Kerry also said recent White House measures that sharply limit remittances by Cuban-Americans to relatives on the island and that restrict family visits to Cuba would hurt ordinary Cubans and undermine U.S. efforts to remove the government there. These two measures have sparked protests in Florida by Cuban-Americans.

On July 7 the U.S. House of Representatives voted 221-194 against the White House’s restrictions on gift parcels sent by Cuban-Americans to their relatives. It left in place other sanctions that went into effect June 30. It is not certain, however, that this amendment will remain in the final bill that would have to be negotiated with the Senate, which would be necessary to prohibit the Commerce Department from enforcing the regulation that is still in effect.

Under the sanctions that President George Bush announced May 6, family visits to the island are limited to one 14-day trip every three years, instead of once a year, and there are no exceptions for humanitarian reasons. Expenses for a family visit are limited to $50 a day. Cash remittances to relatives in Cuba are limited to immediate family members, and relatives who are members of the Cuban Communist Party are prohibited from receiving any.

In addition, only one gift parcel a month can be sent by U.S. relatives to a household in Cuba—and only to immediate family. Only food, medicine, medical supplies, and vitamins can be included in such shipments; clothing, soap, toothpaste, and other items are prohibited.

The new rules also eliminate the authorization to travel for those who are “fully hosted,” that is, those whose expenses are fully paid by groups in Cuba.

The White House measures sparked immediate demonstrations and other protests by Cuban-Americans in Florida and New Jersey, including among those who oppose the Cuban government. The restrictions on the right to travel and to send remittances have generated particular outrage. Some 150,000 Cuban-Americans have been traveling every year to visit family on the island, often bringing cash and gifts with them.

In a statement issued June 5, a few weeks after Bush’s announcement, Kerry stated that he advocated measures “that will hasten the end of the Castro regime as soon as possible.” While he has differences with Bush over how to do so, he noted, “Let me be clear—I do not support lifting the embargo or recognizing Castro’s dictatorial regime.” The way to bring down the Cuban government, he said, is “to work with the international community to increase political and diplomatic pressure on the Castro regime,” and not to implement extraterritorial aspects of the embargo-tightening Helms-Burton law that would “further strain relations with Canada and our European allies.”

Kerry said some of the White House’s measures were counterproductive to Washington’s goal of overthrowing the Cuban government and would hurt ordinary Cubans. Allowing Cuban-Americans to send money remittances to Cuba is a “powerful tool” to promote small businesses in Cuba, he argued.

The Democratic candidate said he favored “principled travel” to Cuba instead of barring most travel. U.S. residents traveling to Cuba could help “communicate American [read: capitalist] ideals to Cubans.” As part of that approach, he was for allowing the sale of food and medicine to “strengthen the foundation of freedom and democracy.”

Pushing one of his major campaign themes, Kerry insisted that the resources spent on enforcing the U.S. ban on travel to Cuba should be devoted to a more important priority, the “fight against terrorism.” He said that “under the Bush administration, far more manpower at the Treasury is dedicated to enforcing the Cuban travel ban than to tracking down terrorist financing.”

On July 7, the U.S. House of Representatives, in a bipartisan vote, rejected the restrictions on Cuban-Americans sending parcels to relatives back home. One of the sponsors of the initiative was Republican congressman Jeff Flake of Arizona. The White House prohibition “has angered a significant sliver of the Cuban-American population,” the New Republic noted in an article published in its July 15 issue. The Senate has not yet discussed its version of the bill.

In another aspect of the imperialist offensive against Cuba, U.S. officials have been smearing Havana with the accusation that the government encourages “sex tourism” and the sexual exploitation of children in order to attract hard currency. “The regime of Fidel Castro has turned Cuba into a major destination for sex tourism,” Bush told a conference on human trafficking. He said overthrowing the Cuban government was necessary “to hasten the day when no Cuban child is exploited to finance a failed revolution.” He offered not a single fact for his charge that there is trafficking of children in Cuba.

Not to be outdone, Kerry responded to Bush’s speech by having one of his allies, Democratic senator William Nelson of Florida, hold a conference call with reporters on the same subject. Nelson said Bush had waited too long to submit an international protocol against trafficking to the Senate.  
 
 
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