Washington (EFE).- The United States Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, announced on Wednesday visa restrictions for officials from African countries and Grenada, an island nation in the Caribbean, for contracting Cuban medical missions, which Washington describes as an «exploitative labor export program.»
In his X post, Rubio, of Cuban origin, did not detail which African nations are under sanctions or the names of the affected officials.
«The Department of State is taking steps to impose visa restrictions on several African, Cuban, and Grenadian government officials complicit in the Cuban regime’s coerced forced labor export scheme. We are committed to ending this practice,» he said.
Rubio emphasized that the government of President Miguel Díaz-Canel «rents out» its doctors at «high prices» and keeps most of the earnings.
«The Cuban labor export program abuses the participants, enriches the corrupt Cuban regime, and deprives everyday Cubans of essential medical care that they desperately need in their homeland,» Rubio warned.
He said that the US will take the necessary measures to end this «forced labour» and urged countries to «pay doctors directly for their services, not the regime.»
As a response, the Cuban government confirmed that it would continue its medical missions abroad, despite Washington’s restrictions.
Cuban Foreign Affairs Minister Bruno Rodríguez stated on social media that his country «will continue to provide services.»
Rodríguez considers that this measure demonstrates that «imposition» and «aggression» are the «new foreign policy doctrine» of the US under the Republican administration of President Donald Trump.
The Cuban minister stressed that these are «legitimate cooperation programs.»
Cuba rejected Washington’s accusations, denouncing what it considers to be a «smear campaign» against its cooperation program and its doctors, who are present in several Latin American and Caribbean nations, as well as some 20 African countries.
The Donald Trump administration had already announced sanctions in February and June against Cuban officials and those from Central American countries related to Cuban medical missions, which are one of Havana’s principal sources of income.
According to various independent analysts, professional services are Cuba’s leading export, with doctors making up the majority. Other workers are also involved, and professional services are one of the three main sources of foreign currency, alongside tourism and remittances.
The first wave of sanctions against Cuban medical missions prompted countries that receive health workers from Cuba to launch a campaign in support of the island’s professionals, who play a fundamental role in maintaining their health systems. EFE
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