3 years ago 
 
 (CNN) – Two Republican lawmakers are asking a government agency to look into a recent trip to Cuba by Beyoncé and Jay-Z, suggesting the superstar couple violated restrictions on travel to the communist island. 
 
 “Despite the clear prohibition against tourism in Cuba, numerous press reports described the couple’s trip as tourism, and the Castro regime touted it as such in its propaganda,” Reps. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and Mario Diaz-Balart, both of Florida, wrote in the letter to the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control. 
 
 
 
 Beyoncé and Jay-Z were photographed in Havana last week, apparently celebrating their fifth wedding anniversary on the island. While Cuba was a popular getaway for Americans in the 1950s, spending money there was outlawed after Fidel Castro took power in 1959. 
 
 In 2012 the Obama administration lifted some of the restrictions on travel to Cuba, instituting a “people-to-people” travel program that requires a strict itinerary for vacationers. 
 
 "Each traveler must have a full-time schedule of educational exchange activities that will result in meaningful interaction between the travelers and individuals in Cuba," U.S. Treasury Department guidelines read. 
 
 Asked about Beyoncé's and Jay-Z's recent trip, Treasury Department Spokesman John Sullivan said only "I can't comment on specific licenses." 
 
 Americans have been known to get around travel restrictions to Cuba in the past by stopping first in a country with flights to the island. Cuban customs officials are familiar enough with the practice to not stamp American passports when they cross their desks. 
 
 In their letter the Treasury Department, Ros-Lehtinen and Diaz-Balart noted their connection to “a community of many who have been deeply and personally harmed by the Castro regime’s atrocities, including former political prisoners and the families of murdered innocents.” 
 
 “The restrictions on tourism travel are common-sense measures meant to prevent U.S. dollars from supporting a murderous regime that opposes U.S. security interests at every turn and which ruthlessly suppresses the most basic liberties of speech, assembly, and belief,” they wrote. “We support the Cuban people by refusing to sustain their jailers.” 
 
 Other lawmakers held different views, such as Republican Sen. Jeff Flake of Arizona. 
 
 "So, @Beyonce and Jay-Z @S_C_ are in Cuba? Fine by me. Every American should have the right to travel there," he wrote on Twitter. 
 
 - CNN's Peter Hamby contributed to this report. ||||| Beyonce and Jay-Z are being criticized for spending their fifth anniversary in Cuba. 
 
 Mauricio Claver-Carone, the Executive Director of Cuba Democracy Advocates in Washington, D.C., a group dedicated to promoting democracy in the Caribbean country, blasted the hip-hop power couple for vacationing in the communist nation. 
 
 "There are women getting beaten on a daily basis, women who are being jailed for no reason ... people are fighting for their freedom," he told TMZ, claiming Beyonce and Jay-Z's failed to educate themselves on Cuba's human rights violations before making the trip. "It’s extremely insensitive," he added. 
 
 News of the visit spread when Beyonce and Jay-Z were photographed in Havana earlier this week, dining at local restaurants and touring historical locations. But it remains unclear why they chose to visit the region to celebrate their April 4 wedding anniversary. 
 
 The Associated Press notes America's 51-year embargo makes it illegal for U.S. citizens to travel to Cuba solely for tourism. Travelers can visit the country legally by obtaining a "cultural exchange" license, however. 
 
 The U.S. Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control, which approves travel to the country, would not comment on Beyonce and Jay-Z's individual case. 
 
 This is not the first time the "Love On Top" singer has offended in recent weeks. 
 
 When Beyonce, who has recently referred to herself as a "modern day feminist," released her newest single, "Bow Down/I Been On," on March 17, she was criticized for the song's seemingly misogynistic lyrics. 
 
 Related on HuffPost: ||||| Jay-Z and Beyonce Blasted for 'Ignorant and Insulting' Cuban Vacation 
 
 EXCLUSIVE 
 
 andare clueless about the tortures happening in Cuba, and it's insulting they chose to visit the communist country for a celebration ... so says a Cuban rights lobbyist., the D.C. director for the US-Cuba Democracy PAC -- a group committed to fighting for democracy in Cuba -- tells TMZ the A-listers should've educated themselves about what's really going on there before taking photo ops.Jay and Bey were photographed Thursday in Havana -- reportedly to celebrate their 5th wedding anniversary -- but have since come under fire from some Cuban-American groups.US citizens are still technically banned from traveling to the island purely for tourism ... and are supposed to obtain a travel license from the US government.Mauricio says he's disappointed the superstars chose to vacay in Cuba because, "There are women getting beaten on a daily basis, women who are being jailed for no reason ... people are fighting for their freedom. It’s extremely insensitive."We reached out to Beyonce and Jay-Z for comment. So far ... nada back.
– Two Florida lawmakers want to know why Beyonce and Jay-Z were celebrating their fifth wedding anniversary in Cuba—where most Americans are still forbidden to travel, CNN reports. "Numerous press reports described the couple’s trip as tourism, and the Castro regime touted it as such in its propaganda," wrote Reps. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and Mario Diaz-Balart, both Republicans, in a letter to the Treasury Department. The lawmakers called for a Treasury agency to investigate the visit. Mauricio Claver-Carone, the head of a PAC that promotes democracy in Cuba, added to the outcry: "There are women getting beaten on a daily basis, women who are being jailed for no reason ... people are fighting for their freedom," he told TMZ. "It’s extremely insensitive." A US embargo makes it illegal for Americans to visit Cuba without a "cultural exchange" license, but many still go there from neighboring countries, the Huffington Post reports. Maybe that's how the high-powered pair got to Havana, where they set off flashbulbs as they dined in restaurants and visited historical sites.