Cuba Government Limits Goods US Travelers Can Bring in Via Airport: Americans Lament Loss of Gifts for Families
On Monday, the Cuban government implemented new restrictions on what air travelers can bring into the country in their luggage, leaving some Americans frustrated that they can't bring goods to their families in the communist country.
According to The Associated Press, in the past five years, rules regarding traveling between the U.S. and Cuba have become more lax. This has allowed travelers to bring almost $2 billion worth of goods into Cuba annually.
The Cuban government says that the new rules are designed to stop professional "mules" from illegally carrying goods for black-market businesses and legal private enterprises who do not want to buy the items from Cuba.
The change has stressed travelers who are used to transporting things like bicycles, flat screen televisions and more.
"The reason I work 40 hours a week is to bring all this to my family," Claribel Torrez, a 50-year-old man from Miami, said while carrying luggage with the aforementioned goods before the new rules.
Arnaldo Roa, a 45-year-old from Miami, traveled to Cuba on Monday to visit family but was not allowed to bring an extra bag filled with gifts for them.
"I'm upset," he said. "Some relatives are going to get upset because normally I bring them things."
Meanwhile, Ana Maria Prez, a South Florida resident, was forced to pay $95 in customs duties, a fee to which she is not accustomed.
"We've got to pay a lot now," she said. "I don't understand it at all, but I paid."
According to the new rules, which are 41 pages long, travelers cannot bring in imported items worth more than a total $1,000. Certain items are given assigned prices, which "rose sharply under the new rules," AP reports.
"I'm not coming back anymore," Diamara Cespedes, a Miami nurse, said. "They're finishing off the Cuban people with this."
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Follow Scharon Harding on Twitter: @ScharHar.
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