Rubio defends US stance on Cuban medical missions during Caribbean tour

BOGOTA, Colombia

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio traveled to Kingston, Jamaica on Wednesday as part of a Caribbean tour to discuss several issues with regional leaders, including Cuban medical missions and the situation in Haiti.

He met with Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness, and both addressed the media at a joint press conference held at the Prime Minister's office.

Rubio defended the Trump administration's opposition to a Cuban government program that deploys medical workers to countries in need, including Jamaica. The Trump government alleges the program violates international labor standards.

"The doctors are not paid; payments are made to the Cuban government. The Cuban government decides how much of anything to give them. They take away the passports. They basically operate as forced labor,” he said.

Several Caribbean leaders, including Prime Minister Holness, have criticized Washington's restrictions on Cuban medical missions and rejected the notion that benefiting from such programs constitutes a violation of international labor standards.

“The Cuban doctors in Jamaica have been incredibly helpful to us. Jamaica has a health deficit in personnel primarily because health personnel have migrated to other countries. We have been very careful not to exploit the Cuban doctors,” Holness said.

“We are ensuring the program complies with all international laws and standards to which we are a party to,” he added.

Another key topic of discussion was the ongoing crisis in Haiti. Holness and Rubio pledged to work closely to stabilize the security situation there and address the country’s political and humanitarian challenges.

Rubio assured that the State Department will re-evaluate its travel warnings for Jamaica to ensure they accurately reflect the country's actual safety conditions.

The current travel warning advises Americans to "reconsider" travel to Jamaica due to high crime rates.

​​​​​​​The US and Jamaica also agreed to expand and enhance trade relations.

Following his visit to Jamaica, Rubio will travel to Guyana and Suriname.