2,700 Cuban Doctors Sent to Mexico: A Continuation of Labor Exploitation

The arrival of 2,700 Cuban doctors in Mexico has sparked significant debate not only about the quality of medical care provided but also about the ethical and economic implications of their hiring. This situation is part of a long-standing practice by the Cuban regime, which has been sending medical brigades to various countries as a form of «international solidarity» for decades. However, these missions have increasingly been criticized due to the inhumane conditions faced by the healthcare professionals involved.

According to recent reports, Cuban doctors sent abroad receive only between 10% and 25% of the salaries paid by host countries, with the Cuban government retaining the rest. This practice has raised concerns about labor exploitation and human rights violations.

Gateway Hispanic has previously reported on this issue, highlighting that these medical missions are mechanisms of exploitation and human rights violations. In Mexico, the hiring of Cuban doctors has led to growing discontent among local healthcare professionals. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Mexican government hired 500 Cuban doctors, of whom only 52 were actually doctors, with the rest being assistants and operators. This situation not only attracted criticism for its lack of transparency but also for the displacement of Mexican doctors, who often work under precarious conditions and for insufficient wages.

*La Jornada* reported on this issue, noting that the Director of the Mexican Social Security Institute (IMSS), Zoé Robledo, explained that 282 hospitals in rural or marginalized areas have been identified as having an average of 20 beds and only four doctors, highlighting a severe shortage of personnel that negatively impacts healthcare services. The Cuban specialists arriving in the country are mainly in internal medicine, pediatrics, and emergency care. Robledo also mentioned that 7,123 doctors have been granted permanent positions in Mexico City and Guerrero, and starting from August 1, efforts will be made to regularize 11,934 more doctors. Additionally, ongoing calls are being issued to recruit more doctors and nurses.

On X (formerly Twitter), users have begun expressing their discomfort with the recent news:

Moreover, it has been reported that Cuban doctors receive preferential treatment in consular processes, further exacerbating the discontent among local healthcare professionals. According to the Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Cubans enjoy certain privileges when dealing with consular procedures at the Mexican embassy in Havana. Official data for the first half of 2024 shows that the Mexican Consulate in Cuba processed over 11,000 applications, far surpassing the workload of other Mexican embassies in Latin America and the Caribbean.

The 11,512 procedures included the issuance of visas, document legalization, and to a lesser extent, the issuance of passports. This unprecedented number reflects the privileges granted to Cubans compared to other nations, despite Cuba’s smaller population. In July 2024, at the start of the second half of the year, the Mexican Consulate in Havana completed nearly 6,000 consular procedures, including 4,500 visas in various categories, over 1,000 document legalizations, only 10 Mexican passports, and six birth registrations.

Compared to other Latin American and Caribbean countries where Mexico also has diplomatic representation, such as Argentina, Peru, Venezuela, Colombia, Bolivia, and Guatemala, Cubans are the ones who most frequently apply for visas to travel to Mexico.

The Mexican government has defended the hiring of Cuban doctors as a necessary measure to address the shortage of medical personnel in rural and marginalized areas of the country. However, this justification has been called into question, particularly when considering the economic and ethical costs of this decision. Rather than investing in the training and hiring of Mexican doctors, the government has chosen to indirectly fund the Cuban regime, perpetuating a system of labor exploitation.

This situation is even more troubling when considering its impact on Mexican doctors. Despite many being willing to work in rural and marginalized areas, they are often denied the opportunity due to the preference given to Cuban doctors. This not only undermines the morale of local healthcare professionals but also creates an environment of unfair competition that harms the quality of medical care in the country.

Another significant issue is the increase in Cuban migration to the United States, with Mexico becoming a crucial transit point. The economic crisis, lack of freedoms, and political repression in Cuba have driven thousands of Cubans to leave the island in search of better living conditions, many of them facing dangerous journeys through Central America and Mexico. This, combined with the Biden administration’s lax immigration policies, has created a challenging situation for the United States.

Once in Mexico, many Cubans arriving from South America apply for asylum with the Mexican Commission for Refugee Assistance (Comar) to avoid deportation while attempting to cross into the United States. According to statistics, between 2019 and June 2024, more than 68,000 Cubans have sought refuge, making Cubans the third-largest group of applicants, surpassed only by Hondurans and Haitians.

The increase in Cuban migration to the United States, using Mexico as a transit point, coincides with a series of political decisions that have generated controversy and concern internationally, particularly in the United States.

In response to this situation, the U.S. Congress has shown interest in the Mexican government’s hiring of Cuban doctors, partly due to concerns about human rights violations and potential human trafficking implications. These issues have been highlighted as potential violations of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), which includes provisions on labor rights and fair treatment of workers.

Eje Central reported on the U.S. House of Representatives’ resolution 1358, which demands «accountability for severe violations of internationally recognized human rights in Cuba and the malign activities against the United States and democratic countries in the Western Hemisphere committed by the communist regime in Cuba.»

One of the resolution’s findings states that «the Cuban regime sends medical personnel abroad to serve as forced labor in Mexico and other countries, where they are paid only between 10% and 25% of what the host country compensates Cuba for their services, denying them their fundamental rights.»

The resolution, introduced by Florida Republican Congresswoman María Elvira Salazar and supported by representatives such as Robert Menéndez (Democrat, New Jersey), Mario Díaz-Balart (Republican, Florida), Alexander Mooney (Republican, West Virginia), Carlos Giménez (Republican, Florida), Nicole Malliotakis (Republican, New York), and Debbie Wasserman Schultz (Democrat, Florida), contains nine resolutions, one of which mentions Mexico.

Specifically, point number 7 urges «the U.S. Trade Representative to engage in consultations with the government of Mexico and all other countries involved in the trafficking of Cuban doctors and violating the labor provisions of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA).»

From Washington’s perspective, Cuba is considered a Tier 3 country due to its «total non-compliance with the minimum standards against human trafficking.» The regime in Havana is classified as «a state sponsor of human trafficking.»

In contrast, the government of President López Obrador has publicly declared itself an ally of Cuba, asserting that the country suffers from an «inhumane and unjust» blockade, and has signed agreements with the Cuban government to receive hundreds of doctors from the island nation.

The fact that thousands of Cubans are seeking asylum in Mexico, fleeing repression in their country, reinforces the perception that current immigration and labor policies require careful review and a more humane approach from the governments involved.

There is a ray of light amidst the socialist government of Mexico:

Eduardo Verástegui on X: «The Cuban doctors hired by the socialist government of @lopezobrador_ are not receiving the full amount the Mexican government is paying to the Cuban dictatorship. The doctors are not even getting 10% of what they should; the rest is pocketed by the regime» .

These factors underscore the need for greater transparency and accountability in managing international labor relations, ensuring that no country exploits the vulnerabilities of workers, whether through the international hiring of doctors or the treatment of migrants seeking asylum.

Hiring Cuban doctors continues to be a profitable venture for the Cuban dictatorship. As a reader, one might ask: What will the socialist government of AMLO receive in return for this deal?

Original by Joana Campos. 

Maria Herrera Mellado

María Herrera Mellado es una abogada en EE.UU. y España y Doctora en Ciencias Jurídicas. Completó sus estudios de grado y posgrado en EE.UU. y Europa. Profesional distinguida, la Dra. Herrera es conocida por su amplia experiencia en políticas públicas, asuntos legales y relaciones internacionales. Su reconocimiento proviene de sus contribuciones a diversas organizaciones gubernamentales y no gubernamentales, centradas en temas como la integridad electoral, los derechos humanos y la gobernanza democrática. María ha desempeñado un papel fundamental en la defensa de la transparencia y la rendición de cuentas en los procesos políticos, y sus esfuerzos han sido instrumentales para impulsar reformas y fomentar el desarrollo sostenible en varias regiones. Su formación académica y experiencias profesionales la convierten en una voz respetada en el debate sobre los desafíos políticos y legales contemporáneos.

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