USA evaluates the elimination of categories facilitating travel to Cuba | Chronic

The US government plans to remove some of the twelve categories that allow Americans to travel to Cuba, which could affect airlines and cruise liners that have accelerated after the merger began in 2014. "Number Two" from the State Department for Latin America, Carrie Filipetti, He explained on Thursday that he was currently considering the desirability of allowing any travel, except for family reasons, as he wanted to avoid the travelers' money.go to the hands of the Cuban regime ".

Americans are not allowed to travel to Cuba, but they can travel if they meet some of the twelve existing categories: government visits, media activities or research centers, educational, religious and medical projects, among others.

"We are currently starting an investigation to determine to what extent certain categories of these authorized trips are used to send money to elements of the scheme"Filipetti said during a dialogue with the EFE news agency, without specifying when it will be decided what categories will remain and which categories will be eliminated.

Americans are not allowed to travel to Cuba, but they can travel if they meet some of the twelve existing categories: government visits, media activities or research centers, educational, religious and medical projects, among others.

The approach promoted in 2014 by Barack Obama, then president of the UEE, and his Cuban counterpart, Raul Castro, allowed to relax this type of exceptions. More specifically, Obama has allowed Americans to "self certify " without much explanation as participants in any of the twelve categories allowed, which facilitated business for airlines and cruises that began to make commercial trips to the island.

In a speech Wednesday in Miami, the national security advisor, John Bolton, insinuating that such visits are a "tourism with sailing" and, therefore, the restrictions announced for travel that is not for family reasons. "When we considered limiting remittances, it was important for us not to ban them, because many Cubans are forced to live on a small government wage, they do not have enough to survive. So we want to make sure that we do not hinder that. "Filipetti emphasized.

The American diplomat argued that when the new measures were proclaimed, he was taken into account "the effect on ordinary Cubans" and stated that the government's goal of Donald Trump is "to ensure respect for human rights" in Cuba and a "rapid transition to democracy".

The new measures could have a considerable impact on the self-employed ("cuentapropistas"), many of whom have created their businesses with the help of their relatives abroad. Since arriving at the White House in January 2017, the Trump government has tightened Cuba 's policy by cutting diplomatic staff and sanctioning hotels across the island, expanding the reach of the island. 39, economic and commercial embargo.