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Minnesota lieutenant governor visits Cuba

Minnesota Lt. Governor Tina Smith, center, walks with President of the People's Power of Mayabeque, Tamara Valido Benítez, in San jose de las Lajas, Cuba, Tuesday, June 20, 2017. This is the first delegation to visit Cuba from the United States after President Donald Trump announced a revised Cuba policy aimed at halting the flow of U.S. cash to the country's military and security services while maintaining diplomatic relations. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa) Minnesota Lt. Governor Tina Smith, center, walks with President of the People's Power of Mayabeque, Tamara Valido Benítez, in San jose de las Lajas, Cuba, Tuesday, June 20, 2017. This is the first delegation to visit Cuba from the United States after President Donald Trump announced a revised Cuba policy aimed at halting the flow of U.S. cash to the country's military and security services while maintaining diplomatic relations. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)

By Associated Press June 20, 2017 1 min read

HAVANA (AP) – The lieutenant governor of Minnesota has become the first U.S. state official to make an official visit to Cuba since President Donald Trump announced the new U.S. policy toward the island.

Lt. Gov. Tina Smith and a group of state officials and representative of state agriculture groups on Tuesday made the first public stop on the five-day trip at government headquarters in Mayabeque, an agricultural province outside Havana.

Smith said the trip was designed to build relations in hopes of future Minnesota agricultural sales to Cuba. Such sales are still allowed under Trump’s policy, which bars many transactions with businesses linked to the Cuban military.