MIAMI - Secretary of State Marco Rubio reaffirmed Cuba as a state sponsor of terrorism (SST) on Friday after President Donald Trump put the communist country back on the list on his first day back in office.
"The Trump Administration is restoring a tough Cuba policy that protects America and helps the Cuban people," Rubio said. "We've maintained Cuba on the State Sponsors of Terrorism list – where it belongs – and taken other steps. The Cuban regime's oppression of its people and malign actions must end."
Donald Trump restored Cuba as an SST after former President Joe Biden removed the country from the list during his final days in office. Trump previously designated Cuba as an SST in the last days of his first administration in 2021.
The Biden administration, in a deal facilitated by the Catholic Church, originally agreed to remove the designation in exchange for political prisoners who protested against the communist country in July 2021.
Cuban officials had been pushing for a policy change throughout Biden's term. Soon after the announcement, the country began releasing prisoners, including some sentenced to prison time for the 2021 protests.
However, like with many of Biden's policies, Trump scraped the idea upon his return to Washington. The decision also was condemned at the time by Florida officials from across the political aisle.
“I opposed the decision to remove them. I’m glad that it’s been reinstated because they are engaged in terrorist activity,” Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D) stated. “They are part of the “Axis of Evil” with Iran, Russia, and Hezbollah. They need to be labeled as a state’s sponsor of terrorism.”
Republican Miami Mayor Francis Saurez, who like Rubio is Cuban, also blasted the decision. Another negative reaction came from House Republican Rep. Fabian Basabe, who called the decision an "insult" and "threat to national security."
About 1.5 million Cubans live in Florida, far exceeding any other state. A majority also live in Miami-Dade County, where Trump has become very popular.
Trump won Miami-Dade by 11 points over Vice President Kamala Harris, the first win for a Republican presidential candidate since George H.W. Bush in 1988.
