Dave Sherwood

Cuba has yet to discuss migration with the Trump administration, Vice Foreign Minister Carlos Fernandez de Cossio told Reuters, even as the U.S. plows ahead with a vast immigration crackdown that could leave many Cubans at risk of deportation.

Cuba's top tribunal said late on Monday 553 prisoners had been released following a deal brokered by the Vatican that seemed in limbo after U.S. President Donald Trump reversed a Biden administration pledge to ease sanctions on the country.

The United States has expanded a visa restriction policy to target Cuban officials believed to be tied to a labor program that sends Cuban workers overseas, particularly healthcare workers, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Tuesday.

Cuba closed schools and told non-essential workers to stay home on Friday as its electrical grid faltered following the failure of a major power plant, causing widespread blackouts across the crisis-ridden island.

Some U.S.-funded media outlets that report on Cuba are seeking alternative sources of financing while the Trump administration pursues a plan to dismantle the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), leaving their fate in limbo.

Karen Vasquez, 44, walked out of jail in Cuba on Sunday, part of a deal brokered by the Vatican under which the Biden administration would loosen sanctions on the communist-run island, while Havana would release more than 500 people from its jails who are considered political prisoners by Washington.

Cuba on Wednesday began releasing prisoners jailed following anti-government protests in 2021, making good on a deal with the Catholic Church that prompted the Biden administration to say it would loosen sanctions on the communist-run nation.

Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel said on Tuesday his government would "gradually" release 553 prisoners following talks with the Vatican, a decision announced just hours after the Biden administration said it would loosen a host of sanctions on the island.

Cuba tourism struggles as blackouts and shortages deter visitors

Cuba said it had reconnected its national electrical grid on Thursday, though generation remained well below demand one day after a plant failure knocked out power to millions across the island.