Res. No. 285-A

Resolution calling upon the United States Congress and President to end the Cuban embargo and Cuban travel ban and to remove Cuba from the State Sponsors of Terrorism list due to the unjust harm it causes to the Cuban people.

By Council Members Barron, Cabán, Brewer, Restler, Hanif, Bottcher, Nurse, Krishnan, Avilés, Stevens, Hudson, Rivera, Williams, Gutiérrez, Richardson Jordan, Riley, Marte, Ossé, Farías, Louis, Joseph, Won, Sanchez, Narcisse and the Public Advocate (Mr. Williams)

Whereas, The United States (U.S.), virtually since the triumph of the Cuban Revolution in January 1959, has unsuccessfully sought to assassinate former Cuban President Fidel Castro over 600 times, according to Fabián Escalante, former chief of Cuban counterintelligence, through a variety of overt as well as covert means, such as the failed Bay of Pigs invasion in 1961; and

Whereas, Most notoriously, the U.S., in the hope of isolating Cuba and starving the Cuban people into rebellion, has maintained an economic blockade, or embargo, of Cuba, which was first imposed in 1960 during the Eisenhower administration and which is the longest economic embargo in history; and

Whereas, Recent decades have witnessed steadily growing opposition to the U.S.’s Cuban embargo, both internationally and domestically; and

Whereas, Every year since 1992, the United Nations (UN) General Assembly has adopted a resolution declaring the embargo a violation of the both the Charter of the United Nations and international law; and

Whereas, In November 2022, UN General Assembly Member States voted for the 30th year in a row in favor of the resolution, this time with 185 Member States voting in favor, two against, and two abstaining; and

Whereas, Ending both the Cuban embargo and the travel ban would be of great benefit to the U.S. and Cuba, particularly in the areas of medical and biotechnological research, economic opportunities, education, health care, the arts, music, sports, and tourism; and

Whereas, New York City (NYC) would greatly benefit from the restoration of trade with Cuba both through the exportation of products and services to this neighboring country of over 11 million people and through the importation of Cuban products useful to NYC, such as life-saving medicines and vaccines; and

Whereas, NYC’s citizens and residents as well as its institutions and businesses are negatively affected by the embargo and travel ban’s restrictions as they violate the right to travel and harm economic opportunities that enhanced trade with Cuba would initiate; and

Whereas, The U.S. Congress is urged to promulgate and pass legislation that will finally and fully end the unsuccessful 63-year-old economic, financial, and commercial embargo as well as the travel restrictions on U.S. citizens and residents to Cuba and the restrictions on Cuban citizens to the U.S.; now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That the Council of the City of New York call upon the United States Congress and President to end the Cuban embargo and Cuban travel ban and to remove Cuba from the State Sponsors of Terrorism list due to the unjust harm it causes to the Cuban people.

Session 12

LS 8513

05/25/23

Session 11

CD

LS 12227-12563

Res. 1092-2019