Cuban diplomat defends foreign medical missions under pressure from US

UNITED NATIONS — A senior Cuban diplomat has accused the Trump administration of trying to discredit the thousands of Cuban doctors working around the world and deprive the country of an important source of income.

Deputy Foreign Minister Carlos Fernandez de Cossio, who was at U.N. headquarters this week for a debate on sanctions, told The Associated Press that the U.S. is putting pressure on other countries and financial institutions to break their ties with Cuba.

Cossio said over the decades Cuba has sent more than 100,000 doctors to more than 70 countries to provide much needed medical care. More than 22,000 doctors are now working in more than 50 countries, according to the government.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has described the program as ''forced labor.'' He announced visa restrictions in late February on Cuban and foreign government officials involved in Cuba's medical missions. In June, the Trump administration imposed visa restrictions on several unidentified officials from Central America for their involvement with the Cuban program.

And in a letter obtained by AP last week, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights asked the 34 members of the Organization of American States for details of any agreements with Cuba for medical missions. It specifically requested information on whether the medical workers have labor and union rights, and about any labor complaints.

The commission, an independent body of the OAS, which is heavily funded by the United States, said it would analyze the data and make recommendations, ''given the persistence of reports of rights violations.''

The State Department said Tuesday it was pleased its action ''has prompted meaningful discussion of this exploitative labor export program after years of denial.'' It said the U.S. will not stop raising these issues until Cuba curtails the ''forced labor'' of its own citizens.

Cossio defended the program in an interview on Monday. He said all Cuban doctors working abroad receive their regular salary, plus ''a dignified stipend.''

Starting about 15 years ago, he said, Cuba began receiving compensation from wealthier countries for providing the doctors. That money covers the stipends, with the rest going to finance Cuba's public health system, he said.

Cossio accused the United States of trying to discredit the medical missions, first by saying that Cuba was not sending doctors but agents to ''subvert'' these counties. He said the U.S. then accused Cuba of human trafficking and put pressure on the countries that have agreements with Cuba to refuse any future medical missions.

He said the U.S. wanted to stop the praise Cuba has received for sending doctors to many poor and developing countries and to deprive Cuba of a "legitimate source of income.'' Cossio said Cuba would not break its agreements.

Cossio also criticized the Trump administration for reversing a U.S. policy of welcoming Cubans into the country.

The administration has started cracking down on Cubans who have entered the U.S. since October 2022 on two-year permits to live and work, a Biden administration program known as humanitarian parole. President Donald Trump this month also announced additional restrictions on visitors from Cuba, among other countries.

The restrictions have come as a shock to the 2.4 million Cuban-Americans. They strongly backed the Republican president in both elections and have long enjoyed a place of privilege in the U.S. immigration system.