In three weeks President Biden will host the leaders of Latin American countries in Los Angeles for the Summit of the Americas. The summit is held every three years and brings together the countries in the Organization of American States (OAS). Cuba was expelled from OAS following the 1959 Revolution, but occasionally sends a government representative to the summit. Some of the potential policy discussions for this year include trade and migration. However, the leadup to the summit has been marred by threats of boycott as a result of the Biden administration not inviting Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua. The presidents of Mexico and Bolivia are among those who have stated they will not attend unless all countries in the region are invited. Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro is reportedly planning to skip the event for unrelated reasons. There is deep frustration in Latin America with Biden, whose policies toward the region are deemed as lackluster, driven by domestic politics and not all that substantively different from those of former President Donald Trump. Former President Trump skipped the previous summit hosted in Peru in 2018, which was seen as a slap in the face to Latin America.
Earlier this week, in what looked like an attempt to find common ground, the White House announced plans to make it easier for families to send money and visit relatives in Cuba, reversing a Trump era move. On Tuesday, the administration announced it was easing some oil sanctions on Venezuela. Biden faced bipartisan pushback on these policy reversals, and specifically from Democrats in Florida who represent a large population of Cuban and Venezuelan immigrants. Senate candidate Val Demings said that “allowing investments in the Cuban private sector and easing travel restrictions will only serve to fund the corrupt dictatorship.”
The standoff between the U.S. and some Latin American leaders has exposed the divisions, as well as the influence of China in the region. In the last decade China has been rapidly growing trade and investment as it pursues Latin America’s abundant supplies of key commodities such as soy, copper and lithium.
It is unclear if more concessions will be made to persuade more leaders to attend the summit. What is clear is that the U.S. policies towards Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua are not having the effect they hoped to achieve. If anything, the U.S. looks more isolated from a region home to some of their biggest trading partners.
This blog post is part of the CIMA Law Group blog. If you are located in Arizona and are seeking legal services, CIMA Law Group specializes in Immigration Law, Criminal Defense, Personal Injury, and Government Relations.
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