President Donald Trump signed a memorandum on Monday renewing a hard-line U.S. approach toward Cuba, reactivating restrictions that had been loosened under President Joe Biden. The directive bans American tourism, limits financial dealings with entities linked to the Cuban military, and reinforces the longstanding economic embargo.

According to a White House fact sheet, the order “enforces the statutory ban on U.S. tourism to Cuba and ensures compliance through regular audits and mandatory record-keeping.”

Trump also reversed Biden’s decision to remove Cuba from the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism and imposed partial immigration restrictions targeting Cuban nationals.

Economic Ties Severed with GAESA and Affiliates

The order explicitly blocks direct or indirect transactions with Grupo de Administración Empresarial S.A. (GAESA), the military-run conglomerate that dominates large sectors of the Cuban economy. Exceptions are only granted for activities aligned with U.S. policy goals or humanitarian support for the Cuban people.

This marks a return to Trump’s original 2017 Cuba policy, which was softened in Biden’s final months in office.

Cuban Government Decries Move as “Criminal Act”

Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez called the U.S. decision “a criminal act and a violation of the human rights of an entire nation.” Posting on X (formerly Twitter), he added that “the memorandum reinforces the aggression and economic blockade that punishes the entire Cuban people and is the main obstacle to our development.”

The decision drew sharp criticism in international forums, where the U.S. stands increasingly isolated in its defense of the decades-old embargo.