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Cuba Policy On Cuban-American Travel To The Island Has Political And Economic Tentacles

Associated Press
A man applying for a U.S. visa holds his U.S. Department of State forms and Cuban passport as he waits in line outside the U.S. diplomatic mission in Havana.

New travel regulations that Cuba announced over the weekend appear designed to make sure a steady flow of Cuban-American visitors continues.

But the rules — which include welcoming back Cubans who fled the island through irregular means, such as by rafts, and eliminating some of the bureaucracy associated with visits by the diaspora — also seem to be a response to a chill in the U.S.-Cuba relationship and a stricter Trump administration policy on travel between the two countries.

In the wake of mysterious auditory incidents that have harmed the health of 24 American diplomats causing ailments ranging from hearing loss to concussions, the U.S. government withdrew 60 percent of the personnel at its Havana Embassy because it said the Cuban government had failed to protect its diplomats. Then the U.S. expelled at least 15 diplomats (17 by Cuba’s count) from the Cuban Embassy in Washington.

Read more at our news partner, the Miami Herald

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