(a) Grounds for exclusion

The Secretary of State shall deny a visa to, and the Attorney General shall exclude from the United States, any alien who the Secretary of State determines is a person who, after March 12, 1996—

(1) has confiscated, or has directed or overseen the confiscation of, property a claim to which is owned by a United States national, or converts or has converted for personal gain confiscated property, a claim to which is owned by a United States national;

(2) traffics in confiscated property, a claim to which is owned by a United States national;

(3) is a corporate officer, principal, or shareholder with a controlling interest of an entity which has been involved in the confiscation of property or trafficking in confiscated property, a claim to which is owned by a United States national; or

(4) is a spouse, minor child, or agent of a person excludable under paragraph (1), (2), or (3).

(b) Definitions

Terms Used In 22 USC 6091

  • confiscated: refers to &mdash. See 22 USC 6023
  • Cuban Government: includes the government of any political subdivision of Cuba, and any agency or instrumentality of the Government of Cuba. See 22 USC 6023
  • knowingly: means with knowledge or having reason to know. See 22 USC 6023
  • Lease: A contract transferring the use of property or occupancy of land, space, structures, or equipment in consideration of a payment (e.g., rent). Source: OCC
  • Litigation: A case, controversy, or lawsuit. Participants (plaintiffs and defendants) in lawsuits are called litigants.
  • officer: includes any person authorized by law to perform the duties of the office. See 1 USC 1
  • official of the Cuban Government or the ruling political party in Cuba: refers to any member of the Council of Ministers, Council of State, central committee of the Communist Party of Cuba, or the Politburo of Cuba, or their equivalents. See 22 USC 6023
  • person: means any person or entity, including any agency or instrumentality of a foreign state. See 22 USC 6023
  • property: means any property (including patents, copyrights, trademarks, and any other form of intellectual property), whether real, personal, or mixed, and any present, future, or contingent right, security, or other interest therein, including any leasehold interest. See 22 USC 6023
  • Settlement: Parties to a lawsuit resolve their difference without having a trial. Settlements often involve the payment of compensation by one party in satisfaction of the other party's claims.
  • United States national: means &mdash. See 22 USC 6023

As used in this section, the following terms have the following meanings:

(1) Confiscated; confiscation

The terms “confiscated” and “confiscation” refer to—

(A) the nationalization, expropriation, or other seizure by the Cuban Government of ownership or control of property—

(i) without the property having been returned or adequate and effective compensation provided; or

(ii) without the claim to the property having been settled pursuant to an international claims settlement agreement or other mutually accepted settlement procedure; and


(B) the repudiation by the Cuban Government of, the default by the Cuban Government on, or the failure of the Cuban Government to pay—

(i) a debt of any enterprise which has been nationalized, expropriated, or otherwise taken by the Cuban Government;

(ii) a debt which is a charge on property nationalized, expropriated, or otherwise taken by the Cuban Government; or

(iii) a debt which was incurred by the Cuban Government in satisfaction or settlement of a confiscated property claim.

(2) Traffics

(A) Except as provided in subparagraph (B), a person “traffics” in confiscated property if that person knowingly and intentionally—

(i)(I) transfers, distributes, dispenses, brokers, or otherwise disposes of confiscated property,

(II) purchases, receives, obtains control of, or otherwise acquires confiscated property, or

(III) improves (other than for routine maintenance), invests in (by contribution of funds or anything of value, other than for routine maintenance), or begins after March 12, 1996, to manage, lease, possess, use, or hold an interest in confiscated property,

(ii) enters into a commercial arrangement using or otherwise benefiting from confiscated property, or

(iii) causes, directs, participates in, or profits from, trafficking (as described in clause (i) or (ii)) by another person, or otherwise engages in trafficking (as described in clause (i) or (ii)) through another person,


without the authorization of any United States national who holds a claim to the property.

(B) The term “traffics” does not include—

(i) the delivery of international telecommunication signals to Cuba;

(ii) the trading or holding of securities publicly traded or held, unless the trading is with or by a person determined by the Secretary of the Treasury to be a specially designated national;

(iii) transactions and uses of property incident to lawful travel to Cuba, to the extent that such transactions and uses of property are necessary to the conduct of such travel; or

(iv) transactions and uses of property by a person who is both a citizen of Cuba and a resident of Cuba, and who is not an official of the Cuban Government or the ruling political party in Cuba.

(c) Exemption

This section shall not apply where the Secretary of State finds, on a case by case basis, that the entry into the United States of the person who would otherwise be excluded under this section is necessary for medical reasons or for purposes of litigation of an action under subchapter III.

(d) Effective date

(1) In general

This section applies to aliens seeking to enter the United States on or after March 12, 1996.

(2) Trafficking

This section applies only with respect to acts within the meaning of “traffics” that occur on or after March 12, 1996.

  Previous section
Next section  
 Subchapter IV Contents