The US Secretary of State described Cuban medical missions as an “atrocious practice.”
EFE (via 14ymedio), San Juan, 26 March 2025 — U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, on Wednesday, called Cuban medical missions an “atrocious practice,” but said he will engage in dialogue with the Caribbean countries that benefit from them because “there are places with better labor standards.”
“In many other parts of the world, doctors aren’t paid. The Cuban government is paid. Their passports are taken away. They basically operate as forced labor in many places,” he denounced at a press conference in Jamaica with Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness.
“Now, each country operates its program differently. And obviously, because of our relationship with Jamaica, we’re going to be engaging with them on this, digging deeper into the issue, and understanding it better. Perhaps none of this applies to the way it’s handled here,” he added.
“In many other parts of the world, doctors [on medical missions] aren’t paid. The Cuban government is.”
This month several leaders of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), of which Jamaica is a member, criticized the restrictions announced by Washington on Cuban medical missions and rejected the notion that benefiting from them could be considered a form of human trafficking.
On this issue, the Jamaican Prime Minister stated that his government is “very careful not to exploit Cuban doctors” working in his country. “We ensure they are treated in accordance with our labor laws and benefit like any other worker. We ensure our program complies with all international laws and standards,” he said. Holness also acknowledged that Cuban doctors “have been of great help” since Jamaica has “a shortage of health personnel.”
In addition to Holness, Rubio is also addressing this issue in Jamaica during his meetings with the prime ministers of Trinidad and Tobago, Stuart Young, and Barbados, Mia Mottley. The US Secretary of State will also meet with the president of Haiti’s Transitional Council, Fritz Jean, as the security crisis in that country is one of the topics on the agenda.
“We ensure that our program complies with all international laws and standards.”
Regarding Haiti, Holness expressed his hope for “continued collaboration with the United States” to address the crisis, alongside Haitian leaders and other stakeholders.
“The extraordinary humanitarian, civil, and national security challenges in Haiti pose a grave threat to Haitians, regional stability, and indeed to its close neighbors, including Jamaica,” he stated.
Therefore, Holness emphasized that he agreed with Rubio that “everything possible must be done to stabilize the security situation in Haiti,” advocating for providing more resources and personnel to the Haitian National Police in its fight against gangs.
A multinational mission is currently deployed in Haiti to support the Haitian police, led by Kenya and financially supported by the U.S.
Regarding Washington’s recent foreign aid measures, Rubio asserted that “it’s not about eliminating foreign aid, but rather restructuring how we deliver aid. We’re going to provide foreign assistance. The difference is that we want to provide foreign assistance in a way that’s strategically aligned with our foreign policy priorities and the priorities of our host countries and the states with which we collaborate,” he explained.
“The extraordinary humanitarian, civil, and national security challenges in Haiti pose a grave threat to Haitians, regional stability, and indeed to its close neighbors, including Jamaica,” he added.
Rubio and Holness also reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening cooperation in the fight against transnational crime, ensuring the security of citizens and borders.
Holness also said they explored avenues to “further expand bilateral trade relations” and “attract greater U.S. investment to Jamaica’s emerging sectors.”
In this regard, Rubio said that the restructuring of trade alliances being carried out by his administration could be “a mutually beneficial opportunity. It makes perfect sense to see more productive capacity, more manufacturing, more industry relocated to our hemisphere.”
Following his stop in Jamaica, Rubio heads to Guyana and Suriname tomorrow, Thursday, where he will meet with Presidents Irfaan Ali and Chandrikapersad Santokhi, respectively.
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