United States has broadened its current visa restriction policy to cover Cuban officials associated with a labor program that sends Cuban workers overseas, especially in the health sector, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio reported on Tuesday.
In a statement, Rubio announced the prolonged restrictions will target individuals and their close relatives thought to be behind the program, which he termed as “forced labor.” He said the same sanctions have already been leveled against various people, including Venezuelan government officials.
Cuba’s medical personnel are a major source of export income for the nation, with doctors being exported to other countries across the globe. The program was, however, condemned by Rubio, who claimed that it enriched the government while denying the citizens access to much-needed medical care.
“Cuba’s labor export programs, including medical missions, enrich the regime while denying ordinary Cubans the medical care they urgently need at home,” he said.
The Cuban authorities have yet to react to the announcement.
Washington and Havana have had tense diplomatic relations since Fidel Castro’s revolution in 1959, with a longstanding US embargo on trade that has existed for decades. The new visa restrictions are the latest in Washington’s hardline approach to Havana.
