Why are Caribbean leaders fighting Trump to keep Cuban doctors?

Caribbean leaders have hit back at a threat issued by the United States government to cancel visas for anyone working with or supporting Cuban medical facilities, citing allegations of forced labour and claiming these missions “enrich the Cuban regime”.

Cuban medical missions, which provide doctors, nurses and other medical staff as well as medical facilities, are critical to healthcare systems in the Caribbean.Why is the US government taking aim at Cuba’s medical programme?
The targeting of Cuban medical missions is not new for US President Donald Trump’s administration. During his first term as president of the US from 2017 to 2021, his administration imposed visa sanctions on Cuba’s global medical programme. His government claimed these missions amounted to “human trafficking” because, it said, Cuban doctors are reportedly underpaid.

This time around, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has announced restrictions on visas for government officials in Cuba and anyone else, globally, that the US deems to be “complicit” with Cuba’s foreign medical programmes. The State Department said the restrictions would extend to “current and former officials” as well as the “immediate family of such persons”.Rubio called the Cuban medical programme a form of “forced labour” and the government has warned that Caribbean nations participating in these programmes could face visa restrictions as well as potential trade repercussions.

However, no concrete evidence has been provided to support these claims.“Regardless of whether Cuban doctors qualify as forced labour, we do know that they do not negotiate their own contracts or working conditions,” she said.

“Cuba retains a significant portion of their salaries, and there are testimonies from doctors confirming restrictions on movement, confiscation of passports by Cuban authorities in host countries, and limitations on bringing their families along.”

At the same time, Bahamonde reiterated the crucial role that Cuban medical professionals play, especially when it comes to providing healthcare services to underserved communities.