Americans can travel to Cuba easier since Wednesday after the US Transportation Department lifted the flight restrictions established by the Trump administration, a measure the Biden administration announced in May in a gesture of conciliation toward the Communist-run island.
The department acted upon a letter from the Secretary of State Antony Blinken who asked it to revoke the restrictions that had prevented US airline flights and chartered flights from flying to Cuban cities other than Havana.
Blinken said that lifting the restrictions not only supports the Cuban people but also serves the foreign policy interests of the United States and added that the re-authorization of certain group trips is also planned.
On top of expanding flights to the island, the Biden administration announced on May 16, that it would take steps to loosen or lift a slew of sanctions targeting Cuba – which were described as practical decisions at the time by a US official- to alleviate the humanitarian situation and expand economic opportunities for Cubans.
State Department spokesman Ned Price said last month the US aims to support with these actions Cubans’ aspirations for freedom and greater economic opportunities to enable them successful lives at home.
That includes lifting the restrictions on money that immigrants can send to people in Cuba, abolishing the Trump-imposed quarterly ceiling of $1,000 that was permitted to be sent to Cuba by relatives in the US, and allowing people to send money outside of family members.
The measure also envisages lifting restrictions on US travelers to the island, increasing consular services and visa processing, increasing capacity for processing visa applications in Havana, and reinstating a program that had facilitated immigration procedures for members of the same family that were suspended for several years.
The Cuban Family Reunification Parole Program has a backlog of more than 20,000 applications.
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