Trump Bans Most Travel To Cuba

[sanddunes]

The irony is that restricting American citizen’s travel rights is a very communist thing to do.  This will be devastating to average Cubans just trying to get by.

New Cuba Travel Restrictions

[SolaceSoul]

I still see that one can still fly there commercially under the “support for the Cuban people” category. Which is how I went last year after his first ban.

[sanddunes]

If customs and OFAC wants to be strict almost nobody would truly qualify.  The administration claims they will be cracking down on “veiled tourism.”  Most people traveling under categories such as support for the Cuban people do not keep the detailed records and receipts for 5 years as required, nor can they prove full time schedule of itineraries.  

[SolaceSoul]

10 minutes ago, sanddunes said:

If customs and OFAC wants to be strict almost nobody would truly qualify.  The administration claims they will be cracking down on “veiled tourism.”  Most people traveling under categories such as support for the Cuban people do not keep the detailed records and receipts for 5 years as required, nor can they prove full time schedule of itineraries.  

That’s true. But I do. I keep very detailed records —- primarily because I don’t trust this fascist administration. 

Also, I have a list of the banned establishments. Basically, it’s anything that is not a private establishment. It includes many popular tourist spots, like the rooftop of the Ambos Mundos Hotel (where Ernest Hemingway stayed) and the Nacional Hotel. It’s beyond ridiculous 

[axiom2001]

On 6/4/2019 at 12:12 PM, sanddunes said:

The irony is that restricting American citizen’s travel rights is a very communist thing to do.  This will be devastating to average Cubans just trying to get by.

New Cuba Travel Restrictions

In addition to what you posted (thanks), here are a few articles, etc. that graced my Facebook pages today.  Thought I'd add since they, too, are quite pertinent.

  https://nyti.ms/2XA9PHL    (I had three other websites to consult; unfortunately they failed to work; thus I deleted.)  Sorry!

Edited June 5, 2019 by axiom2001

[mvan1]

On 6/4/2019 at 12:12 PM, sanddunes said:

The irony is that restricting American citizen’s travel rights is a very communist thing to do.  This will be devastating to average Cubans just trying to get by.

New Cuba Travel Restrictions

How hypocritical of Trump.  

Most readers recall that early on when Trump took office, he visited Cuba with his family (at taxpayer expense). 

His supposed official visit (sight-seeing vacation) did not create much news because he did not meet with any Cuban political officials. 

The few comments made by Trump about the visit was to say that Obama should not have eased restrictions for Americans to visit the island nation.      

In other words, Trump "had his ice cream", so to speak - (his free family vacation to Cuba) but to hell with anyone else who might want to visit there. 

What a useless swine that Trump is!

Edited June 5, 2019 by mvan1

[SolaceSoul]

40 minutes ago, mvan1 said:

How hypocritical of Trump.  

Most readers recall that early on when Trump took office, he visited Cuba with his family (at taxpayer expense). 

His supposed official visit (sight-seeing vacation) did not create much news because he did not meet with any Cuba political officials. 

The few comments made by Trump about the visit was to say that Obama should not have eased restrictions for Americans to visit the island nation.      

In other words, Trump "had his ice cream", so to speak - (his free family vacation to Cuba) but to hell with anyone else who might want to visit there. 

What a useless swine that Trump is!

This move is Drumpf trying to lock in the South Florida Cuban-American GOP vote for 2020, with the help of that ratfucker Marco Rubio.

”For Trump, pleasing Rubio and his Miami base—a stronghold of conservative Latino voters—is key to a 2020 victory in the battleground state of Florida, where he beat Hillary Clinton by a mere 113,000 votes in 2016. Florida is home to some 1.2 million Cubans and 190,000 Venezuelans. “Trump doesn’t care about Latin America. It’s all about domestic politics,” said William LeoGrande, an expert in U.S.-Latin American relations at American University. “Trump thinks he won Florida because of the Cuban American vote. Rubio convinced him that that’s what made the big difference in Florida.”

Rubio’s influence over Latin American policy is highly unusual for a senator. While Cuban-American members of Congress have long held outsized clout when it comes to foreign policy toward Cuba, Rubio’s reach extends further afield, in particular to Venezuela, which has served as a close ally and economic lifeline to Cuba for decades. On January 22, Rubio—flanked by Florida Governor Rick Scott and Florida Representative Mario Diaz-Balart, a fellow Cuban-American from Miami—went to the White House to call on Trump to support Juan Guaidó and the Venezuelan opposition. The next day the Florida politicians got their wish. The United States, followed by 20 other countries, recognized Guaidó as interim president. 

“I can’t think of another moment when such a crucial aspect of foreign policy was outsourced to a senator on such a critical decision as to recognize a dissident as the president of a country,” said Greg Grandin, author of Empire’s Workshop: Latin America, the United States, and Rise of New Imperialism and a professor of history at New York University. “It’s pretty audacious and it’s pretty unusual.”…

.…In recent months, he has pressured the White House to put Cuba back on an international terrorism list, impose sanctions on Cuban officials, and end U.S. travel and academic exchanges to the island. Last year, at Rubio’s urging, the United States withdrew most of its diplomats from Cuba. The real feather in his cap will be if the Maduro government falls in Venezuela, which could have devastating effects on Cuba, since it relies on subsidized oil from Venezuela.”

https://newrepublic.com/article/153115/marco-rubio-trumps-shadow-secretary-state

 

[Latbear4blk]

I would love visiting Cuba while the Revolution is still alive. It is in my plans for the next two years. I understand that if you really want to go, you just triangulate your flight. Fly or drive to Mexico, and from there you are free to fly to the island. I understand that Cuban customs and immigration officers will protect you by not stamping or leaving any trace in your passport. 

[sanddunes]

11 minutes ago, Latbear4blk said:

I would love visiting Cuba while the Revolution is still alive. It is in my plans for the next two years. I understand that if you really want to go, you just triangulate your flight. Fly or drive to Mexico, and from there you are free to fly to the island. I understand that Cuban customs and immigration officers will protect you by not stamping or leaving any trace in your passport. 

They have started stamping American passports since 2015.  It is *possible* they might go back to not stamping them, but it is unpredictable.  Planning a secret trip through Mexico would be a total waste of time if you have a Cuban entry stamp and US customs sees it.

[docbr]

Wow, seems so surreal to see Americans surrendering their freedom to travel anywhere like this... I know Cuba don’t held a lot of touristic appeal to the typical American but nonetheless can’t believe how a authoritarian decision is accepted by your congress.

[axiom2001]

7 hours ago, axiom2001 said:

In addition to what you posted (thanks), here are a few articles, etc. that graced my Facebook pages today.  Thought I'd add since they, too, are quite pertinent.

  https://nyti.ms/2XA9PHL    (I had three other websites to consult; unfortunately they failed to work; thus I deleted.)  Sorry!

Check out https://www.tourepublic.com/blog/how-to-travel-to-Cuba as well.

[floridarob]

I was there about a month or so ago and they asked me if I wanted a stamp or not.

I believe this has less to do with the "Miami Cubans" (the hardcore people have been dying off, younger generation doesn't care. I believe he is following directives from his Puppet master, Putin.

Cutting back on Cuba was practically the FIRST thing he did when he was in office, not many people noticed. Putin (Russia) has been supporting Cuba for decades, they have forgiven so much debt that it is ridiculous. He considers it he little communist island at the doorstep to the USA.

The Cuban people were ecstatic when Obama opened things up , Russia not at all.  

[axiom2001]

1 hour ago, floridarob said:

The Cuban people were ecstatic when Obama opened things up , Russia not at all.  

 

[SolaceSoul]

3 hours ago, floridarob said:

I believe this has less to do with the "Miami Cubans" (the hardcore people have been dying off, younger generation doesn't care. I believe he is following directives from his Puppet master, Putin.

It’s quite possible that it can be both. 

Putin pulls strings. Trump does things for his own self-preservation and self-gain. The two are not necessarily mutually exclusive.

And of course, we know how Orange Foolius just wants o undo anything that Obama did, out of jealousy and spite.

The older white Cubans in Florida are dying out, but they vote in strong numbers and they still vote for and donate to the GOP. The younger ones are less likely to do so. The Cubans on the island, many if not most who are brown and black, love Obama and hate Trump. 

[paborn]

On 6/6/2019 at 11:21 AM, SolaceSoul said:

It’s quite possible that it can be both. 

Putin pulls strings. Trump does things for his own self-preservation and self-gain. The two are not necessarily mutually exclusive.

And of course, we know how Orange Foolius just wants o undo anything that Obama did, out of jealousy and spite.

The older white Cubans in Florida are dying out, but they vote in strong numbers and they still vote for and donate to the GOP. The younger ones are less likely to do so. The Cubans on the island, many if not most who are brown and black, love Obama and hate Trump. 

I totally agree. I live in South Florida and through some volunteer work I know, at least casually, a very large number of Cubans. They are solidly republican even the middle aged. Yes, the young are changing but the one's changing are in High School. I do 30 day hides on 1/2 my Facebook friends. It's amazing. As long as there is a Castro alive they want vengeance . The people I'm speaking of were the aristocracy of Cuba and  they lost a very great deal and the hate lingers. They want no one going to Cuban and spending money.

[axiom2001]

In 2017 I used https://locallysourcedcuba.com/us-travel-to-cuba for a 25 day trip.  Prior to my initial journey, they made arrangements for me to stay at a beautiful and reasonably priced "bread- n- breakfast" (...have forgotten the name of its Cuba equivalent) within a two minute walk from Plaza Viejo.  ...a great place.  Because of my having some acute back problems prior to my mostly independent sojourn, I had to cancel after spending three days/nights there. 

Because of #45's repressive shit, I am thinking about returning to Cuba in 2020, and I might use this Cuban=based agency which does not work with the US.  Yesterday I sent an email regarding future travel and received some very interesting information in return.  Check out the initial web address which I posted and proceed if desired.