In 2013, Beyoncé and Jay-Z made a visit to Cuba in celebration of their fifth anniversary, per The Washington Post. The trip was highly controversial due to longstanding U.S. sanctions against Cuba, which were implemented by John F. Kennedy in the '60s. Subsequently, the decision angered Cuban Americans, many of whom highlighted the country's alleged human rights violations. "Cultural exchange programs have been abused by tourists who have no interest in the Cuban people's freedom and either don't realize or don't care that they're essentially funding the regime's systematic trampling of people's human rights," argued Senator Marco Rubio, whose own parents fled Cuba prior to Fidel Castro's reign, per The Miami Herald.
However, as USA Today reports, the excursion was entirely legal. Federal investigators concluded that the couple's activities on the island, such as dinner, dancing, and neighborhood strolls, were not tantamount to support of the Communist country. "All of these activities serve the U.S. foreign policy goal of helping the Cuban people by facilitating exchanges with them and supporting the development of independent activity and civil society," investigators stated.
As for Bey, she was stunned by the controversy. "You know, it was such a beautiful trip. I met some incredible children. I visited some incredible entrepreneurs," she told ABC News (via The Wrap). "And it was really, it was really educational for me. I learned so much about so many people and the country, and it was actually quite shocking."
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