Cuban-American Senator Rick Scott has raised alarms over the potential decision by the Biden administration to remove Cuba from the list of state sponsors of terrorism before Donald Trump possibly returns to the presidency on January 20. His concerns were sparked by a recent letter sent to President Biden by a group of Democratic lawmakers.
The letter, signed by congress members such as Barbara Lee, Jim McGovern, Gregory Meeks, and Joaquín Castro, urges the President to reconsider Cuba's classification as a terrorist sponsor. They argue that easing sanctions could alleviate the economic and humanitarian struggles on the island. This request, driven by issues like power outages, the energy crisis, and recent natural disasters such as Hurricane Rafael, has met with strong opposition from Scott, who believes this step would jeopardize U.S. national security and bolster the communist regime led by Miguel Díaz-Canel.
Strong Opposition from Rick Scott
To Rick Scott, any move to delist Cuba is seen as a grave strategic blunder. "The last-minute calls from Biden administration sympathizers within the Democratic Party to remove Cuba as a state sponsor of terrorism are not just ignorant, they're dangerous," he asserted.
Scott argues that such an action would only strengthen the Díaz-Canel regime and heighten instability in the region. "Removing the Castro/Díaz-Canel regime from the list overlooks their harboring of terrorists, provision of secret police support to Maduro in Venezuela, and hosting a Chinese Communist Party espionage station just 90 miles from Florida," Scott added.
The Consequences of Appeasement
The Florida senator further stressed that attempts to appease the Cuban regime have historically backfired. "The Biden-Harris administration's years of appeasement towards the illegitimate Cuban communist regime have fueled terrorism and instability in the Western Hemisphere, endangering U.S. national security," he emphasized.
Scott points out that the Díaz-Canel regime shows no signs of altering its oppressive and authoritarian policies. "The regime continues to violate human rights, holds over a thousand political prisoners subjected to torture, and actively supports authoritarian regimes like that of Nicolás Maduro," he noted.
Looking Ahead to Trump's Potential Return
With Trump's possible return to the presidency in January, Scott insists there should be no shifts in U.S. policy towards Cuba that would endorse what he describes as Biden's failed appeasement strategy. "Removing Cuba from the list of State Sponsors of Terrorism would only further compromise U.S. national security, and I will fight vigorously to ensure this does not happen," he concluded in an extensive post on X.
Back in January 2021, just days before leaving the White House, Donald Trump reinstated Cuba on the list of state sponsors of terrorism, a designation that brings severe economic and diplomatic restrictions. The Trump administration justified this move, citing Cuba's sheltering of bomb makers and terrorists linked to Colombia's National Liberation Army (ELN), its backing of insurgent movements across Latin America, and collaboration with organizations like Hezbollah.
Brian Nichols, the Under Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs, stated in May this year that the designation of a state as a terrorism sponsor is non-negotiable. "It is a legal process involving various government departments and culminates in a decision by the Secretary of State," Nichols explained. Nonetheless, the Democratic legislators' letter has reignited the debate over Cuba's inclusion on that list.