Biden: "More Sanctions if No Change in Cuba"

Meeting with Cuban-American Leader at the White House

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Suhwan] U.S. President Joe Biden met with Cuban-American leaders at the White House on the 30th (local time) to discuss anti-government protests in Cuba.

According to the Associated Press, President Biden told reporters before the meeting that more sanctions could be imposed if there is no dramatic change in Cuba, adding, "I hope that does not happen."

He emphasized, "The United States is acting in unity for the cause of the Cuban people."

The Cuban-American attendees included musician Yotuel Romero, Ana Sofia Pelaez, founder of the political activist group Miami Freedom Project, and former Miami Mayor Manny Diaz.

Romero is known for releasing the anti-establishment song "Patria y vida (Homeland and Life)" in February this year, along with other Cuban musicians.

Foreign media analyzed that in last year's U.S. presidential election, 1.5 million Cuban-Americans in Florida mainly voted for former President Donald Trump, the Republican candidate, and that it is important for Biden's Democratic Party to gain their support in the 2024 election.

Alejandro Ortiz, a Cuban-American residing in Miami, criticized President Biden's response to the recent anti-government protests in Cuba as too slow in an interview with foreign media.

Prior to the meeting between President Biden and Cuban-American leaders, the U.S. Treasury Department announced sanctions on two top Cuban police officials on the same day.

The sanctions target included Oscar Callejas Valcarce, head of the Cuban National Revolutionary Police (NRP).

Being on the sanctions list results in asset freezes within the United States and prohibits transactions with Americans.

The NRP was deployed to suppress protesters on behalf of the Cuban government.

On the 22nd, the U.S. Treasury Department added Cuban Defense Minister ?lvaro L?pez Miera and special units under the Ministry of the Interior, who suppressed the anti-government protests, to the sanctions list.

In Cuba, large-scale anti-government protests broke out on the 11th of this month, protesting economic hardships such as shortages of daily necessities, high prices, and worsening COVID-19 conditions.

Cuban President Miguel D?az-Canel blamed the United States, saying that the anti-government protests occurred because the U.S. is implementing policies that economically strangle Cuba.