The U.S. sanctions African and Brazilian officials for hiring Cuban medical missions and revokes their visas.
The United States government, under the Donald Trump administration, has taken a decisive step by imposing visa restrictions on officials from African countries, Brazil, and Grenada, accused of collaborating with Cuban medical missions, which Washington describes as a form of «forced labor.»
This decision, announced on August 14, 2025, by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, reflects the White House’s commitment to defending human rights and combating labor exploitation orchestrated by the communist regime in Havana.
Cuban medical missions, promoted as a supposed act of international solidarity, are actually one of the main sources of income for Miguel Díaz-Canel’s government.
According to the State Department, Cuba «rents» its doctors to countries such as Brazil, Guatemala, Honduras, Venezuela, and Mexico, charging exorbitant sums while the professionals receive only a fraction of those earnings.
Marco Rubio has denounced that this scheme not only enriches the regime, but also deprives Cubans of essential medical care in their own country.
The » Mais Médicos » program in Brazil, a collaboration between Cuba, Brazil, and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), has been described as a «diplomatic scam» by Rubio.
This program, which brings Cuban doctors to remote areas of Brazil, has been criticized for channeling the majority of payments to the Cuban government, leaving the doctors in precarious conditions.
Cuban doctors on these missions face working conditions that border on modern slavery.
Professionals are victims of labor exploitation, with wages largely confiscated by the regime and severe restrictions on their personal freedom. Furthermore, the State Department’s 2024 Trafficking in Persons Report classified Cuba in Category 3, the worst in terms of human rights violations, highlighting «state-sponsored forced labor» as a recurring practice.
In countries like Honduras, where 177 Cuban doctors operate, or Venezuela, where 14,000 are employed, professionals work under strict surveillance, with their passports confiscated and threats of reprisals against their families if they attempt to defect.
These conditions have been documented by organizations such as Human Rights Watch, which has urged governments to review contracts with Cuba to ensure direct payments to doctors.
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The visa restriction policy, which also affects family members of the officials involved, is another step in Trump’s crusade against the Cuban regime.
Since his first term, the president has prioritized sanctions against Havana, including similar measures against Central American officials in February and June 2025.
These actions seek to dismantle the financial model that sustains the regime, which relies heavily on medical missions to generate foreign currency.
Rubio, who is of Cuban descent, has been a staunch defender of these policies, arguing that «supporting the Cuban people in their quest for freedom» requires directly confronting those who perpetuate exploitation.
The Cuban government, through Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez, has rejected the accusations, calling them a «smear campaign» against its medical cooperation programs. Rodríguez insists that these missions are «legitimate» and benefit underserved communities in Latin America, the Caribbean, and Africa.
Leaders of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), whose health systems rely on Cuban doctors, have defended the program, denying accusations of exploitation.
However, countries like the Bahamas and Guyana have begun reviewing their contracts to ensure direct payments to doctors, a move Washington applauds as a step toward labor justice.
The U.S. decision to revoke visas for officials complicit in Cuban medical missions is more than a diplomatic sanction; it’s an act of resistance against a system that exploits its own citizens under the guise of solidarity.
While the Díaz-Canel regime grows richer, Cuban doctors work in despicable conditions, far from their families, and with their fundamental rights trampled on.
Trump’s policy, supported by Rubio, sends a clear message: complicity with a regime that profits from the suffering of its people will not be tolerated.
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