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Obama administration may lift travel restrictions to Cuba

By Bernard Hibbitts (editor) and University of Pittsburgh School of Law students.

[JURIST] US President Barack Obama may lift travel and money transfer restrictions with Cuba, according to statements by administration officials Saturday. The new rules would allow Americans with family members in Cuba to make unlimited trips to the country and would permit them to send unrestricted amounts of money for support, the officials said. Currently, Americans with family in Cuba are limited to one visit per year and can transfer $300 per quarter to each household in Cuba that receives funds. Despite the relaxation of policy with Cuba, Obama is not expected to ask Congress to lift the trade embargo with the communist nation, which has been in place since 1962 after Fidel Castro took power. While the actions are generally seen as a fulfillment of a campaign promise made by Obama, some oppose the removal of restrictions because it does not speak out against the Castro regime. Earlier this year, Congress approved legislation that relaxed rules put in place by the Bush administration in 2004. Previously US residents were only allowed to visit relatives on the island once every three years. In February, a bill was introduced into the US House of Representatives that would end the ban on travel by US residents to Cuba. A similar bill is pending in the US Senate

Full post as published by JURIST - The Paper Chase on April 04, 2009 (boomark / email).