For Cuban-Americans who had family property confiscated by the Castro regime 60 years ago, the new wave of American tourism to the island is not a positive development.
A number of US cruise lines are docking in Havana and Santiago, whose ports were once privately owned by Cuban citizens. Today, those families of the former owners, who have since come to the US, want the financial benefits they believe they have a right to. And because the US government is allowing such water travel, they are asking the US government to help recoup.
Within the Helms-Burton Act of 1996, Americans or Cuban-Americans whose properties were stolen after the 1959 Revolution are allowed to sue. However, that part of the agreement is not enforced.
In retaliation for the claims, Cuba is asking for, “hundreds of billions of dollars for its counter claims, which it says are the accumulated damages of more than a half-century of U.S. hostility.”
This makes Cuban-American reimbursement seem very unlikely. Another point: Cuban exile benefits in America are already notoriously cush. So, dear reader, do you think these two families have claim to the port revenues?