U.S. Congresswoman Pramyla Jayapal advocated removing Cuba from the list of sponsors of terrorism, whose designation, she said, today profoundly limits its capacity to function as a country.
Jayapal, a member of the House of Representatives from the state of Washington, who traveled in February to Havana together with her colleague Ilhan Omar (from Minnesota), gave her considerations in the Save the World Pod, dedicated weekly to the analysis of international issues and foreign policy.
The Democratic representative commented that it is not only a criterion held by Cubans about the importance of removing Cuba from that list, made unilaterally and in which it was reincluded on January 12, 2021 by then President Donald Trump days before the end of his term.
The curious thing -he stressed- is that Latin American and European ambassadors with whom he met agree on the need to eliminate this policy of sanctions against the Caribbean country, whose harmful impact also questions the role of the United States in the region.
Jayapal referred to the effects of Cuba's inclusion in the list of State Sponsors of Terrorism (SST).
He spoke about European citizens who lost the possibility of visa exemption to enter U.S. territory after visiting the island.
Usually, European Union citizens were exempt from visa requirements and only needed an entry permit that they could apply for online at the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) portal.
He mentioned that at least 300,000 people who visited Cuba from several European countries were later not eligible for the ESTA visa.
Lamenting the sanctions and persistent restrictions by the Joe Biden administration, Jayapal warned: I think people feel that Cuba's ability to function as a country is deeply constrained by the SST (State Sponsors of Terrorism).
In a message he posted on X, Jayapal wrote “it was great to join Pod Save the World this week to discuss my vote against unconditional military aid to Israel and our country's relationship with Cuba.”
In early 2024, Jayapal urged from his account on the platform itself for Cuba's removal from the SST list.
“Today (Jan. 12) marks three years since Cuba was placed on the list (...), a Trump-era policy that has devastated the Cuban economy and made life more difficult for its people. It is time for Biden to remove that designation, lift sanctions and reopen relations with Cuba,” she said.
The congresswoman insisted that one of the impacts of being on the aforementioned list is the near impossibility of Cuba to do international business, which resulted in the worsening of an economic crisis that has been the essence of the recent exodus recorded in the Antillean nation.