The sanctions against trade with Cuba began after the communist government took control in the 1960s. The 50 years of Castro’s government left the country behind the Western world in health, economic terms, communications, and human rights among many other issues.
Celebrities, both those from the island or whose families come from Cuba, have long protested against the government there, as have those without any connections.
While most of the Hollywood elite have called for President Obama to end Cuba's economic isolation, some celebrities have spoken against protests calling for the lifting of the embargo.
1. Gloria Estefan
In a Daily Mail interview, Estefan outlined her family’s connections with the country and her protests against the Castro regime.
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“I don’t think lifting the embargo will help the Cuban people, it will just see millions of dollars pour in to further fund a rogue, terrorist government,” she said.
2. Daisy Fuentes
The TV personality and host who was born in Cuba has long been a critic of the regime of her home country.
Fuentes talked to PopSugar about her reservations when talks of lifting the embargo began and her family's flight from Cuba.
“I don't think it's a cause for celebration until human rights are restored. If it helps the people of Cuba, then great. But for what it is, it's a little like a fake Band-Aid on a bigger problem.”
3. Andy Garcia
The A-list actor has often spoken out against the regime of Fidel Castro.
In an interview with The Guardian newspaper, he spoke about the lack of freedom in Cuba.
“I'm American completely, and I think I appreciate America more than a lot of Americans do. In fact I know I do. Because America has offered me the freedoms that were taken away from me in Cuba,” Garcia told The Guardian.
4. Maria Conchita Alonso
The Hollywood actress who was born in Cuba but largely raised in Venezuela doesn't feel lifting the embargo will help Cubans where it matters most.
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"I would tell Americans not to go until a change is brought, until the Cuban people are free again, live under democracy, have the right to speak up and have the right to live the way we all lived in this country and in other countries,"
Alonso told Newsmax.
5. Alina Fernandez
The former model now a writer and radio show host in Florida is also famous by being Fidel Castro’s only daughter.
In an interview with the Miami Herald, she said, “For Cubans, the legacy of Castro is a country ruined and with part of its people in exile, an experience very hard and very difficult to cure.”
6. Ninoska Perez Castellon
The Miami-based activist and radio show host has long been a critic of the Castro regime.
From her articles in the Miami Herald and Cubanet.org and on her radio show, she lets her views on the government in Cuba well known.
“If economic sanctions were lifted tomorrow, Castro still would continue to exercise absolute control and have more money for repression,”
she wrote on Cubanet.org.
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