In a sharp policy reversal, President Donald Trump signed a memorandum reinforcing the U.S. embargo on Cuba and banning all American tourism to the island. The move targets Cuba’s economy and aims to isolate the Cuban government.

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On June 30, 2025,U.S. President Donald Trump signed a presidential memorandum that dramatically tightens the longstanding U.S. economic embargo against Cuba and prohibits all U.S. citizens from traveling to the island. This policy shift overturns the more conciliatory approach adopted by the Biden administration and signals a renewed campaign to economically and politically isolate Cuba.

The memorandum explicitly aims to restore the “firm approach” that characterized Trump’s first term, rolling back the Biden-era relaxations. It targets Cuba’s economy, especially key sectors managed by the Cuban government .

This policy reflects a continuation of the U.S. imperialist strategy to strangle Cuba’s economy and undermine its socialist government. The prohibition on tourism is enforced through strict audits and mandatory record-keeping of travel-related transactions for at least five years, underscoring the administration’s intent to surveil and control any interaction with Cuba.

The memorandum claims to support the Cuban people by promoting internet access, freedom of the press, and independent private enterprise. However, these claims ring hollow against a backdrop of decades of U.S. aggression designed to destabilize Cuba’s sovereignty and social achievements.

⚔️ Washington Doubles Down on Cold War Strategy, Trump Reinstates Sanctions on Cuba

President Trump has signed a new directive that tightens U.S. policy toward Cuba, once again using sanctions and travel bans as political weapons. The memorandum, which reinstates measures from… pic.twitter.com/81Jt1FH6by

— Peacemaker (@peacemaket71) June 30, 2025

The policy also maintains the termination of the “Wet Foot, Dry Foot” policy, which the U.S. government previously used to encourage dangerous migration from Cuba. By framing migration control as a humanitarian concern, the U.S. obscures its role in creating the very conditions that drive Cubans to flee.

Trump’s memorandum is another chapter in the ongoing U.S. imperialist blockade designed to suffocate Cuba’s revolutionary project. The embargo is a form of collective punishment that disproportionately harms ordinary Cubans while entrenching the power of reactionary forces in Washington.

Cuban and Venezuelan solidarity networks emphasize that real support for the Cuban people means lifting the embargo, respecting Cuba’s sovereignty, and condemning U.S. interference. The memorandum’s focus on “human rights” and “democracy” serves as a pretext for interventionism and economic warfare.

The United Nations General Assembly has repeatedly condemned the U.S. embargo as a violation of international law and an obstacle to Cuba’s development. The Trump administration’s hardening of the embargo flies in the face of global calls for dialogue, cooperation, and respect for national self-determination.

The memorandum also demands a report on U.S. fugitives allegedly sheltered by Cuba, further straining bilateral relations and perpetuating a hostile narrative that undermines prospects for peaceful coexistence.

El Memorando Presidencial contra #Cuba dado a conocer hoy por gobierno de EEUU refuerza la agresión y el bloqueo económico que castiga a todo el pueblo cubano y es el obstáculo principal a nuestro desarrollo.

Es una conducta criminal y violatoria de los #DDHH de toda una nación. pic.twitter.com/frXhNHFReK

— Bruno Rodríguez P (@BrunoRguezP) June 30, 2025

The text reads: The Presidential Memorandum against #Cuba announced today by the U.S. government reinforces the aggression and economic blockade that punishes the entire Cuban people and is the main obstacle to our development. It is a criminal act and a violation of the #HumanRights of an entire nation.

The official response from the Cuban government, issued by Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla, was swift. In a statement, Rodríguez described the Presidential Memorandum announced by the United States as an intensification of imperialist aggression and the economic blockade that punishes the entire Cuban people, identifying it as the main obstacle to the island’s sovereign development.

The minister condemned this measure as a criminal act and a flagrant violation of the human rights of an entire nation, reaffirming Cuba’s commitment to resistance and the defense of its sovereignty against Washington’s coercive policies.

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