U.S. Tightens Visa Restrictions on Officials Linked to Cuban Medical Program

The U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced visa restrictions for some African, Caribbean, and Brazilian officials linked to a Cuban medical worker program. Visas of Brazilian Ministry of Health official Mozart Julio Tabosa Sales and former PAHO official Alberto Kleiman were revoked, amid allegations of forced labor by Cuban authorities.

On Wednesday, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio intensified visa restrictions, targeting a group of officials from Africa, the Caribbean, and Brazil, implicating them in a Cuban program accused of exploiting medical workers.

Notably, the U.S. State Department has revoked visas belonging to Brazilian Ministry of Health official Mozart Julio Tabosa Sales and former Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) official Alberto Kleiman, according to Rubio.

The Cuban government denounced the U.S. approach as a mere ploy to undermine its economic interests. Rubio criticized the Cuban medical missions, asserting they enrich Cuban authorities at the expense of providing critical services to their citizens.