MIAMI - President Donald Trump reinstated Cuba on the list of state sponsors of terrorism (SST) on his first day in office Monday night, rescinding an executive order made by former President Joe Biden in his final days in office.
Trump previously designated Cuba as an SST during the last days of his first administration in 2021. The Biden administration, in a deal facilitated by the Catholic Church, agreed to remove the designation last week in exchange for political prisoners who protested against the communist country in July 2021.
Within a day, Cuba started releasing more than a dozen prisoners, some of whom were convicted to years in prison after taking part in the 2021 protests.
However, like with many of Biden's policies, Trump scraped the idea upon his return to Washington.
Throughout Biden's presidency, Cuban officials had pushed to remove the SST designation. However, acceptance from the United States had been fairly mute until last week.
South Florida officials also reacted negatively to the news at the time. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, nearly 1.5 million Cubans live in Florida, far exceeding any other state.
Over 1.2 million Cubans live in Miami-Dade County alone. President Trump also won Miami-Dade County by 11 points over Vice President Kamala Harris, the first win for a Republican presidential candidate since George H.W. Bush in 1988.
"Joe Biden just gave a massive gift to the Cuban dictatorship—relief from sanctions and a free pass for their crimes," Saurez said. "His cowardice in the face of tyranny will embolden Havana’s worst actors. It’s weak, it’s unforgivable, and Miami will remember."
Rep. Fabian Basabe, who represents House District 106, which includes Miami Beach, also called the move an "insult" and a "threat to national security."
"The decision to remove Cuba from the list of state sponsors of terror is a direct insult to those who have suffered under the regime’s brutality and a dangerous threat to our national security," Basabe said.
Miami House Republican Juan Porras also blasted the move on social media.
"It is insane that the Biden administration would cozy up to communist dictators in their last hours in the White House," Porras said.
According to the United States Department of State, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea), Iran, Syria, and now Cuba once again remain designated as state sponsors of terrorism.
