US imposes new restrictions on Cuba travel
http://www.hrlnews.com/2019/06/us-imposes-new-restrictions-on-cuba.html
The Trump administration imposed new restrictions on travel to Cuba,
banning U.S.-flagged cruise ships from docking in the country and
eliminating one of the most widely-used ways for Americans to visit the
island nation.
Americans have not been able to travel freely to Cuba but were able to do so as part of organized travel groups.
The U.S. is now prohibiting organized group travel, known as “group
people-to-people educational” travel authorizations, ending one of the
key openings with Havana brought into force under former President
Barack Obama.
Cruise ships were also one of the primary ways that American citizens
could avoid running afoul of federal regulations when they traveled to
Cuba. That will soon no longer be the case.
“The United States will no longer permit visits to Cuba via passenger
and recreational vessels, including cruise ships and yachts, and
private and corporate aircraft,” the State Department said in a
statement.
The new changes are designed as retribution for what the
administration is calling Cuba’s “destabilizing” behavior in the region.
“Cuba continues to play a destabilizing role in the Western
Hemisphere, providing a communist foothold in the region and propping up
U.S. adversaries in places like Venezuela and Nicaragua by fomenting
instability, undermining the rule of law, and suppressing democratic
processes,” Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in a statement.
“This Administration has made a strategic decision to reverse the
loosening of sanctions and other restrictions on the Cuban regime. These
actions will help to keep U.S. dollars out of the hands of Cuban
military, intelligence, and security services,” he added.
The new changes will take effect Wednesday when they are published in
the federal register, according to the Treasury Department.