The New York Times reports that Cuban bands like Septeto Nacional de Ignacio Pineiro (which hasn’t played in the US in nearly 70 years) are finding it easier to qualify for visas to come to the US. In the past, only groups that could show an ideological break from Fidel Castro could come to the US, but that de facto requirement has largely gone away as US-Cuban relations have improved in recent years. According to the Times:
”We are neither actively promoting nor actively impeding these artistic exchanges,” said a State Department official, who asked that his name not be used because of department rules and the volatility of the subject. ”This is a regulatory rather than a political process.” He added that as long as Cuban artists and performers comply with immigration regulations, ”the visas are generally approved.”