Salazar Claims Biden Permits Cubans to Circumvent Sanctions

Washington, D.C.- Florida Representative Maria-Elvira Salazar is accusing the Biden administration of facilitating the violation of American sanctions on Cuba. 

Representative Salazar took to social media to denounce President Biden’s “flirtatious” behavior with Cuban Communist business interests. 

“The Biden administration flirts with the Castro regime when it permits corrupt businessmen from Miami to deal with “private agents” and for the organization of festivals in GAESA hotels,” chided Salazar.

 

Salazar did not refer to any specific instance or report to substantiate her accusations. 

Under President Donald Trump’s administration, the  U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) applied a series of measures to enforce sanctions on Cuba.

The measures were intended to prevent opaque private entities surreptitiously tied to the Cuban regime from skirting sanctions targeted at Cuba. 

Chief among such entities is GRUPO DE ADMINISTRACIÓN EMPRESARIAL S.A. (GAESA), which Salazar claims is benefitting from US policy alterations since Trump left office. 

The Biden Administration has implemented a series of amendments to the Cuban Assets Control Regulations maintained during the Trump administration. 

Regarding the “organization of festivals” Salazar mentions, Biden’s amendments authorize group “travel to attend or organize professional meetings or conferences” in Cuba. 

The regulation permits for leisure or recreational activities “consistent with a full-time schedule of attendance at, or organization of, professional meetings or conferences.”

Last July marked the 2 year anniversary of the Cuban protests against the regime in Cuba.

Florida representatives held a press conference to commemorate the event where they pledged to continue applying pressure against the Cuban government and other similar states in the region.