• More sanctions in the works for Cuba, says DHS secretary.
No protected status extension for Haiti
MIAMI — The U.S. will impose further sanctions on officials involved in quashing anti-government protests in Cuba, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said after a meeting with Cuban American activists in Miami on Thursday.
“Later today, we will be announcing another set of sanctions against individuals who were responsible for the repression and the brutality in response to the Cuban people’s cry for liberty on July 11,” Mr. Mayorkas said.
“This administration stands with the Cuban people,” he said, adding assurances that the administration will not develop a policy toward Cuba without the input of Cuban Americans.
Mr. Mayorkas’ visit to Miami included a Thursday afternoon meeting with members of the Haitian diaspora to discuss the U.S. response to the earthquake on Aug. 14, on the heels of the political crisis caused by the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse last month.
Haitians activists were hoping DHS would further extend Haiti’s temporary protected status designation in response to the earthquake. On Aug. 3, Mr. Mayorkas expanded it in response to Moïse’s death, which keeps the relief in place until Feb. 3, 2023 and applies to Haitians who were residing in the U.S. as of July 29.
But Mr. Mayorkas said Thursday there were no plans for further extensions.
“We looked at the tragedy of the assassination that occurred a while ago and we did extend our originally designated date, but we are not looking at extending that date again,” he said at a news conference at La Ermita de la Caridad.
After islandwide anti-government protests erupted in Cuba on July 11, President Joe Biden sanctioned several Cuban officials, the national police, and elite units deployed to quash the demonstrations. He also ordered his administration to seek ways to provide internet access to Cubans on the island after the Cuban government shut down the service to prevent the uprising from spreading further.
Mr. Biden also ordered plans to resume remittances and increase embassy staffing. The closure of the USCIS office in Havana in 2018 and the suspension of consular services a year earlier have created a massive backlog of more than 100,000 immigration visas. The administration has also authorized humanitarian chartered flights to take medicine and food to several Cuban cities but few details have emerged on this effort.
Mr. Mayorkas said the administration was “very focused” on finding ways to reduce the visa backlog but offered no further details.
The Miami gathering included a more diverse guest list than previous White House meetings, which faced criticism for mainly having Cuban Americans close to the Democratic Party. Among the participants were Omar Lopez Montenegro, of the Cuban American National Foundation, and activist Rosa Maria Paya, who were not invited to meet Mr. Biden at the White House. Francis Suarez, who, after the July 11 demonstrations, said the administration should explore air strikes against Cuba, was also among the attendees.
Others present were Felice Gorordo, CEO of eMerge Americas and co-founder of Roots of Hope; Manny Diaz, former Miami mayor and chair of the Florida Democratic Party; and Madridbased Yotuel Romero, lead singer of Cuban hip-hop group Orishas and principal author of “Patria y Vida,” a song that has become an anthem for the protesters. The three met Mr. Biden at the White House last month.
Some of the activists attending wanted to hear more concrete actions from the administration, they told the Herald.
Mr. Romero said it was a “relief” to be able to speak out and be heard. “But, have they given us direct, practical solutions right now? No,” he said.
Ms. Paya, who leads a referendum initiative called Cuba Decide, said that they discussed solutions to provide internet access to Cubans during the meeting. “But the Cuban people need those yesterday.”
“Our proposals have been on the table for weeks,” she said. She met last month with Juan Gonzalez, National Security Council director for Western Hemisphere affairs, who also traveled with Mr. Mayorkas to Miami.
Missing from the Thursday meeting were Cuban American Republican Reps. Mario Díaz-Balart, Carlos Giménez and María Elvira Salazar, who criticized Mr. Biden’s response to the protests. Democratic Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz attended.