Cubans are going to have more difficulty travelling internationally after the Trump administration's latest restrictions on flights to and from Cuba.
Cuban Americans are worried that travel will become complicated, leaving their families and local businesses in incredibly difficult situations.
Since President Barack Obama restored commercial flights to Cuba in 2016, more Cuban Americans have been visiting relatives in provinces far from the country's capital of Havana on direct flights. That option will be ending soon; last week, the Trump administration announced that flights to all airports except Havana will end on Dec. 9.
The flights to airports outside Havana are used mostly by Cuban Americans to visit relatives and take goods that are in short supply in the island. From Miami, it's common to take short trips — from Friday to Sunday — so people only miss one day of work.
The end of direct flights to these farther destinations makes those popular weekend trips nearly impossible.
The new travel restrictions aim to hit the Cuban government through one of its highest earning sectors; hospitality. By reducing the flow of funds, the US aims to limit the foreign currency the Cuban government gets. America hate Cuba's support of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro as well as what the State Department called the Cuban government's "repression against its own people."
Underground courier services known as “mulas," which fly back and forth between Miami and different destinations in Cuba delivering hard-to-get products that include anything from Advil and antibiotics to walkers and comforters, will take a hit.
Demand for flights to Havana will increase, but the number of flights arriving at Havana’s José Martí International Airport are likely to stay the same.
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