The Democratic presidential candidate for the United States, Joe Biden, told CiberCuba that empowering the Cuban people will be the cornerstone of his policy towards Cuba, and he assured that if he reaches the White House, he will immediately eliminate the restrictions on remittances and travel to the island.
"Empowering the Cuban people to determine their own future is essential for the national security of the United States (...) and will be the centerpiece of my approach," Biden stated in an exclusive interview with CiberCuba. "I will pursue policies that acknowledge the current environment, starting with the removal of Trump's restrictions on remittances and travel, which harm the Cuban people and keep families apart."
The sending of remittances to Cuba has become a topic in electoral campaigns following a recent sanction by the Trump administration aimed at preventing financial transactions from being processed by entities linked to the Cuban military apparatus.
The former vice president stated that President Donald Trump is the worst advocate for achieving democracy in Cuba, and asserted that a Biden-Harris administration will restore the Cuban Family Reunification Parole (CFRP), promote asylum for refugees, and limit deportations to the island as soon as possible.
"Trump's policies towards Cuba have been a total failure", Biden stated.
Both the interview with Biden and the one conducted with President Trump on CiberCuba were planned since early September as part of our publication's coverage of the historic elections on November 3rd in the United States. Both political contenders received their respective questionnaires of 12 questions simultaneously, covering various topics related to Cuba and the Cuban-American community.
Biden agreed to answer five questions from the questionnaire sent by CiberCuba. Questions regarding the Cuban Adjustment Act, the possibility of lifting the embargo, federal programs aiding civil society and political opposition in Cuba, as well as the option to deactivate Titles III and IV of the Helms-Burton Act, remain pending for a future dialogue.
Interview in CiberCuba with Democratic candidate Joe Biden
CiberCuba: What will be your first step regarding the current policy towards Cuba if you become president of the United States?
Joe Biden: Trump's policies towards Cuba have been a total failure. Repression by the regime has only increased under his administration. As president, my policy will be guided by two principles: first, that Americans, particularly Cuban Americans, are the best ambassadors for freedom in Cuba. Second, empowering the Cuban people to determine their own future is essential for the national security of the United States. The situation in Cuba today is not the same as it was four years ago, and I will pursue policies that acknowledge today's environment, starting with the elimination of Trump's restrictions on remittances and travel, which harm the Cuban people and keep families separated. I will also address the backlog of over 20,000 visas that has grown under the Trump administration, demand the release of political prisoners, and defend human rights in Cuba, just as I did when I was vice president.
CiberCuba: One of the most severe sanctions imposed by Trump has been the bans on regular and charter flights, as well as the limitation on remittance shipments to Cuba. What is your plan to reverse both measures?
Joe Biden: In the midst of a global pandemic, when so many families are deeply affected, President Trump is denying Cuban Americans the right to support their families on the island. Once again, it is clear that his supposed "support" for the Cuban people is nothing more than empty political rhetoric.
The Trump administration is deporting hundreds of Cubans back to the dictatorship. There are nearly 10,000 Cubans languishing in tent camps along the border with Mexico due to Trump's anti-immigrant agenda. And it is separating Cuban families through increasingly strict restrictions on family visits and remittances. None of this helps the Cuban people. None of this has advanced democracy in Cuba.
Donald Trump is the worst possible advocate for achieving democracy in Cuba, because he has consented to autocrats around the world, like Vladimir Putin in Russia. Throughout my career, I have defended democracy and human rights, freedom of the press, assembly, and religion, and I have fought against dictators from both the left and the right.
The limitations on remittances particularly harm Cuban families, especially the elderly and the more vulnerable, both on the island and in our country. Both Americans and Cubans cannot afford four more years of weak leadership, empty words, and unfulfilled promises from Trump.
CiberCuba: The changes in immigration policy have led to a concentration of Cubans awaiting an asylum hearing in Mexico, while dozens more remain detained in U.S. immigration jails under questionable conditions and the threat of deportation. What would you do in this situation?
Joe Biden: What the Trump Administration is doing is inconceivable: deporting hundreds of Cubans to a dictatorship and forcing nearly 10,000 Cubans to languish in tent encampments along the Mexican border, all to advance this administration's anti-immigrant crusade. The United States can defend both the security of our border and our values as a nation of immigrants. We must restore our historic commitment to people seeking asylum and refugees. My immigration plan will put an end to Trump's harmful asylum policies, starting with Trump's Migrant Protection Protocols [MPP], and will reinstate our asylum laws to do what they are meant to do: protect individuals fleeing persecution who cannot return home safely. We will end prolonged detention and for-profit detention centers and reinvest in case management programs, which allow migrants to live with dignity and safety while awaiting their court hearings, and which are the best way to ensure that asylum seekers attend all required immigration hearings. Additionally, we will restore sensible enforcement priorities so that hardworking individuals who have never committed a felony are not subject to deportation.
CiberCuba: One of the main complaints from the Cuban community in the United States is the suspension of the Family Reunification Program for the past three years. What can you say to the families who are calling for the reactivation of this immigration benefit?
Joe Biden: A Biden and Harris administration will reopen pathways for safe and legal migration from the island, including the Cuban Family Reunification Parole Program (CFRP) and the Cuban Refugee Program as soon as possible. The oppressive Cuban regime should not prevent Americans –especially Cuban Americans– from helping their families and friends in Cuba.
CiberCuba: The current administration has justified its sanctions against Cuba on the grounds of punishing the military sectors that control tourism and business in the country, and limiting their support for the Nicolás Maduro regime in Venezuela. What do you think about these sanctions? Would you lift them or negotiate them?
Joe Biden: Trump's policies have not been successful. Dictators remain entrenched in power both in Cuba and Venezuela. Sanctions are an important tool, but they are not our only tool and should be part of a broader strategy to achieve the outcomes we desire. The goal is more freedom for people living under oppressive regimes. If sanctions help advance that goal, I will use them. And unlike Trump, I will protect those fleeing oppression from these dictatorships. Trump has made it nearly impossible for asylum seekers to even make the legal claim they are entitled to. President Trump and the Senate Republicans have repeatedly refused to grant Temporary Protected Status [TPS] to Venezuelans fleeing Maduro's regime. I will grant it. In Cuba, empowering the Cuban people will be central to my approach. And I will ensure that all asylum seekers, including those from Cuba and Nicaragua, receive fair consideration.
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