Trump to allow lawsuits over US properties seized in Cuba

FILE - In this Feb. 18, 2019, file photo, national security adviser John Bolton speaks to the Venezuelan American community in Miami. The Trump administration is poised to step up pressure on Cuba by allowing lawsuits against foreign companies doing business in properties seized from Americans after the island’s 1959 revolution. The move marks a change in more than two decades of U.S. policy on Cuba. It could deal a severe blow to Cuba’s efforts to draw foreign investment, and spawn international trade disputes between the U.S. and Europe. (AP Photo/Luis M. Alvarez, File) FILE - In this Feb. 18, 2019, file photo, national security adviser John Bolton speaks to the Venezuelan American community in Miami. The Trump administration is poised to step up pressure on Cuba by allowing lawsuits against foreign companies doing business in properties seized from Americans after the island’s 1959 revolution. The move marks a change in more than two decades of U.S. policy on Cuba. It could deal a severe blow to Cuba’s efforts to draw foreign investment, and spawn international trade disputes between the U.S. and Europe. (AP Photo/Luis M. Alvarez, File)

By Associated Press April 16, 2019 4 min read

WASHINGTON (AP) – Stepping up pressure on Cuba, the Trump administration will allow lawsuits against foreign companies doing business in properties seized from Americans after the island’s 1959 revolution, a senior administration official said Tuesday.

The move marks a change in more than two decades of U.S. policy on Cuba.

President Donald Trump has been taking steps to isolate embattled Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro, who is holding power with help from other countries, including Cuba, China and Russia. The new policy against Havana could deal a severe blow to Cuba’s efforts to draw foreign investment, and spawn international trade disputes between the U.S. and Europe.

The administration official who provided details of the shift spoke on condition of anonymity ahead of the official announcement by the State Department.

After that announcement, national security adviser John Bolton is expected to discuss the new policy during a speech Wednesday in Miami, which is home to thousands of exiles and immigrants from Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua.