WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden notified Congress of his intention to revoke U.S. designation of Cuba as a state sponsor of terrorism as part of a deal brokered by the Catholic Church to release Cuban political prisoners, the White House announced.

Senior U.S. government officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said "dozens" of political prisoners and others the U.S. considers to be unjustly detained will be released before the end of the Biden administration's term at noon on January 20.

The United States will also ease some economic pressure on Cuba, as well as a memorandum issued by then-President Donald Trump in 2017 that reinforced the United States' approach to Cuba.

"In taking these steps to strengthen the ongoing dialogue between the Cuban government and the Catholic Church, President Biden also pays tribute to the wisdom and advice provided by the many world leaders, particularly those in Latin America, who encouraged him to take these actions , how best to promote the human rights of the Cuban people," White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement.

Cuba's foreign ministry said on Tuesday that the government informed Pope Francis that it would release 553 people convicted of various crimes. They will be released gradually as authorities analyze legal and humanitarian ways to achieve this goal, the statement said.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not link the release of the prisoners to the United States' decision to withdraw state support for terrorism, but "in the spirit of the 2025 anniversary celebrations announced by His Holiness." In a statement, the foreign minister denounced ongoing U.S. sanctions against the country as "economic warfare" and acknowledged that Trump would likely overturn Biden's decision.

Cuban authorities did not say which of the 553 people would be released.

The decision by the outgoing class of Democrats could be reversed as early as next week after the inauguration of President-elect Trump, a Republican, and the inauguration of Secretary of State-designate Marco Rubio as the nation's top diplomat.

Rubio's family, who left Cuba before the communist revolution brought Fidel Castro to power in the 1950s, has long supported sanctions on the communist island. Rubio will appear before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee for a confirmation hearing on Wednesday and is expected to talk about his Cuban heritage in testimony.

Trump also appointed Mauricio Claver-Carone, a former White House National Security Council aide and a staunch supporter of sanctions against Cuba, as special envoy for Latin America.

U.S. officials said the Trump transition team was informed of the action before it was announced by the Biden administration.

Rep. Mike Waltz, Trump's appointed national security adviser, is expected to return to the previous U.S. policy but said he agrees with the arrangement.

"Look, anything they do now we can fight back, and no one should have any illusions about a change in Cuba policy," Walz told Fox News on Tuesday. "We don't like this, but again, if people are free, that's what it is now."

On January 11, 2021, in the final days of Trump's first administration, the White House reinstated the designation, which had been revoked during Cuba's rapprochement with the United States during President Barack Obama's second term. In the process, the Trump administration cited Cuba's support for Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and its refusal to extradite Colombian rebels to Colombia, among other issues, including continuing to harbor wanted Americans.

Trump's move to designate Cuba was one of several foreign policy moves he made in the final days of his first term.

Roughly six months after Trump designated Cuba a terrorist sponsor, hundreds of Cubans have been arrested in demonstrations in Havana and other cities against shortages, power outages and government policies, with the Biden administration targeting island officials and the country Revolutionary police imposed new sanctions. This is the first such protest since the 1990s.

Human rights groups and activists, including the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, have been urging the Biden administration to remove the designation to alleviate the suffering of Cubans affected by Cuba's economic isolation.

The Cuban government acknowledged the statement and expressed its gratitude, although it considered it "limited."

"Although limited in scope, this is a decision that points in the right direction and is consistent with the continued and determined demands of the Cuban government and people," the Cuban Foreign Ministry said in a press release.

"The decision announced by the United States today corrects in a very limited way certain aspects of the cruel and unjust policy," the statement added.

Congress and the incoming Trump administration will have the opportunity to review and potentially reverse Biden's actions, although senior U.S. government officials said the Biden administration has determined "there is no credible evidence" that Cuba is currently involved in supporting international terrorism.

Cuba's foreign ministry said the government is aware that the incoming U.S. administration may reverse the decision but remains "ready to develop respectful relations with the country based on dialogue and non-interference in internal affairs." Despite their differences, both countries are in this way. "

There was no immediate comment from Rubio or his office, but one of his Republican colleagues on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, was quick to condemn the Biden administration's move.

"Today's decision is unacceptable on its substance," Cruz said in a statement. "The terrorism perpetrated by the Cuban regime has not stopped. I will work with President Trump and my colleagues to immediately Reversal and limit the damage caused by this decision.”

Rep. Carlos Gimenez, R-Fla., criticized the move and predicted Trump would soon reverse Biden's decision.

Gimenez posted on It will also destroy the regime once and for all!”

In a national security memorandum released on Tuesday, Biden certified that Cuba has not provided any support for international terrorism in the past six months and assured the administration that it will not support acts of terrorism in the future.

The move comes after the U.S. government in May removed Cuba from a State Department short list of countries it deemed insufficiently cooperative in combating violent groups.