MIAMI, (Reuters) – Ron Magill, a prominent Cuban-American who works as spokesman for the Miami zoo, was pleasantly surprised when he returned from a quiet trip to Havana earlier this year.
For the most part, his friends and acquaintances, many of them second- and third-generation Cuban Americans, responded warmly when they found out about his visit, said Magill, 55, who toured the island in April with U.S. zoo and aquarium directors.
“I’ve been surprised at the lack of negative responses and overwhelmed by the amount of positive ones,” he said.
Not too long ago, Magill’s trip would have angered many in the city’s large exile community, who have long condemned visits as undermining a policy of isolating Cuba’s communist government.
For decades Cuban-American leaders have used their powerful political influence to keep U.S. sanctions in place as long as Fidel Castro and his brother Raul ruled the island nation.
With that in mind, a wave of Cuban-American outrage might have been expected after the announcement of a historic thaw in relations six months ago, culminating on Monday on the restoration of diplomatic relations between Washington and Havana after a 54-year hiatus.
But the hardline pushback never materialized.
“It’s over and done in Miami. It died with a whimper,” said Pedro Freyre, a Cuban-born Miami lawyer with Akerman, a national law firm that represents several U.S. and foreign clients seeking to do business in Cuba.
A former hardliner himself, Freyre said U.S. President Barack Obama’s new policy was now widely accepted by South Florida’s 1.5 million Cuban exiles.
To be sure, Cuban-American political leaders such as Republican presidential hopeful Senator Marco Rubio – as well as another Miami-based candidate, Jeb Bush – have accused Obama of appeasing Cuba’s communist rulers. But such talk appears to be swimming against the tide.
Opponents to restoring diplomatic ties have failed to mobilize large street protests. And while many disapprove of the policy, there is widespread resignation shaped by shifting demographics.
The diehard anti-Castro generation is aging, giving way to younger, U.S.-born Cuban Americans who take a more pragmatic approach. The same is true for recent exiles, many of whom have relatives in Cuba and welcome the likely economic benefits of closer U.S. ties.
A poll last week found that 40 percent of Cuban-American would vote for a candidate favoring normalization of relations while only 26 percent would be less inclined to.
Several key Cuban-American Republicans, including major Bush backers, have signaled their strong support for the new policy.
