Op-Ed by Chargé d’Affaires Karin Sullivan, U.S. Embassy to Barbados, the Eastern Caribbean, and the OECS on the Cuba Medical Workers
For decades, the Cuban regime has falsely marketed its so-called international brigades, including medical missions, as acts of global goodwill and as a symbol of altruistic solidarity.
In reality, the Cuban regime’s programs export their labor under coercive conditions that solely benefit the corrupt and illegitimate Cuban regime all while exploiting the workers, including medical professionals who make up 75 percent of the Cuban regime’s exported labor.
Appalled by the regime’s decades’ old abuse of its people, the Trump Administration has taken steps to apply visa restrictions to individuals involved in Cuba’s labor export program, including third-country officials who facilitate the placement of Cuban medical personnel abroad, and is talking with the more than 50 countries that use Cuban labor about addressing the program’s deep flaws.
The rationale behind the U.S. approach is straightforward. Cuba’s medical missions function as an exploitative forced labor scheme generating more than five billion dollars of foreign currency per year for the regime – its biggest source of income.
Cuban medical workers are often compelled to participate under restrictive conditions, with the state withholding medical credentials, passports, and the lion share of workers’ wages, severely limiting their freedom of movement and association, and imposing draconian punishments, including an eight-year exile, if they violate these conditions or leave assignments early.
Revenue from these programs flows to the Cuban regime, while the Cuban people on the island face chronic shortages of medical care and widespread blackouts.
Regional cooperation with the Cuban regime on healthcare is often framed as a response to staffing shortages, not political alignment.
But good intentions to address gaps in a country’s healthcare system cannot excuse taking advantage of forced labor and supporting a failed system that restricts workers’ freedoms, channels earnings to the corrupt Cuban regime, and leaves partners in our hemisphere entangled in arrangements that raise serious ethical and legal questions.
As Secretary Rubio said a year ago in Jamaica, “It’s not that they’re Cuban doctors, it’s that the regime does not pay these doctors, takes away their passports, and, basically, it is in many ways forced labor.” This is not about denying healthcare to vulnerable populations here in the Eastern Caribbean.
It is about not being complacent or legitimizing a system that relies on coercion and enriches the Cuban regime at the expense of the island’s medical personnel. At its core, it is a human and labor rights issue.
The aim is accountability, not isolation – accountability for governments and individuals who enable exploitation. It is the United States’ firm posture that the Cuban regime needs to reform these practices, which deprive Cuba’s doctors and nurses of fair compensation and deprive the Cuban people of essential healthcare at home.
As Caribbean nations build their healthcare systems, the Trump Administration emphasizes that promoting ethical labor practices and protecting all foreign workers, including medical professionals, can go hand in hand with regional cooperation.
Defending human dignity and opposing forced labor schemes are not obstacles to global health cooperation, they are prerequisites for it. By working together to strengthen local health systems and support fair, transparent arrangements, countries can continue meeting urgent healthcare needs while fostering partnerships that are sustainable, equitable, and mutually beneficial.
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Mind your fucking business, right now America is worst than Cuba with the Jackass that’s in charge. Of all the so-called First World Countries America is the pits in my opinion. Trump cannot run America properly yet wants to dictate to others
Mr/Ms Editor,
I REFUSE to continue to read THIS OP-ED AFTER The First Few Paragraphs …..
….. THESE U S A Administrative Persons HAVE NO CONSCIENCE AT ALL ……
…….AFTER 60 – – – – – – – – + YEARS OF SANCTIONS Against CUBA ….. IN ORDER TO CONTINUE THE CONTROL/THE ROBBERY (of the people’s Assets) carried out by the Regime Ruling CUBA PRIOR TO Fidel Castro’s RESCUING Of His Brothers & Sisters….
….. How would THE USA SURVIVE If some STRONG FOREIGN COUNTRY HAD PUT THE USA 🇺🇸 Under THESE SAME SANCTIONS FOR 60+ YEARS?????
The Person who WROTE THIS OP-ED MUST ASK & ANSWER THIS QUESTION Prior to writing what she wrote …….
……. It is SO VERY SAD 😢 AND INHUMANE that NO ONE (Not even the multitude of CHURCHES IN THE 🇺🇸) CAN CONVINCE THE PRESIDENT OF THE 🇺🇸 AND THE NAVAL FORCES Involved that THIS ASSASSINATION OF INNOCENT PEOPLE, that THIS ACT Is In Fact AMONG “THE SINS CRYING TO HEAVEN FOR VENGEANCE!!!”
…… Do THESE PEOPLE THINK OR SEE THEMSELVES AS GOD???? God ALONE Gives LIFE ….. How DARE THESE PEOPLE DECLARE WAR in Order to KILL PEOPLE In Order To Suit THEIR WAY of seeing and interpreting REALITY????
……..Are THEY Not Afraid of The VENGEANCE OF GOD GALLING UPON ALL OF THEM????? 🤷🏿♀️🤷🏿♀️🤷🏿♀️🤷🏿♀️🤷🏿♀️🤷🏿♀️🤷🏿♀️
Peace! 🌻😇💞🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿
Wow@Visionary!! I have similar sentiments, but didn’t think the moderators would allow anything but a “diplomatic” response! This is the same administration who’s shielding and hiding pedophiles? Same one that’s imposed sanctions in efforts to “get their way”?? Same administration using missiles and bombs on local fishermen in small easily detained vessels? What moral authority do you have to impose such? You are simply a big orange bully!
America has long lost the moral high ground to be dictating to others the principles of good governance.
People in high office in America grape, and plunder young girls and women, engage in cannibalism, eat children, and this act is being covered and sanctioned by the Government of the United States!!
Those who speak about it are marginalized and castigated.
I support the USA agenda in bringing freedom to the Cuban people who have been enslaved by the corrupt communist dictatorship and CARICOM countries for decades.
Donald Trump is the master of the deal !
He is the most effective leader of any country in the history of the world, because he has the courage and fortitude to do what is needed and what is right for all the people of the free world who seek to be free and for a chance to be prosperous.
I hope the people of CUBA and VENEZUELA when freed by UNITED STATES OF AMERICA NOTE: CARICOM countries namely ANTIGUA,BARBADOS,DOMINICA,GRENADA ,ST VINCENT,ST LUCIA,ST KITTS AND NEVIS,GUYANA,TRINIDAD and TOBAGO have all collaborated with the COMMUNIST CUBAN GOVERNMENT and VENEZUELA NARCO DICTATOR BUS DRIVER MADURO to oppress and enslaved its people.
GOD BLESS PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP.
GASTON BROWNE DID CARICOM MEMBER STATES ever express concerns to the COMMUNIST CUBA government to have FAIR and FREE elections observed by CARTER CENTER USA,EU ELECTIONS OBSERVATION CENTER (EU-EOM),also the violation of HUMAN RIGHTS,FREEDOM OF SPEECH, FREE ALL POLITICAL PRISONERS and LIBERATE 10,937,203 CUBANS?Instead of collaborating with the COMMUNIST CUBAN government to oppress and enslave its people, while the people of CARICOM countries are driving around in big motorcars, living in big houses and eating 3 meals a day.They are scared if the CUBANS are liberated by AMERICA their respective TOURISM INDUSTRY will be “screwed” that is why they see it fit to support the COMMUNIST CUBA GOVERNMENT IN OPPRESSING and enslaving the CUBAN PEOPLE.
GASTON BROWNE what is so special about HAITI? that you are advocating for FREE AND FAIR ELECTIONS and restore democracy, I thought CARICOM want the CARIBBEAN TO BE A ZONE OF PEACE you need to include VENEZUELA and the CUBAN GOVERNMENT to have FAIR and FREE ELECTIONS and restore DEMOCRACY.
I support the USA agenda in bringing freedom to the Cuban people who have been enslaved by the corrupt communist dictatorship and CARICOM countries for decades.
Donald Trump is the master of the deal !
He is the most effective leader of any country in the history of the world, because he has the courage and fortitude to do what is needed and what is right for all the people of the free world who seek to be free and for a chance to be prosperous.
I hope the people of CUBA and VENEZUELA when freed by UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.NOTE: CARICOM countries namely ANTIGUA,BARBADOS,DOMINICA,GRENADA ,ST VINCENT,ST LUCIA,ST KITTS AND NEVIS,GUYANA,TRINIDAD and TOBAGO have all collaborated with the COMMUNIST CUBAN GOVERNMENT and VENEZUELA NARCO DICTATOR BUS DRIVER MADURO to oppress and enslaved its people.
GOD bless the UNITED STATES of AMERICA PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP the FREEDOM FIGHTER.Liberate the CUBANS,VENEZUELANS,IRANIANS,and the UKRANIANS.
Islander is one GIANT ASSHOLE fullstop
All is not lost PRESIDENT TRUMP reference to the SUPREME COURT ruling on TARRIFS.UNITED STATES OF AMERICA has the largest gold holdings of 8134 metric tons.The U.S need to revert to the GOLD STANDARD which would stabilise AMERICA’S future and restore INTEGRITY and STABILITY to the U.S dollar and the IMF qualities that have been sorely missing for years.The U.S GOVERNMENT does not need approval from CONGRESS to implement the GOLD STANDARD.
In order to acheive this THE U.S GOVERNMENT will have to set a price of 150,000.00 US DOLLARS per troy ounce of GOLD.
Do the MATHS:One ton of gold is 32,150.7 troy ounces of gold,therefore 8134 METRIC TONS of gold will cost 8134 multiply by 32,150.7 multiply by 150,000.00 U.S DOLLARS per troy ounce is equal to approximately 39 TRILLION U.S DOLLARS of which the U.S GOVERNMENT will be able to pay off its NATIONAL DEBT.
Returning to the gold standard can provide monetary stability, fiscal discipline, and long-term predictability in economic planning.
Monetary Stability: A gold standard ties the value of currency to a fixed quantity of gold, which inherently limits the ability of governments to print money arbitrarily. This scarcity-based system helps prevent runaway inflation because the money supply can only expand in line with gold reserves, unlike fiat currency, which can be issued without limit. By anchoring currency to a tangible asset, citizens and investors gain confidence that the currency will maintain its purchasing power over time.
Fiscal Discipline: Under a gold standard, governments cannot finance deficits by simply creating new money. This forces more responsible budgeting, as any new currency must be backed by gold. The system acts as an external check on excessive government spending, reducing the risk of accumulating unsustainable sovereign debt and discouraging politically motivated fiscal expansions.
Predictability and Long-Term Planning: A fixed gold value provides stable exchange rates and predictable currency behavior, which benefits international trade, long-term contracts, and investment planning. Businesses and savers can make decisions with greater certainty, reducing exposure to currency fluctuations and inflation surprises. This predictability is particularly valuable for sectors like pensions, infrastructure, and long-term financial instruments.
Limiting Economic Bubbles: By restricting the ability to expand the money supply, a gold standard can help prevent speculative bubbles caused by excessive liquidity, such as those seen in real estate or financial markets. This can contribute to a more sustainable long-term economic outlook and reduce the likelihood of recurring financial crises.
Psychological and Institutional Benefits: The gold standard serves as a credible commitment mechanism, signaling that monetary policy is constrained by a tangible asset rather than political discretion. This can enhance public trust in the currency and reduce the temptation for short-term, opportunistic policy decisions.
Reply
BELIZE( ANTI SEMITISM) a CARICOM member country that supports HAMAS, HISBOLLAH,HOUTHIS and IRAN the AXIS of TERROISM by suspending DIPLOMATIC relations with ISRAEL and withdrawn its ACCREDITATION for ISRAEL’S AMBASSADOR in response to the on going WAR against HAMAS in GAZA.(FACT CHECK)
I Wonder if Terrence Drew chairman of CARICOM is aware that INTER CARIBBEAN AIRWAYS subsidised by the BARBADOS government employs CUBAN PILOTS slave labour a THREAT to the UNITED STATES of AMERICA NATIONAL SECURITY.
Another SCAM It appears the majority shareholder of AIR PEACE ALLEN ONYEMA with 70 % shareholding equity in LIAT(2020) is pulling out of the investment.In 2019, the US Department of Justice issued an indictment against Allen Onyema, on the grounds of money laundering and bank fraud. Onyema was accused of falsifying documents used for the purchase of airplanes for Air Peace and using those to fund purchases of luxury cars and high-end shopping. Onyema denies these allegations.
In October 2022, his alleged co-conspirator pleaded guilty and was sentenced to a fine and 3 years probation. Onyema and the Chief Financial Officer of Air Peace remain charged with 36 counts of criminality.
In October 2024, Onyema was additionally charged with two counts of obstructing justice and conspiracy to obstruct justice, due to his alleged falsification of documents used in his defense against the original charges.(FACT CHECK)
GASTON BROWN when you assume the chairmanship of the OECS in the coming months as mentioned you need to take the 60 million U.S DOLLARS and pay CLICO/BAICO policyholders in the OECS their money also LIAT(1974) LTD workers in ANTIGUA their severance.
I hope the external financing partners such as the EUROPEAN UNION,IMF,WORLD BANK ,and other INTENATIONAL and REGIONAL lending institutions investigate this SCAM.
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