Caribbean leaders deny US claims that Cuban health workers are victims of 'forced labor'
Source: The Guardian
Caribbean leaders deny US claims that Cuban health workers are victims of ‘forced labor’
As White House takes aim at medical missions, SVG says it gave US proof that workers aren’t human-trafficking victims
Natricia Duncan, Caribbean correspondent
Wed 26 Mar 2025 10.15 GMT
Last modified on Wed 26 Mar 2025 16.45 GMT
The prime minister of St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) said his government has provided evidence to the US that Cuban health workers in the country are not victims of human trafficking, as the Trump administration takes aim at the medical missions.
Speaking in advance of US secretary of state Marco Rubio’s visit to the Caribbean on Wednesday, Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves said he was confident that the information he provided would settle US concerns about the deal under which Cuban medical professionals work in SVG.
Rubio, who is the child of Cuban immigrants, announced in February the expansion of an existing policy to target “forced labor” and “abusive and coercive labor practices”, which he claimed were part of Cuba’s overseas medical missions.
But Caribbean leaders have consistently rejected the claims of human trafficking and stressed the important role the Cuban medical professionals play in saving lives in the region.
-snip-
Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/mar/26/cuban-health-workers-trump-human-trafficking
= new reply since forum marked as read
