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U.S. Expands Sanctions on Cuban Doctors Program

HeadlineFeb 26, 2025

The Trump administration has announced a new visa ban targeting Cuban officials who are tied to a decades-old program that primarily sends Cuban doctors and healthcare workers to assist other countries. Secretary of State Marco Rubio erroneously described the program as “forced labor.” Cuba began deploying doctors around the world after the 1959 Cuban Revolution to disaster sites and during disease outbreaks, such as at the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic and during the Ebola outbreak in West Africa. Cuba’s Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez slammed the restrictions as part of Rubio’s “personal agenda.” Rubio is the son of Cuban immigrants and has persistently advocated for harsher sanctions on Cuba despite the catastrophic impacts.

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