{"id":242820,"date":"2021-08-23T10:56:38","date_gmt":"2021-08-23T14:56:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/en\/?p=242820"},"modified":"2021-08-23T10:56:38","modified_gmt":"2021-08-23T14:56:38","slug":"mayorkas-came-to-miami-without-much-to-say-and-returned-to-washington-hearing-what-he-already-knew","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/en\/cuba-usa\/mayorkas-came-to-miami-without-much-to-say-and-returned-to-washington-hearing-what-he-already-knew\/","title":{"rendered":"Mayorkas came to Miami without much to say and returned to Washington hearing what he already knew"},"content":{"rendered":"

Alejandro Mayorkas spent 24 hours in Miami, but it was not clear what he came to do. The U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security, in charge of everything that has to do with borders and entry into the country, warned those who wanted to listen that Cubans who arrive by sea or land are not welcome, but neither did he definitively clarify what the <\/span>Biden<\/span><\/a> administration intends to do in relation to Cuba, beyond issuing a series of \u201csanctions\u201d against officials who, to tell the truth, don\u2019t punish anyone since they don\u2019t have properties or bank accounts in the United States and I don\u2019t think they are planning to travel to the \u201cneighbor to the North.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

In fact, since the George W. Bush administration, at least theoretically, no one who works for official Cuban entities can do so. It\u2019s reserved for the <\/span>Cuban private sector<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

But Mayorkas met with members of the Cuban-American community, whose opinions he listened to. An attendee at Thursday\u2019s meeting, who prefers not to be named, tells me that several proposals were considered. There was, of course, the proverbial request for an intervention of Cuba, the restoration of the <\/span>dry-foot\/wet-foot policy<\/span><\/a>, the call to maintain the Cuban Adjustment Act and the new idea that Washington be in charge of <\/span>making the Internet signal reach Cuba<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

However, a detail that caught the attention of at least two of those present with whom I spoke came to light. The group attending the meeting was made up not of Democratic or Republican activists, but of personalities who have aligned themselves with one side or the other. \u201cThe interesting thing is that almost no one fought among themselves. It seems that Biden\u2019s policy, which aims to be as remote from Barack Obama as it is from Donald Trump, ended up confirming that it is a mix between the two,\u201d said one of the attendees.<\/span><\/p>\n

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President Obama and his wife Michelle arrive in Havana. Photo: The Guardian.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Mayorkas is the first Biden cabinet official to visit Miami since <\/span>protests<\/span><\/a> broke out on the island last month. The visit came after the announcement this Thursday of a fourth round of sanctions against Cuban military officials.<\/span><\/p>\n

In his meeting with the press after a two-hour meeting, Mayorkas underscored the current U.S. administration\u2019s commitment to supporting the Cuban people, but only nodded when critics present argued that Biden was moving too slowly and doesn\u2019t speak enough about the situation.<\/span><\/p>\n

Mayorkas, who is also a Cuban American, replied they shouldn\u2019t interpret a moment of silence as a moment to give in to their conviction and their commitment to the Cuban people.<\/span><\/p>\n

So far, with his silence \u2014 the administration limits itself to saying that it is reviewing the policy toward Cuba \u2014 Biden\u2019s strategy toward the island has leaned more toward the hardline approach of former President <\/span>Donald Trump<\/span><\/a>. He has maintained the sanctions against Cuba and added new ones directed at government officials and entities. This despite the fact that, during his presidential campaign, the current president promised to eliminate the nearly 430 measures implemented by Trump to reinforce the <\/span>embargo<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Biden meets with Cuban Americans and reiterates his promises regarding remittances and internet access<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n