Snap-O Fact #65

In 2009, President Obama instituted a new policy on Cuba, allowing Cubans to return “home” to visit their family members who were left behind. This humanitarian move began a long term program to break the ice between the two neighboring countries. In 2011, the President continued to ease restrictions placed on traveling to Cuba, as he has promised to do in his 2008 Presidential campaign. According to BBC news, even though this policy was not meant to completely do away with the US-Cuba embargo, it provided five main modifications:

1) It provided a general license for religious groups an humanitarian organizations to travel to Cuba;

2) It allowed students at institutions of higher education to travel to Cuba;

3) It allowed any US citizen to send up to $500 a quarter to non-family members in Cuba;

4) It permitted any US citizen to send remittances to religious institutions in Cuba;

5) It permitted US airports to apply to provide service on licensed charters.