Mottley Defends Cuban Medical Workers, Rejects Human Trafficking Claims

Prime Minister of Barbados, Mia Mottley, has strongly defended the contribution of Cuban medical professionals in the Caribbean, rejecting claims that the programme amounts to human trafficking and highlighting the critical role they played during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Speaking on the issue recently, Mottley said that although Barbados does not currently employ Cuban medical staff, the assistance provided by doctors and nurses from Cuba was indispensable during the global health crisis.

“This matter with the Cubans and the nurses should tell us everything that we need to know,” Mottley stated. “Barbados does not currently have Cuban medical staff or Cuban nurses, but I will be the first to tell you that we could not have gotten through the pandemic without the Cuban nurses and doctors.”

She also dismissed allegations raised by previous administrations in the United States that engaging Cuban medical professionals amounts to human trafficking. Mottley said Barbados ensured that the Cuban healthcare workers were compensated at the same rate as local staff.

“I will also be the first to tell you that we paid them the same thing that we pay our own,” she said. “The notion that we were involved in human trafficking by engaging with Cuban nurses was fully repudiated and rejected by us.”

The Barbadian leader also indicated she was prepared to stand with regional counterparts in defending Cuba’s medical assistance to the Caribbean, even if doing so carried personal consequences.

“I don’t believe we have to shout across the seas, but I am prepared, like others in this region, that if we cannot reach a sensible agreement on this matter, and if the cost of it is the loss of my U.S. visa, then so be it,” Mottley declared. “What matters to us is principles, and I have said over and over that principles only mean something when it is inconvenient to stand by them.”

She reaffirmed her solidarity with Caribbean leaders in recognising the role Cuban healthcare workers have played in strengthening regional health systems.

“Now, we don’t have to shout, but we can be resolute,” she said. “I therefore look forward to standing with my CARICOM brothers… to ensure that we explain that what the Cubans have done for us, far from approximating human trafficking, has been to save lives, limbs, and sight for many a Caribbean person.”

Mottley’s comments come as the issue of Cuba’s overseas medical missions continues to generate debate across the Caribbean. The Government of Guyana, under President Irfaan Ali, has taken a more controversial approach, quietly ending its long-standing Cuban medical programme amid growing scrutiny from the United States over labour arrangements tied to overseas Cuban medical brigades. While acknowledging the historic contribution of Cuban doctors and nurses, Ali has also called for a change in the “status quo” in Cuba, a position widely interpreted by some observers as support for political change within the Cuban administration.

The issue has gained further prominence following immigration policy measures announced by the United States Department of State, led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Announced on March 5, 2025, the policy imposes visa restrictions on foreign officials accused of facilitating the transit of undocumented migrants to the United States.

The measures target immigration officers, customs officials and port authorities believed to be enabling unlawful migration, particularly along the U.S. southwest border. Implemented under Section 212(a)(3)(C) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, the restrictions may also extend to family members of sanctioned individuals.