Since President Barack Obama announced plans to restore diplomatic ties with Cuba, sugarcane cutter Jose Luis Hernandez and his Communist labor squad have talked about little else. Forget the economic opportunities, though; they are thrilled by the U.S. release of three Cuban spies.

“We talk about them here every day,” Hernandez, 48, said as he tried to repair a 35-year-old Soviet harvester in a field in Rodas, Cienfuegos, province. “How did they arrive? How well are they looking? What are they eating?”