Jamaica’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Senator Kamina Johnson Smith, has expressed concern over the United States’ recent visa restriction policy targeting officials from countries that engage Cuban healthcare workers.
The Jamaican government is seeking clarification on the implications of the new policy, which was announced last week by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
“Jamaica has had quite a long history of participation in the Cuban medical cooperation programme, and in fact, that is replicated throughout the Caribbean, so the statement has been received with some concern,” Johnson Smith said during a post-Cabinet press briefing at Jamaica House.
The expanded U.S.-Cuba visa restriction policy, announced on February 25, targets Cuban and foreign officials involved in managing Cuba’s overseas medical missions. The policy does not apply to Cuban doctors themselves but focuses on government officials responsible for these programs. The U.S. government argues that these missions involve forced labor, where Cuban medical professionals are sent abroad under exploitative conditions while the Cuban government profits.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who is of Cuban heritage, justified the expanded restrictions by stating, “The United States is committed to countering forced labor practices around the globe. To do so, we must promote accountability not just for Cuban officials responsible for these policies, but also those complicit in the exploitation and forced labor of Cuban workers.”
Johnson Smith noted that the Jamaican government has been seeking further details from the U.S. on the new policy. CARICOM has also stated that it will be seeking clarity on the matter, given the long-standing reliance of many Caribbean countries on Cuban doctors and nurses for critical healthcare support.
“The Jamaican government is also examining the operation of our system. We have over 400 participants from the Cuban medical programme at different levels—doctors, nurses, biomedical engineers, and technicians—so their presence here is of importance to our healthcare system,” she stated.
The new restrictions, implemented under Section 212(a)(3)(C) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, allow the U.S. to deny visas to current and former Cuban officials as well as foreign officials involved in the labor program. Immediate family members of these officials could also be affected.
The Minister revealed that a meeting is scheduled with CARICOM foreign affairs ministers to discuss the situation further as they await additional information from U.S. embassies across the region.
“At that time, we should be better able to navigate the potential impact and the way forward,” Johnson Smith added.
