Cuba: U.S. Restrictions on Travel and Legislative Initiatives

Restrictions on travel to Cuba have been a key and often contentious component in U.S. efforts to isolate the communist government of Fidel Castro for much of the past 40 years. Over time, there have been numerous changes to the restrictions, and for 5 years, from 1977 until 1982, there were no restrictions on travel to Cuba. In March 2003, the Administration eased restrictions on those visiting close family members in Cuba, while at the same time it eliminated travel for people-to-people educational exchanges unrelated to academic course work. This report surveys changes to the travel restrictions dating back to the 1960s, summarizes major arguments for and against lifting such restrictions, and tracks legislative initiatives to ease restrictions on travel to Cuba. Major arguments made for lifting the Cuba travel ban are that it hinders efforts to influence conditions in Cuba and may be aiding Castro by helping to restrict the flow of information between the United States and Cuba, it abridges the rights of ordinary Americans, and Americans can travel to other countries with communist or authoritarian governments. Major arguments in opposition to lifting the Cuba travel ban are that American tourist travel would support Castro's rule by providing his government with millions of dollars in tourist receipts, there are legal provisions allowing travel to Cuba for humanitarian purposes that are used by thousands of Americans each year, and the President should be free to restrict travel for foreign policy reasons. In the 107th Congress, while there were various measures introduced that would have eliminated or eased restrictions on travel to Cuba, and while the House voted in both the first and second sessions to prohibit spending to administer the travel regulations, no final action was taken affecting U.S. restrictions on travel to Cuba.
CRS Report for Congress.