Cuba calls Trump's travel ban and sanctions 'infamous'
The Cuban government rejected Trump's new memorandum as an economic aggression. The measure prohibits tourism and transactions with GAESA.
The Cuban government strongly rejected the National Security Presidential Memorandum signed by Donald Trump on June 30, 2025, calling it "disgraceful" and condemning what it considers a new attempt to use economic coercion as a weapon of aggression.
Main measures of the memorandum
The White House notes that the document:
- Resets and strengthens the economic embargo, reversing Biden's measures.
- Prohibits direct or indirect financial transactions with entities controlled by the Cuban military, such as GAESA.
- Hardens the legal ban on American tourism to Cuba, with audits and records for at least five years.
- Orders a review of the human rights in Cuba and the location of alleged fugitives from US justice.
- Promotes the expansion of Internet access, a free press, free enterprise and association, and lawful travel for educational and humanitarian purposes.
The Cuban Foreign Ministry defined it as "a rehash" of the 2017 strategy and a violation of international law. President Miguel Díaz-Canel called it "suffocation and economic warfare," accusing Washington of serving interests that profit from "the pain and suffering of the Cuban people."
Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez called it a "criminal" act and a "violation of the human rights of an entire nation."
Context:
It is part of Trump's "maximum pressure" strategy, similar to that of 2017, seeking to reverse Obama's progress and partial relief under Biden.
It includes additional restrictions such as limitations on remittances, Helms-Burton sanctions, a ban on Cuban medical missions, and visa revocation.
Experts warn that the additional impact may be limited, as many measures were already in place, but they emphasize that they exacerbate Cuba's already fragile economic situation: shortages, blackouts, and a decline in tourism and investment.
From the United States, lawmakers like Marco Rubio defend these actions as a way to denounce an "illegitimate regime" and restrict its financial resources.
The island rejects it as an economic and humanitarian aggression. While the U.S. government presents it as an initiative to pressure the regime and support freedom, analysts agree that its effects will fall primarily on the already affected Cuban population.
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