Trump Administration reinstates and expands Cuba Restricted List, adding remittance company tied to Castro regime

On the eve of his first trip as secretary of state, Republican Marco Rubio announced that the Trump administration has reinstated and expanded the 'Cuba Restricted List,' a measure that vetoes some transactions with companies controlled by the Castro regime, and also reactivated 'Title III' of the Helms-Burton Act, which had been suspended two weeks ago by former President Joe Biden.

In a posting on 'X', Rubio highlighted several of the Trump administration's provisions to re-impose a hard-line policy towards the Cuban communist regime.

"The Trump Administration is restoring a tough Cuba policy that protects America and helps the Cuban people. We've maintained Cuba on the State Sponsors of Terrorism list – where it belongs – and taken other steps. The Cuban regime's oppression of its people and malign actions must end," said Rubio.

In a statement, Marco Rubio highlighted the reactivation of Title III, a provision that allows U.S. citizens to sue in U.S. courts anyone who "traffics" in property confiscated by the Cuban regime since Jan. 1, 1959.

"The Trump Administration is committed to U.S. persons having the ability to bring private rights of action involving trafficked property confiscated by the Cuban regime," the secretary of state said.

In addition to reactivating Title III, Rubio announced sanctions against Orbit S.A., a remittance processing company to Cuba that operates under the control of GAESA, the business conglomerate of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Cuba (FAR).

The announcement came along with the move to reinstate the Cuba Restricted List, where Orbit will have an assured place under the Trump administration.

"On January 31, I approved the re-creation of the Cuba Restricted List, which prohibits certain transactions with companies under the control of, or acting for or on behalf of, the repressive Cuban military, intelligence, or security services or personnel," Rubio wrote. "The State Department is re-issuing the Cuba Restricted List to deny resources to the very branches of the Cuban regime that directly oppress and surveil the Cuban people while controlling large swaths of the country’s economy."

He added: "In addition to restoring the entities that were on the list until the final week of the previous administration, we are adding Orbit, S.A., a remittance-processing company operating for or on behalf of the Cuban military."

The move comes after the Trump administration, during the first day in office, made moves to keep Cuba on the list of State Sponsors of Terrorism after Biden removed the Castro regime from the list just before leaving office.