1. United States
2. Ill.
3. Letter

I am writing to urge you to oppose the Trump administration's oil blockade against Cuba, which has created a severe humanitarian crisis affecting millions of people. The administration has threatened new tariffs against any nation that sends fuel to Cuba, intensifying a trade embargo that has been in place since 1962. The consequences are devastating. Cuba has run out of fuel for commercial aviation, causing Air Canada to cancel flights. Widespread blackouts have swept the island, and the costs of food and transportation have skyrocketed. U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres has expressed extreme concern about the humanitarian situation, and for 33 consecutive years, the U.N. General Assembly has voted overwhelmingly to end the U.S. embargo on Cuba. Cuba's ambassador to the United Nations, Ernesto Soberón Guzmán, has accurately described this blockade as a massive violation of human rights and international law. The policy traces back to a 1960 statement by then-Under Secretary of State Lester Mallory, who explicitly said the goal was to create economic problems and a humanitarian situation so severe that the Cuban people could not resist. This is collective punishment, not diplomacy. The blockade extends beyond the embargo itself. President Trump re-added Cuba to the state sponsors of terrorism list just a week after President Biden removed it based on U.S. agency reports confirming Cuba is not linked to supporting terrorism. This designation has resulted in the cancellation of approximately 300,000 ESTA visas for European citizens simply because they visited Cuba as tourists, while also prohibiting American citizens from traveling there. International solidarity against these measures has been overwhelming, with statements from 134 countries in the G77 and China, 124 countries in the Non-Aligned Movement, the U.N. Human Rights Commissioner's office, and independent U.N. human rights experts all denouncing the blockade as a violation of human rights and international law. I urge you to publicly oppose this oil blockade and support legislation to end the embargo on Cuba. The United States should pursue diplomacy based on respect for sovereignty and international law, not policies designed to inflict suffering on civilian populations.