Biden admin to remove state sponsor of terrorism designation from Cuba: report

US officials familiar with the matter revealed the move to the Associated Press. Biden made the announcement to remove the designation from Cuba shortly after the AP report in a White House release labeled: "Certification of Rescission of Cuba’s Designation as a State Sponsor of Terrorism."

“I hereby certify with respect to the rescission of the determination of January 12, 2021, regarding Cuba that: (i) The Government of Cuba has not provided any support for international terrorism during the preceding 6-month period," Biden wrote and added that the "Government of Cuba has provided assurances that it will not support acts of international terrorism in the future."

Near the end of his first term, the Trump administration reinstated the designation, which had been reversed during President Barack Obama’s second term. The move is likely to be reversed as soon as next week, when Trump takes office, the outlet noted. In announcing the redesignation, then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Cuba was continuing to harbor US fugitives, refused to extradite a group of Colombian guerilla commanders, and the country’s support for Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

There have been activist groups pressuring the Biden administration to go forward with the move and lift the designation, per Fox 59.

Marco Rubio, whose family fled from Cuba in the 1950s before the communist revolution, has been nominated to be secretary of state and will appear for his confirmation hearing on Wednesday before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Rubio has supported sanctions on the Caribbean island nation and is expected to address his family roots in the country during his Wednesday testimony.

Senator Ted Cruz, who sits on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said in a statement, "Today’s decision is unacceptable on its merits. The terrorism advanced by the Cuban regime has not ceased. I will work with President Trump and my colleagues to immediately reverse and limit the damage from the decision."