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handle is hein.crs/goveiea0001 and id is 1 raw text is: \Congressional                                                     ____
'aResearch Service
Biden Administration's Cuba Policy Changes
Updated August 11, 2022
In May 2022, the Biden Administration announced several changes to U.S. policy toward Cuba, with the
overarching goal of increasing support for the Cuban people. The changes, which emanated from a policy
review begun in 2021, fall into four broad areas-facilitating family reunification, expanding authorized
travel, easing restrictions on remittances, and supporting Cuba's private sector. According to a State
Department spokesperson, the changes will provide Cubans with additional tools to pursue life free from
Cuban government oppression and to seek greater economic opportunities. The Administration has
begun implementing the policy changes through various steps and regulatory changes undertaken by
relevant U.S. departments and agencies.
Although the changes have involved easing some restrictions on travel and remittances, including
amendments to the Cuban Assets Control Regulations (CACR; 31 C.F.R. 515), the United States
maintains comprehensive economic sanctions on Cuba, including restrictions on transactions with entities
on a Cuba Restricted List that are controlled by the Cuban military, intelligence, or security services.
Administration officials assert that human rights issues will remain at the center of U.S. policy toward
Cuba. In the aftermath of the Cuban government's harsh response to government-wide protests in July
2021, the Administration imposed several rounds of targeted financial sanctions and visa restrictions on
Cuban officials found to be responsible for the repression.
Family Reunification
The Administration announced it would reinstate the Cuban Family Reunification Parole (CFRP) program
and increase immigrant visa processing at the U.S. Embassy in Havana. The CFRP program, administered
by the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS's) U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, allows
certain U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents with approved petitions for family members in Cuba
to apply for immigration parole for those individuals. If a CFRP application is approved, the family
members are issued documentation to enable them to travel to the United States. The program was
established in 2007 to help the United States meet its annual obligations under the 1994-1995 U.S.-Cuba
migration accords to legally admit a minimum of 20,000 Cubans annually. CFRP processing at the U.S.
Embassy in Havana was suspended in 2017 amid the drawdown of staff due to unexplained health injuries
suffered by some embassy community members. In June 2022, DHS maintained that the resumption of
CFRP operations would begin this summer. In the 117th Congress, H.R. 6907, introduced in March 2022,
would direct the Administration to reinstate the processing of applications under the CFRP.
Congressional Research Service
https://crsreports.congress.gov
IN11937
CRS INSIGHT
Prepared for Members and
Committees of Congress

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