The U.S.-Cuba stalemate that became entrenched in 1960 with the embargo looks in retrospect like needless collateral damage of the Cold War. The peoples always liked each other, but the politics didn’t match up.

USA Today Immigration Reporter Alan Gomez just returned from a trip to Havana, and has done a Reddit AMA. The journalist comments on the things that have changed since the return of relations between the two countries and those that haven’t. The country certainly seems to be much freer in terms of expression, though it still isn’t a beacon of civil rights. You won’t be able to buy Cuban cigars in your neighborhood bodega for the foreseeable future, so lip cancer will have to wait. A few exchanges follow.

__________________________________

Question:

How do the Cuban people generally feel about Americans?

 
Alan Gomez:

The Cuban people loooooooove the American people. The disagreements lie strictly between our governments.

__________________________________

Question:

Is there any sign of political repression among the people? Do they feel free to express negative opinions about the government?

Alan Gomez:

To be absolutely clear, political repression still exists to a large degree. In fact, the number of people arrested or detained as political prisoners has increased in recent months. So that’s still happening. But on the street, it’s amazing how much people are expressing themselves now. Before, people who held the most highly-desired jobs (basically, anything where you have access to tips from foreigners, like bartenders, hotel workers, taxi drivers) would always tell you how great things are. Nowadays? They’ll tell you eeeeeeeeeeeverything that’s wrong. It’s really stunning.

_________________________________

Question:

What changes do you foresee happening in the near and far future when it comes to US/Cuba relations?

Alan Gomez:

The most immediate change you might see is in the Cuban Adjustment Act, a U.S. law that allows any Cuban who simply touches U.S. soil to stay. It’s more commonly known as the “wet-foot, dry-foot” policy. Cubans are the only immigrants who get that kind of treatment, so now that President Obama is normalizing relations with Cuba, many people want to change that policy.

Changing the U.S. embargo on Cuba will probably take longer

_________________________________

Question:

Many people are excited about the prospect of being able to legally obtain Cuban Cigars here in the states now.Are there any other major exports that you foresee coming out of Cuba?

Alan Gomez:

For now, the only change that Obama implemented is that Americans can bring back up to $100 worth of rum and cigars when they travel to Cuba. And trust me, I’ve been taking full advantage of that!

But it’s going to be a while before you can buy any of those in a U.S. store. Cuba’s private entrepreneurs are now allowed to export their products to the U.S., but the rum and cigars are produced by companies run by Cuba’s state government. So as long as the embargo is in place, the only way you’re getting your hands on those is by going to the island.•