With President Barack Obama announcing plans to renew diplomatic relations with Cuba, the island's designation as a "State Sponsor of Terrorism" has been questioned.

According to the U.S. Department of State, the secretary of state is responsible to determine if a country's government has "repeatedly provided support for acts of international terrorism." Once a country is labeled as a State Sponsor of Terrorism, sanctions are implemented, including a ban on arms-related exports and sales and prohibitions on economic assistance.

In regards to Cuba, it was designated as a State Sponsor of Terrorism in March 1, 1982. According to the Department of State, based on a 2013 overview, Cuba has "long provided" safe havens to the Basque Fatherland and Liberty (ETA) and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). The Department of State further noted the Cuban government has harbored fugitives that were wanted in the U.S. and provided housing, food ration books and medical care to them. Despite the claim, there has been no indication the Cuban government provided weapons or paramilitary training to terrorist groups.

On Dec. 17, Obama announced the policy changes with Cuba. One of the policy changes was instructions for current Secretary of State John Kerry to review Cuba's designation as a State Sponsor of Terrorism.

"This review will be guided by the facts and the law. Terrorism has changed in the last several decades," said Obama. "At a time when we are focused on threats from al Qaeda to ISIL (Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant), a nation that meets our conditions and renounces the use of terrorism should not face this sanction."

Some members in Congress such as Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., and Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, did not greet news of the possibility of Cuba's removal from the State Sponsor of Terrorism list with praise.

"Cuba, like Syria, Iran, and Sudan, remains a state sponsor of terrorism. It continues to actively work with regimes like North Korea to illegally traffic weapons in our hemisphere in violation of several United Nations Security Council Resolutions," said Rubio in a statement. "It colludes with America's enemies, near and far, to threaten us and everything we hold dear. But most importantly, the regime's brutal treatment of the Cuban people has continued unabated."

During an interview on CNN, Cruz said, "The Castro regime is an avowed enemy of America. They are allies of North Korea, of Iran, of Venezuela. In fact they were just caught recently doing an arms deal with North Korea and the idea that we would strengthen a regime that is a state sponsor of terrorism that is exporting communism throughout Latin America, and is working to undermine America, that only undermines our national security interest."

An interview on Fox News included Cruz categorizing Cuba as a "leading" State Sponsor of Terrorism.

While Cruz and Rubio are correct to identify Cuba as a country on the State Sponsor of Terrorism list, the Department of State's latest overview acknowledged, "There was no indication that the Cuban government provided weapons or paramilitary training to terrorist groups." The overviews for Iran, Sudan and Syria include more terror-related activities including kidnapping and connection to extremist groups.

In July 2013, Cuban military equipment was caught on a North Korean ship on the Panama Canal. North Korea was previously on the State Sponsor of Terrorism list but was removed in 2008 following talks with the Bush administration to eliminate its nuclear power program. The talks, however, failed. The United Nations (UN) investigated and reported on the matter. Cuban officials admitted to ownership of the military equipment, but it was "being shipped to be repaired and returned." Cuba stated there was no "supply, sale or transfer" of the military equipment, but the UN was unconvinced with the island's defense.

Talks to remove Cuba from the State Sponsor of Terrorism list included discussions between high-level U.S. diplomats and Secretary Kerry last year. Despite the talks, Kerry did not remove Cuba from the list, although he has issued support to lift all travel restrictions to the island.

With Obama's new policy, Kerry issued a statement that he will review Cuba's designation as a State Sponsor of Terrorism and "to ensure that any such designation is guided entirely by the facts and law."

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For the latest updates, follow Latin Post's Michael Oleaga on Twitter: @EditorMikeO or contact via email: m.oleaga@latinpost.com.

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