The U.S. State Department announced on Wednesday (August 13) that visa restrictions and revocations are being imposed on several government officials and their families from Africa, Cuba, Grenada, and Brazil. The reason cited for these measures is their involvement in Cuba’s forced labor export program.
According to the U.S., the corrupt Cuban regime has long used “medical assistance” as a guise to lease their medical professionals to other countries at high prices, while taking a large portion of the income for themselves. This not only deprives the Cuban people of essential medical resources but also constitutes forced labor.
In Brazil’s “More Doctors Program” (Mais Médicos), some officials utilized the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) as an intermediary to collaborate with the Cuban regime, circumventing Brazilian laws and U.S. sanctions, and directly handing the doctors’ salaries to Cuban authorities. Multiple former Cuban doctors have publicly accused being exploited.
The State Department also announced revoking visas for numerous Brazilian government officials, former PAHO officials, and their families, while imposing entry restrictions. Among those named are former officials from the Brazilian Ministry of Health, Mozart Julio Tabosa Sales and Alberto Kleiman, who were responsible for planning and executing the program.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio emphasized that this action sends a clear message that the U.S. will hold accountable those assisting the Cuban regime in forced labor exports and urges governments to directly pay doctors, rather than channeling it through oppressive regimes.
The U.S. reiterated its commitment to collaborating with other governments and taking necessary actions to end such forced labor, supporting the Cuban people in their pursuit of freedom and dignity. It called on all countries supporting democracy and human rights to collectively oppose the abusive practices of the Cuban regime.
Official data from Cuba indicates that by the end of 2023, over 22,000 Cuban laborers associated with the government were deployed in 53 countries, with medical professionals accounting for approximately 75% of exported labor. Multiple complaints have revealed that the Cuban authorities seize 75% to 90% of each worker’s earnings.
In February, the Trump administration expanded visa restrictions, targeting officials and their families believed to be involved in Cuba’s overseas medical dispatch program.
On February 26, Rubio stated on the social platform X that the State Department had implemented visa restrictions on Cuban officials and individuals from third countries cooperating with them, accusing them of participating in and supporting Cuba’s exploitative labor export program.
In a latest post on Wednesday, he reiterated, “We are determined to end this behavior, and countries involved should think twice before proceeding.”
Cuban Deputy Director of U.S. Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Johana Tablada, condemned the U.S. sanctions on X platform, asserting that Cuba’s medical cooperation will continue.
Brazil’s Health Minister Alexandre Padilha responded by stating that Brazil will not succumb to the “unjust attacks” on the “More Doctors” program. Launched in 2013, the Mais Médicos initiative was implemented by Brazil to address the scarcity of doctors in remote and impoverished areas, dispatching over 18,000 doctors to more than 4,000 communities within a few months, most of whom were from Cuba.
In 2018, the Bolsonaro government criticized the unfair treatment of Cuban doctors, leading to Cuba’s withdrawal from the program. However, in 2023, under President Lula, the program was reinstated and expanded.