Obama Eases Cuba Travel Restrictions

In an announcement Friday, President Barack Obama said he will loosen travel policies for students and religious groups that want to go to Cuba.

Students seeking academic credit and churches traveling for religious reasons would be allowed to go to the communist country.

Additionally, any American will be allowed to send up to $500 every three months to Cubans who are not part of the Castro administration and are not members of the Communist Party.

The president believes these changes, along with the continuation of the embargo, are "important steps in reaching the widely shared goal of a Cuba that respects the basic rights of all its citizens." But U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Miami, says the president's move is a bad idea.

In a statement released in response to Obama's announcement, Ros-Lehtinen said, "Loosening these regulations will not help foster a pro-democracy environment in Cuba. These changes will not aid in ushering in respect for human rights. And they certainly will not help the Cuban people free themselves from the tyranny that engulfs them.

These changes undermine U.S. foreign policy and security objectives and will bring economic benefits to the Cuban regime.

In 2009, Obama began the process of changing the United States' relationship with Cuba by allowing Cuban-Americans who wanted, to travel and send money back to their homeland. Friday's announcement is seen as a continuation on that front.

The changes in policy will take effect when the modified regulations are published in the Federal Register within the next two weeks.