electricity, N.Y. Times (Sept. 27, 2022); Martinez, Cuba slowly starts restoring power after the entire island was blacked out, N.Y. Times (Sept. 28, 2022); Brown & Herrero, Cuba suffers total electrical outage as Hurricane Ian roars through, W.S.J. (Sept. 27 & 28, 2020); Acosta& Abi-Habib, Protests Erupt in Cuba Over Government Response to Hurricane Ian, N.Y. Times (Sept. 30, 2022); Cubans Protest Over Power Outage Caused by Hurricane Ian, N.Y. Times (Sept. 30, 2022); Cubans protest over power outages four days after Hurricane Ian, Guardian (Oct. 2, 2022); The Cuban regime accelerates its repressive machinery against the protests: disappearances, detainees and episodes of brutality, diario de cuba (Oct. 2, 2022);.

Hurricane-Damaged Cuba Needs Immediate U.S. Recovery Help

“Hurricane Ian caused great devastation [in Cuba]. The power grid was damaged, and the electrical system collapsed. Over four thousand homes have been completely destroyed or badly damaged. . . . In the western province of Pinar del Rio, famous for its tobacco production, over 5,000 farms were destroyed. In small towns like San Luis, 80% of all homes were left damaged . . . . Cuba must be allowed, even if just for the next six months, to purchase the necessary construction materials to REBUILD. Cubans are facing a major setback because of Hurricane Ian.”[1]

These words buttressed the demand by a U.S. organization, The People’s Forum,[2] in a full-page ad in the Sunday New York Times for the U.S. to end the U.S. embargo of the island, the U.S. designating Cuba as a “state sponsor of terrorism” and the U.S. complex processes for dispatching disaster relief. The People’s Forum added the following:

“It is unconscionable at this critical hour to maintain the embargo and engage in collective punishment against an entire people by preventing Cuba from purchasing construction materials or receiving aid.”
President Biden put Cold war politics aside—even for six months!”
“The people of Cuba are part of our family—the human family. Don’t let outdated Cold War politics prevent peace-loving people from helping the Cubans to rebuild and return to their homes, rebuild the electrical grid, and have clean drinking water and access to food. The time to act is now!”
“Cuba is our neighbor. The United States loses nothing by being a good neighbor and allowing Cuba to recover fully from this tragic moment.”[3]

================================

[1] Advertisement, Let Cuba Rebuild-Urgent Appeal to President Biden, N.Y.Times, p. A23 (Oct. 2, 2022). The ad solicited online donations through the website of another organization, LetCubaLive.

[2] The People’s Forum “are a movement incubator for working class and marginalized communities to build unity across historic lines of division at home and abroad. We are an accessible educational and cultural space that nutures the next generation of visionaries and organizers who believe that through collective action a new world is possible.” (The People’s Forum, About.) The Forum previously has engaged in other efforts to promote U.S.-Cuba normalization. (The People’s Forum, Search Results: Cuba.)

[3] This advertised message provides an exclamation point to this blog’s most recent post, Criticism of President Biden’s “New Cuba Policy,” dwkcommentaries.com (Oct. 1, 2022).