Cuban-American rep: Obama deal puts Americans at risk

President Obama’s decision to make a deal with Cuba for the release of aid worker Alan Gross could embolden other regimes to take Americans prisoner, Rep. Mario Díaz-Balart (R-Fla.) said Thursday.

{mosads}“It puts Americans at risk everywhere, because now everybody knows that if you kidnap an American, or you hold them hostage, that President Obama will deal with you and will give you multiple concessions,” he said while appearing on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.”

Díaz-Balart is one of several Cuban-American lawmakers on both sides of the aisle who have heavily criticized the deal, which accompanied the announcement of talks to normalize relations between the two countries.

In addition to re-establishing diplomatic relations between the two countries, Obama wants to make it easier for Americans to travel to Cuba for certain purposes and allow U.S. companies to export come goods to Cuba.

On Thursday morning, Díaz-Balart took issue with the idea that the Cuban people had been “liberated” by the move and cast the deal as a concession to the ruling Castro brothers.

“And by the way, there is no secret that the Castro brothers have been asking for what the president has just given them. And what is — is the rest of the world, what is the United States getting and the Cuban people getting in response for these concessions? Frankly, very little,” he said.

“Look, again, you might believe that the Cuban people have been liberated. But then you are obviously living in la-la land.”

The embargo on Cuba remains in place, and congressional action to loosen restrictions on the island nation seems unlikely.