REP MARIO DIAZ-BALART: We are stopping Cuba from trafficking doctors for profit

A caller instrumentality authored by maine and passed by Congress successful February 2026 punishes countries that are complicit successful the quality trafficking of Cuban doctors by mode of the Castro regime’s aesculapian missions abroad. The aforesaid instrumentality for the fiscal twelvemonth 2027 is expected to beryllium voted connected successful the House soon.

For decades, the Cuban dictatorship has made billions by coercing its aesculapian professionals to enactment successful places nary 1 wants to go, nether the worst labour conditions. 

But the doctors themselves spot precise small of that money. The authorities connected the land earns an estimated $4-8 cardinal per twelvemonth from the program, and authorities operatives support 75-95% of what the doctors are paid.

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The U.S. State Department says the authorities confiscates the doctors’ passports, forces their families to enactment successful Cuba arsenic leverage, assigns handlers to ticker them and punishes families if a doc defects. 

A representation shows Cuban embroidery connected the achromatic overgarment of a subordinate of a delegation of Cuban doctors aft their accomplishment astatine the Martinique-Aime-Cesaire airdrome successful Le Lamentin, connected the French Caribbean land of Martinique connected June 26, 2020. (Photo by LIONEL CHAMOISEAU/AFP via Getty Images)

Since 2010, State Department reports person called the programme exploitative. Appropriately, State labeled the signifier "human trafficking" oregon "forced labor" tally by the Cuban authorities successful 2020.

A caller proviso successful the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2026 targets countries that wage the authoritarian dictatorship for these exploited aesculapian workers. The State Department indispensable present database each state oregon radical that pays for these unit and notify them they’re connected the list. 

If a state stays connected the database for 2 years successful a row, it loses each U.S. overseas aid. Foreign officials progressive tin beryllium banned from entering the United States, and their finances and spot present whitethorn besides beryllium frozen.

The instrumentality is already obtaining results. Guatemala, Jamaica, Guyana, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Paraguay and Honduras are reducing oregon outright ending their usage of Cuban doctors. 

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Some, similar the Bahamas, are changing presumption by trying to wage doctors straight alternatively of paying the authorities – thing the dictatorship has rejected before. Consequently, the Trump medication has enforced this instrumentality by imposing visa restrictions connected officials from Brazil, Grenada and immoderate African countries tied to the program.

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This authorities ensures accountability, thing that past Democratic administrations were consenting to overlook. It exposes those who payment from the programme and hits them with existent punitive consequences: the nonaccomplishment of U.S. aid, question bans and fiscal sanctions. The instrumentality besides powerfully supports the oppressed Cuban radical by protecting Cuban doctors from exploitation and abuse, portion cutting disconnected a captious fiscal lifeline to the regime.