Much to the chagrin of right-wing Cuban Americans, President Obama is moving towards a more open relationship with Cuba after 40 years of abysmal dealings between the two countries. He’s not lifting the embargo just yet (I fear riots might break out in Miami should that ever happen) but he is lightening restrictions on visits to the island by those Cuban Americans who have family there. 5 years after restrictions were enacted by Bush, Obama’s shaking things up a bit, allowing those with family in Cuba to visit the island once a year for as long as they choose.

In its 2009 budget bill, Congress took away the U.S. Department of Treasury’s funding for enforcement of more restrictive rules that only allowed visits to immediate relatives once every three years.

That meant the trips were still illegal — but the U.S. government did not have the funding to investigate it.

On Wednesday night, the Treasury department lifted the restrictions all together, making annual trips to Cuba legal. A rule posted on the Office of Foreign Assets Control’s web site shows Cuban Americans can now follow the regulations that existed prior to Bush’s June 2004 toughened rules.

The rollback also means people can visit more distant relatives, including those by marriage.

While this isn’t the extent to which I wish things would happen in U.S.-Cuba relations, it is a step ahead which I personally applaud. Havana, however, has remained — uncharacteristically — tight-lipped on this new development, which also includes a hike in the amount of money can be sent back to Cuba by Cuban Americans, which was previously limited to $100 per month.

Meanwhile, not everyone is happy.

Via / Miami Herald