U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson suspended — for another six months — a provision in the Helms-Burton Act that would allow more Americans, including nationalized Cubans, to sue those on the island who have been “trafficking” in private properties confiscated decades ago by the Cuban government.
According to a State Department notice, Tillerson, not President Donald Trump, notified Congress on Jan. 12 of his decision to temporarily suspend “the right to bring an action” under Title III of the so-called LIBERTAD Act starting Feb. 1. The State Department has had the authority to make a determination on Title III since January 2013, when former President Barack Obama delegated the matter to the Secretary of State.
The first time that the Trump administration had to weigh in on the issue, Tillerson, in turn, delegated authority to the Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Thomas Shannon who finally decided last July to suspend Title III for six months.
Read more at our news partner, the Miami Herald.