During the process to normalize diplomatic relations between Cuba and the United States, a prisoner swap comprising of dozens of individuals was conducted.

The same day as President Barack Obama announced the renewed relations with Cuba, senior Obama administration officials commented on the Cuba government's "sovereign decisions" that included the release of 53 prisoners.

"Specifically, the Cuban government agreed to release 53 prisoners whose cases we brought to their attention," an official said during a press call. "These are individuals that we believe are political prisoners, and we welcome very much their release. A number of those individuals have already been released, and we expect to continue to see those releases going forward."

A senior Obama administration noted three Cubans, who were imprisoned in the U.S., were sent back to Cuba as part of the exchange.

The White House acknowledged the release of detainee Alan Gross, a subcontractor with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), from Cuba was not part of the prisoner swap. According to the White House, Gross's release was based on "humanitarian grounds" on behalf of the Cuban government after five years of detainment.

"We reject the notion that Alan Gross was an intelligence asset, so were not going to engage in a swap of intelligence assets that involved Alan Gross directly," a senior Obama administration official said.

One intelligence asset, who has been prisoned in Cuba for approximately 20 years, was commended for the "heroic work for the United States at great risk to himself, enabling the prosecution of a number of individuals, including the Cuban Five." The Cuban Five are five Cuban intelligence officers who were arrested in the U.S. in September 1998. The Cuban government initially denied connection with the five men until three years later in 2001. The senior Obama administration official added the release "of a certain number of prisoners" was important for the U.S, but the opportunity also came to explore "political cooperation."

According to the senior Obama administration official, a meeting at the Vatican with Pope Francis and Obama involved discussions about the prisoners.

"When President Obama met with Pope Francis, for instance, earlier this year, Cuba was a topic of discussion that got as much attention as anything else that the two of them discussed," the official said. "So I would say that particularly the exchange and transfer of prisoners was finalized in that meeting at the Vatican, but we also were able to review the steps that we'd each be taking with the Vatican."

Despite news of 53 prisoners returning to the U.S., a lack of information remains.

"We're concerned because we don't agree with the silence, because we have a right to know who they are. Who are they?" said Berta Soler, leader of the Ladies in White dissident group, via Reuters. "There are not just 53 political prisoners, there are more, and we are concerned that the U.S. list might have common criminals on it."

U.S. officials have not commented on how the 53 individuals were selected. One intelligence asset has returned to the U.S., but the statuses of the remaining prisoners are unknown.

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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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