U.S. ramps up Cuba sanctions, detentions of Americans returning from island

The U.S. administration under President Donald Trump is intensifying sanctions on Cuba, targeting industries in the country known for its heavy reliance on sanctions. The Treasury and State departments announced on Thursday that they are imposing new penalties on nine state-owned mining, metal, and construction companies, as well as the Cuban Institute of Friendship with the Peoples (ICAP).

Secretary of State Marco Rubio accused ICAP of sponsoring a "vast subversive network" in the United States aimed at radicalizing Americans. The institute's president, Fernando González Llort, the first vice president, Noemí Ramona Rabaza Fernández, and the North America director, Leima Martínez Freire, are among those targeted.

Rubio also criticized the regime for attempting to exploit the 100th birthday of Fidel Castro to reinvigorate the subversive network, bringing international sympathizers to Havana for networking with regime officials. The sanctions come after an operation at Miami airport last weekend, where several American citizens returning from Cuba were briefly detained, with some of their personal electronic devices seized for inspection.

U.S. authorities were prepared to detain more activists but only a few were deemed to violate U.S. sanctions, which ban all transactions with Cuban government-owned entities.

The targeted Cuban entities include a nickel production company, two firms specializing in the import of heavy industrial products, a mineral resources company, the Cuban Ministry of Construction, a worker-exporting company, and two enterprises importing vehicles, automotive parts, and construction materials. The new sanctions also aim to portray Cuba as a significant national security threat to the U.S., with the State Department accusing the Cuban government of sponsoring left-wing and anti-American activism in the United States for the past six decades.