Some Cuban Americans wary amid Trump talks. ‘There’s no clear path’

Trump Cuba policy talks leave Cuban Americans asking ‘what’s the plan?’

Muhammad Asghar | GlobalBeat

Miami’s Versailles restaurant buzzed with unease Tuesday as Cuban Americans grilled Trump administration officials about promised changes.

No clear timeline emerged. No written proposals. Just vague promises of economic openings and family reunification talks that could start “soon,” Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told the packed cafe after three hours of closed-door meetings.

The confusion cuts to the heart of why this matters. Cuban Americans delivered Florida to Trump by 13 points in November after he vowed to reverse Biden’s Cuba policies. Now they want specifics on how he’ll dismantle decades-old sanctions while keeping pressure on Havana’s communist government.

Lutnick heard sharp questions from business owners who’ve waited years for permission to invest in Cuba’s private sector. “We heard ‘trust us’ for eight years under Trump One,” said Miami hardware importer Carlos Gimenez, who attended the session. “Show us the paperwork.”

The administration has floated allowing more remittances, reopening cruise routes, and letting Cuban Americans fund relatives’ small businesses. But officials offered no implementation dates or regulatory changes during Monday’s talks in Miami and Tampa.

That worries older exiles who fled Fidel Castro’s revolution. “My brother waited 60 years to see a free Cuba,” said 84-year-old Hialeah retiree Marta Rodriguez. “Now they want to send more money to the regime that killed our dreams?”

Younger Cuban Americans see opportunity. “My cousin runs a bakery in Havana with 3 employees,” said 28-year-old Tampa teacher Jennifer Alvarez. “Let me send him $5,000 for a bigger oven. That helps real people, not the government.”

Trump’s team faces a delicate balance. Hardliners want maximum pressure until Havana releases political prisoners and holds free elections. Business groups argue engagement weakens the government by building an independent middle class.

The split played out in real time Monday. When Lutnick mentioned studying “targeted sanctions relief,” half the Miami audience applauded. The other half booed.

Administration officials left without announcing concrete steps. They promised another round of talks “in coming weeks” and said Trump would “review options” after that.

The delay frustrates Cuban entrepreneurs who’ve watched Biden maintain most Trump-era restrictions. “We’ve been stuck for 5 years,” said Havana restaurant owner Yamila Perez, speaking by phone. “Every month we wait, more businesses close.”

Some changes could come through executive order. Treasury officials could expand the list of Cuban entities Americans can legally do business with, or raise caps on family remittances beyond the current $1,000 per quarter.

Bigger moves require congressional approval. Bills to lift the trade embargo have stalled for years despite growing support from farm-state Republicans who want to sell rice and poultry to Cuba.

The politics remain treacherous. Democrat Maria Elvira Salazar flipped a Miami House seat by attacking GOP opponents as soft on communism. She attended Monday’s meeting but left early, telling reporters she needed “real specifics, not campaign rhetoric.”

Trump won South Florida by promising to “finish the job” on Cuba. Exit polls showed 55% of Cuban American voters backed him, up from 52% in 2020. But many now wonder what job he meant.

“Is the job starving the regime or feeding the people?” asked Miami Beach consultant Ricardo Herrera. “Because those might be opposite things.”

Background

The United States imposed its embargo on Cuba in 1962 after Fidel Castro seized American properties and aligned with the Soviet Union. The policy has outlasted 11 U.S. presidents and survived the Cold War’s end.

Barack Obama normalized relations in 2014, restoring diplomatic ties and expanding travel. Trump reversed course in 2017, banning most flights and remittances while adding Cuba back to the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism. Biden kept nearly all Trump’s measures despite campaign promises to restore Obama-era openings.

What’s Next

Trump officials promised responses “within 30 days” to specific proposals raised Monday, including allowing direct banking between Florida and Havana and expanding categories of legal trade. The administration must decide by April whether to renew licenses for charter companies flying family visitors, a move that could signal broader policy direction.