August 22, 2025 — Belly of the Beast
The U.S. has imposed visa restrictions on government officials – and their families – from Africa, Brazil, Cuba and Grenada for their role in Cuba’s medical cooperation teams, which the U.S. deems “forced labor.”
Marco Rubio has been targeting Cuban health cooperation for years, stepping up the pressure since becoming secretary of state. In February, he announced the policy of imposing visa restrictions on foreign government officials who helped welcome Cuban health professionals serving in their countries. Last June, the State Department sanctioned Central American officials.
While the nationality of the African officials and the identity of the Grenadian and Cuban officials were not disclosed, the identity of the Brazilian officials is public, and it includes Minister of Health Alexandre Padilha as well as his wife and 10-year-old daughter.
Brazil’s inclusion is noteworthy, since there hasn’t been a Cuban mission there in seven years. The State Department stated that Brazilian officials along with former Pan American Health Organization officials have been sanctioned for their role in bringing over 10,000 doctors from Cuba to Brazil between 2013 and 2018. The Cuban mission ended after Jair Bolsonaro assumed the presidency.
Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has consistently defended Cuba’s South-South medical cooperation and praised Cuba’s healthcare system and its doctors.
Cuba has been sending medical personnel worldwide since the 1960s, particularly to countries in the Global South, where they provide healthcare for underserved communities. Cuban health professionals have also treated earthquake victims in Pakistan and Haiti, Ebola patients in Africa and COVID patients in Europe.
Through contracts with host governments, the missions have emerged as the main source of foreign currency for Cuba, and thus a target of Trump sanctions. The Cuban government says the money generated from the missions is used to help fund the nation’s universal public health system, which provides healthcare free of charge to its citizens.
If you want to hear from the doctors themselves, watch Episode 3 of our documentary series The War on Cuba.
