LITTLE ROCK, AR -- This week the Obama administration announced it would permit unlimited travel to Cuba by Cuban Americans.



Now Cuban Americans with family in Cuba can have unlimited access to the country from the U.S.



This is a huge deal for many of the more than 1.5 million Americans who the U.S. estimates have relatives in Cuba. Not only can these people now go visit their home, but also they can send money to family members without violating the U.S.'s long-standing restrictions.



At least one Arkansas family says it's thrilled.

A room covered in pictures is where Mary Koch comes to think about her family in Cuba.



"Sometimes I come here and I'm alone and I'm alone in the house but I see all of them, because they are apart of my life my mother I haven't seen," says Koch.



For the first time in 24 years Koch has the O.K. from the U.S. government to visit home.



"I have to say it's the most beautiful island in the Caribbean."



Like more than a 100,000 Cubans, Koch and a few relatives left the country in the 1980's.



She says during a time of political unrest, being the great granddaughter of Tomas Estrada Palma, Cuba's first president after U.S. occupation, made life in the country dangerous.



"We were never going to be part of the Communist country," explains Koch.



Arkansas has a history with Cuban refugees that date back nearly 30 years. In 1980, the government sent more than 20,000 Cubans to Fort Chaffee.