Families of Cuban protesters imprisoned during anti-government demonstrations are anxiously waiting to see whether the government will go ahead with planned prisoner releases after Donald Trump reneged on a deal struck by Joe Biden last week.

Activists with human rights group Justicia 11J believe that about 150 prisoners have been released so far out of the 553 prisoners the Catholic Church has agreed to release.

Less than a week after being removed from the United States’ list of State Sponsors of Terror (SSOT), Cuba is back on the list alongside Syria, North Korea and Iran – with dire consequences for tourism and trade. Trump reversed Biden's decision late Monday with a series of executive orders that reversed the previous administration's domestic and international policies.

Biden caught Cuba watchers off guard last Tuesday when he removed Cuba from the SSOT list and lifted sanctions on companies with ties to the Cuban military.

These measures were not explicitly linked to the Cuban government's simultaneous announcement that it had agreed to the Vatican's request to release 553 prisoners, but most Cubans viewed it as a quid pro quo.

Families of prisoners who have not yet been released expressed their dissatisfaction online. Greisy Oliva, the wife of Nadir Martín Perdomo, who was imprisoned with her brother Jorge on charges of assault and public disorder, writes : "My children are anxiously awaiting their father's call to freedom. Salet has had it since he was 11, Samir since he was 6. It hits them hard."

Most of those released remain silent about their experiences because they have been paroled. However, prominent dissident Daniel Ferrer, who was released on Thursday, immediately said on the US government-funded Radio Marti: "Don't be afraid, fight for a free, prosperous and just Cuba." Other famous prisoners, such as artists Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara remains in prison.

Figures used by Human Rights Watch and Prisoner Defenders estimate that the total number of political prisoners in Cuba (a term the government refuses to use) is about 950.

Many of those arrested after massive street protests in Cuba in July 2021 were found guilty of crimes including sedition, including Rowland Jesús Castillo, who was 17 at the time of his arrest.

Trump's order was foreshadowed by comments made by Trump's Cuban-American secretary of state, Marco Rubio, during his confirmation hearing last week. "There is no doubt in my mind that (Cuba) meets all the qualifications to be a state sponsor of terrorism," he said. Outside the United States, the title is widely viewed as unfounded.

"Cuba systematically violates human rights and is not a state sponsor of terrorism," said Juan Papier, deputy Americas director for Human Rights Watch.

Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel responded to Trump's move, saying the US president showed "arrogance and disregard for the truth."

The Cuban government later issued a statement saying: "Trump interpreted his rise to power as the coronation of an emperor. His ambitions include conquering Canada, seizing Greenland, renaming the Gulf of Mexico and depriving the Panamanians of the canal."

However, the Díaz-Canel government has yet to comment on the continued release of prisoners. "I think it's an impasse," Papil said. “But what’s encouraging is that this is a commitment that Cubans made to the pope.”

While many Cuban exiles express sadness for the prisoners, they are also dissatisfied with the concessions made by the Cuban government.

"Hard-liners will say it's not a big deal," said Miami attorney Pedro Frère. "The government parolees prisoners but does not pardon them; in theory they can be returned to prison quickly."