The Biden administration announced on Tuesday that it will remove Cuba from the list of State Sponsors of Terrorism (SST) in exchange for the release of political prisoners jailed for protesting against the regime in July 2021.

The Trump administration placed the SST designation on Cuba in the last week of the president-elect's first term, and Biden officials said they are in contact with the Trump transition team over their action.

“This issue is among the issues on which they've been in communication,” a senior administration official said in a call with reporters.

The administration, required by law, is notifying Congress of the decision, allowing them to review it, although there’s little that lawmakers can do to block the lifting of the designation.

Cuban officials had fought tooth and nail for removal from the SST list throughout President Biden’s term, but had generally not received much buy-in from administration officials.

Officials briefing reporters on Tuesday said that the U.S. constantly reviews SST designations, and, in the case of Cuba, the administration does not have information supporting it being a state sponsor of terrorism.

They added that the U.S. had received numerous diplomatic requests for the designation to be lifted. This includes from Colombia, a senior administration official said, where officials noted........

© The Hill