Lawmakers press administration to tighten sanctions as Caribbean nation faces crisis

Exclusive Report: Three senior lawmakers from the ruling party, representing districts with significant diaspora populations, are reportedly demanding the current administration eliminate remaining commercial exemptions in its sanctions regime against the Caribbean island nation, as the territory faces what observers describe as an escalating economic crisis.

The demand comes from Representatives Carlos Giménez, Mario Díaz-Balart and María Elvira Salazar, all from the southern coastal region, as the island’s head of state Miguel Díaz-Canel allegedly warned his country is “close to failing,” according to German media outlet Deutsche Welle.

Díaz-Canel also reportedly warned that oil supplies may run out within 15 days amid the threat of tariffs on nations exporting to the island. While the leader characterized the oil restrictions as “genocidal” and “fascist,” the three lawmakers viewed the developments as positive progress in their campaign to pressure the government.

The legislators are demanding Tuesday that the Commerce Department shut off what they describe as remaining “lifelines” to the authoritarian regime that the capital can control. These reportedly come in the form of export licenses for more than $100 million in supplies that the lawmakers claim largely benefit the government rather than ordinary citizens.

According to sources in Giménez’s office, luxury vehicles, hot tubs and other high-end items remain authorized for export through licenses granted to several firms in the southern region. The office reportedly provided a 50-page document detailing manifests of goods cleared by the Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security for shipment to addresses in the capital and other locations.

The three lawmakers wrote to Commerce Under Secretary Jeffrey Kessler and Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control Director Bradley Smith, demanding action on these licenses. “[We are] beyond concerned by businesses currently engaged in disturbing commercial activity with entities controlled by the regime,” the legislators reportedly wrote, referring to the island as a “listed State Sponsor of Terrorism.”

The lawmakers cited a 1996 sanctions law as justification for their position, arguing that existing restrictions are meant to deny economic support until “concrete progress is made toward democratic governance, the rule of law, and respect for fundamental freedoms.”

“Despite these mandates, a number of licenses issued by both agencies continue to authorize transactions that ultimately benefit the regime and its military-controlled conglomerates,” they allegedly wrote. Such licenses, they argued, disregard the legislature’s intent that sanctions should be maintained “until a transition government is in place.”

Latin America policy analyst Andrés Martínez-Fernández reportedly noted that while cutting off licensed food and medicine exports remains sensitive, much of what is typically cleared for export often ends up benefiting the government rather than ordinary citizens.

“A lot of these categories… like expensive cars and even cement — we’re exporting building products — and everything’s crumbling except for the houses of the government officials and their regime collaborators,” he reportedly observed.

Martinez-Fernandez suggested that the current export situation does not represent purposeful oversight by the administration, noting that implementing comprehensive sanctions requires careful review. “The reality is that we’re doing a lot at the moment when it comes to sanctions,” he reportedly said. “It’s not a press-a-button-and-cut-everything-off. You have to go through everything.”

In their demand, the lawmakers reportedly called for the Commerce Department to conduct a comprehensive review of all active licenses authorizing commercial dealings with state entities on the island, and to “revoke any licenses that directly or indirectly provide economic benefit to regime-controlled entities.”

While critical of existing exemptions, the legislators expressed support for the current head of state and Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s “decisive action” against the Caribbean government thus far. “[We] look forward to your agencies strongly enforcing sanctions against the dictatorship and upholding the Administration’s common-sense policy against the brutal regime on the island,” they reportedly wrote.

The Commerce Department has not yet responded to requests for comment regarding the manifest of exportable goods, according to sources.