operative imprisoned for 20 years in exchange for three cuban agents jailed in the us soon the us will have an actual embassy here in havana allowing politicians to talk to each other directly instead of in secret sources tell abc news the first state department official to visit cuba publicly is scheduled to land in havana the second week of january followed shortly by the secretary of state john kerry but critics counter now is the time for the us to step up sanctions against castro and complain that president obama did not get enough from havana in miami there were small demonstrations against obamas actions despite polls that show broad american support for lifting the 53yearold trade embargo even polls in south florida show support for closer ties in havana i spoke to tourism students unidentified female we want to go there and americans can come here avila cuba and the us just 90 miles apart will again soon act like it for this week jim avila abc news havana end videotape stephanopoulos thanks to jim avila for that george stephanopoulos host were joined now by florida senator marco rubio thanks for joining us this morning sen marco rubio r florida good morning stephanopoulos youve been so outspoken this week senator rubio calling the presidents decision inexplicable absurd disgraceful but when you hear those cubans those young cubans say we want closer ties to the united states doesnt that give you pause rubio i want closer ties with cuba as well but those closer ties have to come about as a result of a policy that will also ultimately lead to freedom and thats my problem with what the presidents done here its not that i simply want to continue to do with what weve been doing im ok with changing policy toward cuba but it has to be a policy change that has a reasonable chance of achieving freedom freedom for the cuban people and i just dont think this pol no let me rephrase that i know that this policy change that the president has now undertaken will not lead to freedom stephanopoulos how do you know that though senator what weve seen for the last 50 years is a policy of of an embargo no real ties between the us and cuba it hasnt loosened the castro regimes rubio right stephanopoulos hold on the cuban people at all and the united states has has relations with all kinds of countries that dont meet our democratic standards china rubio right stephanopoulos saudi arabia russia rubio thats exactly my point we have those policies of normalization toward vietnam for example toward china theyre not any more politically free today than they were when that normalization happened they may have a bigger economy but their political freedoms certainly i would not hold up china or saudi arabia or vietnam as examples of political freedom proving my point that engagement by itself