POMPEO: Biden's Final Betrayal of Liberty Removing Cuba From Terror Sponsor List

The Biden Administration’s decision to remove Cuba from the list of State Sponsors of Terrorism (SST) in exchange for the release of political prisoners held by the Cuban regime demonstrated, one final time, its inability to discern America’s allies from its adversaries in a final stroke of the weakness Biden has consistently demonstrated as President. Team Biden’s insistence on “normalizing” America’s relations with regimes intent on undermining and harming America has made the world a far more dangerous place in just four short years. The incoming Trump Administration should demonstrate the same good sense and strength we showed during our first term in office and reverse this designation as soon as possible.

Cuba’s history of supporting and harboring individuals involved in acts of terrorism is well-documented. The Cuban regime has provided a safe haven to U.S. fugitives, including Joanne Chesimard (Assata Shakur), who was convicted of murdering a New Jersey state trooper. During my tenure as Secretary of State, I cited this as a primary reason for our decision to label Cuba with the SST designation. The Cuban regime’s blatant refusal to honor our extradition requests and instead provide shelter to those who have committed violent crimes against Americans demonstrated the regime’s continued hostility toward our nation. By removing the SST designation without actually securing the extradition of these individuals, the Biden Administration displayed the same weakness that has marked its tenure.

Moreover, Cuba has also demonstrated its support for violent insurgent groups in Central and South America, notably the Colombian National Liberation Army (ELN). After the ELN’s bombing of a police academy in Bogotá in 2019, which killed 22 people, Cuba refused to extradite the group’s leaders, citing its role as a “mediator” in Colombia’s peace process. If the regime actually cared about these things, it would have handed over those who murdered innocent Colombians. Instead, it chose to enable the ELN and further contributed to terrorism and insurgency in the region.

Cuba’s alignment with dangerous and anti-American authoritarian regimes further justifies its inclusion on the SST list. Just last year, the Cuban regime hosted the late Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi in Havana, where Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel pledged to “confront . . . Yankee imperialism and its allies with a tenacious resistance.” The regime’s intention to develop closer ties with the number one global state sponsor of terror to undermine America could not have been made more clear – so why has the Biden Administration decided that now is the “opportune moment” to lift the designation?

The Cuban government has also consistently supported Nicolás Maduro’s brutal regime in Venezuela, providing intelligence and security assistance that has proved critical to Maduro’s survival. In doing so, the Cuban regime has contributed greatly to the repression of the Venezuelan people, the perpetuation of a humanitarian crisis, and the destabilization of the region. Of course, the Biden Administration also eased sanctions on Maduro’s regime, so lifting Cuba’s SST designation is just par for the course. This sends the message that the United States is unwilling or unable to take actions that bolster our national security in our own hemisphere. And it has led to the continuation of the illegitimately elected Maduro regime.

This is troubling because the Chinese Communist Party has made rapid and strategic inroads across Central and South America – and Cuba is no exception. In the past four years, Cuba has strengthened its ties with the CCP through intelligence collaboration and technological support. This poses serious threats to U.S. national security, just as the Soviet Union’s involvement with the Castro regime posed serious threats decades ago. The SST designation was one avenue to slow this growing relationship by imposing restrictions on financial transactions, deterring foreign investments, and limiting Cuba’s access to international markets. These measures were far from a panacea, but lifting the SST designation will only make it more difficult to monitor or slow the development of the Cuban regime’s ties with actors hostile to the United States.

Lifting Cuba’s SST designation is a betrayal of Cuban-Americans living in the United States today, many of whom lost loved ones to the Castro regime’s brutality. It is also a betrayal of the American people to enable a hostile adversary – just an hour’s flight away from Miami – to grow in power and wealth. In the first Trump Administration, we designated Cuba as a State Sponsor of Terrorism because that’s what Cuba is. We acted to protect America and, hopefully, took the necessary steps toward one day liberating Cubans from the rule of the communist regime in Havana. The Biden Administration betrayed Americans and Cubans alike by lifting this designation – I hope the Trump Administration corrects this mistake and restores American strength.

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