President Donald Trump Announces New Cuba Policy in Miami

President Donald J. Trump on Friday announced his new Cuba policy in Miami, Florida, rolling back several Obama era policies to ease restrictions on trade and travel. The U.S. Embassy will remain in Havana and transfers of cash that have already been made will be honored.

“Effectively immediately, I am cancelling the previous administration’s completely one-sided deal with Cuba,” President Trump said to an ecstatic crowd of Cuban-Americans. “Today, I am announcing a new policy just as I promised the Cuban people. It will seek a new deal that benefits the Cuban people and America.”

In attendance at the event were Vice President Mike Pence, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., and Florida Governor Rick Scott. Sen. Rubio, himself a Cuban-American, gave a brief speech in which he told attendees a story about a phone call he made to the President the day after Election Day.

“The first thing he said was, ‘What are we going to do to help the Cuban people,” Sen. Rubio said.

Both the senator and governor have been vehement opponents of the easing of restrictions agreed upon by the Obama administration. In return, the U.S. got nothing.

President Trump made it clear on Friday, “those days are over.”

“We now hold the cards. The previous administration’s easing of travel and trade does not help the Cuban people,” he said. “They only enrich the Cuban regime.”

“Today Cuba is ruled by the same people who murdered tens of thousands of its citizens. It sought to spread their failed and oppressive ideology throughout our hemisphere.”

President Trump will sign an executive order directing the U.S. Treasury and Commerce Departments to provide regulations to prohibit direct financial transactions with the military intelligence and security services.

“Our new policy begins with strictly enforcing U.S. law. We will not lift sanctions on the Cuban regime until all political prisoners are free, all political parties are legalized and free and supervised elections are scheduled,” the President said. “We challenge Cuba to come to the table for a new agreement that is in the best interest of their people and our people, including Cuban-Americans.”

President Trump called on the Cuban regime to hand over “fugitives,” specifically naming the New Jersey cop-killer Joanne Chesimard. Now going by the name of Assata Shakur, Chesimard was found guilty of killing New Jersey State Trooper Werner Foerster in 1973 before she escaped from prison and fled to Cuba, where notorious socialist dictator President Fidel Castro gave her asylum.

“The Castro regime has shipped armed to North Korea and harbored cop-killers and terrorists,” he said. “My administration will never excuse it or turn a blind eye to it. We remember what happened.”

The FBI designated Chesimard a domestic terrorist, making her the first woman to be placed on the agency’s Most Wanted Terrorist List.

“You have no choice. The harboring of fugitives will end,” he said. “Our Embassy remains open in the hope our countries can forge a much better path.”

“With God’s help, a free Cuba is what we will soon achieve,” President Trump said.