Category: News & Media

PT Law’s Senior Policy Advisor, Dr. Andy Gomez, was interviewed and quoted in a recent Miami Herald story on U.S. democracy promotion programs:

“USAID may have some excellent programs around the world, but the problem here is that anything dealing with Cuba becomes politicized and in my opinion there was very little oversight of it,” said Andy Gomez, a retired University of Miami Cuba scholar and now senior policy adviser for Washington law firm Poblete Tamargo. The Associated Press reported last week that USAID established the network called ZunZuneo — Cuban slang for the sound of a hummingbird — as a text-messaging service that began gearing up in late 2009 and reached at least 40,000 subscribers before funding ran out in September 2012. USAID, however, says the number was around 68,000 at its peak.

Read more here.

(Miami, Florida) Dr. Andy Gomez, a senior policy advisor with Poblete Tamargo, will be interviewed tomorrow at 7:30AM (EST)/6:30 AM (Jamaica EST) on Jamaica Speaks.

Dr. Gomez will discuss Cuba’s recently announced foreign investment law with Professor Trevor Munroe and Gladstone Wilson.

You can listen live by following this link. 

Earlier this week the Associated Press revealed details of a USAID people-to-people program to counter Cuban government Internet censorship. Part of the program included a Twitter-like technology for the Cuban people called ZunZuneo.

While the program is legal under s.109 of the Cuban Liberty and Democratic Solidarity Act, among other laws and executive orders, details of the Cuban-Twitter were probably unlawfully leaked to the media. These leaks endanger the lives of individuals in Cuba who helped set up or used the network.

“The Cuban government will do everything possible to discredit (blogger) Yoani (Sanchez) and other opposition leaders inside Cuba, using this kind of information,” Andy Gomez, a Cuba expert and senior policy adviser with the law firm Poblete Tamargo” told the Associated Press.

According to several news stories, Congressional hearings are scheduled for next week.

Read the entire article here.

On Thursday, April 4, 2014, Lourdes C. Acevedo, Esq., Special Counsel for Poblete Tamargo, was elected as Vice President of the Borromeo Legal Project at St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church in Arlington, Virginia. The Borromeo Legal Project in Arlington, Virginia focuses on, among other things, providing legal and educational resources to the immigrant community, including assisting participants through the United States citizenship naturalization process.

“Community service through pro bono programs is a vital part of providing access to legal services to those who otherwise cannot afford it. We’re excited that Lourdes has been able to contribute to these efforts in Northern Virginia,” Priscilla Ro said. Priscilla leads the firm’s immigration practice group. Acevedo, a member of the Immigration Practice Group, has hosted several presentations focusing on the procedural and administrative aspects of U.S. immigration law. Borromeo parishioners and members from the local community were afforded the opportunity to receive valuable information on U.S. immigration law and procedures.

“The immigration process can be a complex and intimidating one. In speaking with clients and the Hispanic community, one soon learns of the common misconceptions and general fears that circulate regarding the immigration process – more specifically, deportation and removal proceedings. It is important to reach out to the community and provide accurate and pertinent information, so as to dispel these myths and do our part to ensure that individuals are well-informed during their immigration process,” Acevedo said.

“As a weekly volunteer attorney at Just Neighbors in Falls Church, Virginia, I get the opportunity to assist the staff attorneys in representing low-income immigrants whom are eligible to obtain benefits from the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services. Many of the clients whom we serve are not only indigent, but also vulnerable with limited access to the help they need. Working with them through pro bono legal services is one way to welcome them into the community and to help them become self-sufficient, contributing members of mainstream society,” Priscilla Ro added.

The PT Law’s Immigration Practice Group looks forward increasing awareness of U.S. laws and regulations in this important legal area for Virginia residents and their families.

Poblete Tamargo is a specialized federal regulatory law and public policy practice. We provide our clients with federal regulatory and public policy counsel in the fields of administrative law, national security law, international claims, trade, general transactional matters, federal government relations and political intelligence.

The International Business Times reports that:

“Cuba is about to open itself up to foreign investment for the first time in half a century as part of a slew of reforms promoted by President Raúl Castro. The legislation, which will be voted on in parliament on Saturday, touches on all sectors of the economy except for two: education and health care.”

These new partnerships will enjoy a special fiscal policy, which exempts foreign partners from paying income taxes. Mixed companies will also be exempt from paying taxes for eight years after their inception.

However, it is still unclear how effective the bill will be in enticing foreign investors. Jason Poblete, a Washington, D.C.-based attorney and partner in law firm Poblete Tamargo who works with U.S. clients on claims against Cuba, told CNBC the country still lacks two key factors to investing: the rule of law, and protection of property rights. You need a stable legal system that protects investor rights and has a path to resolve disputes,” he said.

In addition, U.S. law will make it extremely difficult for these reforms, if ever implemented, to succeed.

You can read the entire story here.