President Joe Biden will remove Cuba from a list of state sponsors of terrorism, U.S. officials announced Tuesday, as a part of a deal that is expected to free protesters jailed during a 2021 crackdown by the communist government.

The decision by Biden is the latest in a number of environmental, immigration and foreign policy decisions taken in the final days of his presidency before President-elect Donald Trump returns to the White House. Removing Cuba would typically raise expectations of normalized relations between Washington and Havana.

But Biden’s decision is only the latest in a series of conflicting U.S. approaches to Cuba by different administrations. The Obama administration made the decision to remove Cuba from the list. But days before Trump left office in 2021, his administration placed Cuba back on it.

Biden’s move could help Cuba’s battered economy. Major banks had stopped doing business with Cuba because it was too much trouble. It is unclear if Trump will reverse Biden’s decision.

— The New York Times