Cuba: U.S. Restrictions on Travel and Legislative Initiatives
Abstract
Restrictions on travel to Cuba have been a key and often contentious component in U.S. efforts to isolate the communist government of Fidel Castro for much of the past 40 years. Over time, there have been numerous changes to the restrictions, and for 5 years, from 1977 until 1982, there were no restrictions on travel to Cuba. This report surveys changes to the travel restrictions dating back to the 1960s, summarizes major arguments for and against lifting such restrictions, and tracks legislative initiatives to ease restrictions on travel to Cuba. Major arguments made for lifting the Cuba travel ban are that it hinders efforts to influence conditions in Cuba and may be aiding Castro by helping to restrict the flow of information between the United States and Cuba, it abridges the rights of ordinary Americans, and Americans can travel to other countries with communist or authoritarian governments. Major arguments in opposition to lifting the Cuba travel ban are that American tourist travel would support Castro's rule by providing his government with millions of dollars in tourist receipts, there are legal provisions allowing travel to Cuba for humanitarian purposes that are used by thousands of Americans each year, and the President should be free to restrict travel for foreign policy reasons. In the first session of the 107th Congress, the House voted, in H.R. 2590, the FY2002 Treasury Department appropriation bill, to prohibit Treasury Department funds from being used to administer or enforce the Cuban embargo with respect to any travel or travel-related transaction. The Senate version of the bill, however, did not include the Cuba provision, and the House-Senate conference report on the bill (H.Rept. 107-253) did not include the provision.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 06, 2003
- Accession Number
- ADA487627
Entities
People
- Mark P. Sullivan
Organizations
- Library of Congress