Days after Cuba celebrated the 62nd anniversary of Fidel Castro's first offensive in the communist rebellion, the United States has removed the island nation from its list of countries that have failed to combat human trafficking.

The annual State Department report, which in past years accused Cuban authorities of coercing its citizens into traveling abroad in order to work on government sponsored projects, has ranked the nations of Iran, North Korea, Zimbabwe, South Sudan, and Belize particularly low.

As reported in the BBC, Sarah Sewall, the U.S. Under Secretary of State for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights, noted that Cuba has indeed made progress in combating sex trafficking, but that there are still concerns over the country's failures to address issues of forced work.

On July 20, after over 50 years of icy tension, the United States and Cuba re-established diplomatic relations, reopening embassies in each other's capitals.

The thaw between the two neighboring and ideologically opposed nations continues. On Tuesday Republican Rep. Tom Emmer filed his "Cuba Trade Act of 2015," a bill that seeks to remove restrictions on American businesses from trading with Cuba and allow for U.S. citizens to travel there with fewer hurdles.

Although many Republicans, such as Sen. Marco Rubio and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, have been vocal about their opposition to lifting the embargo, Emmer elected to pursue a full repeal of the embargo after making a June trip to Cuba, where he met with Cuban officials as well as common Cuban people.

As quoted in USA Today, Emmer appreciates the delicate nature of his decision to bring forth the bill, saying, "I understand there's a lot of pain on both sides of this issue that goes back many decades, something that a kid from Minnesota is not going to necessarily be able to understand."

The 54-year-old representative feels that lifting the embargo is in the best interests of the Cubans, saying “it's about people on the street looking for more opportunity and to improve their quality of life."