The U.S. has implemented visa restrictions on Brazilian officials linked to the Mace Medicos program, an initiative associated with the Cuban government’s controversial practice of sending doctors abroad. This was announced by Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday.
The restrictions will also apply to staff from the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), which played a role in facilitating the exchange of Cuban doctors for Brazilian resources.
“The State Department is moving forward to revoke visas and impose restrictions on Brazilian government officials and former PAHO officials involved in this forced labor export scheme. Medicos was essentially a duplicitous diplomatic maneuver masked as a medical mission,” Rubio stated on social media.
This development follows reports that the State Department intends to impose restrictions on officials from other countries linked to deals for Cuban doctors through the communist regime.
For years, the Cuban government has significantly profited from what it terms “medical missions,” sending thousands of doctors abroad while compensating them poorly compared to what host nations pay. This model effectively finances the Cuban regime’s repressive measures and human rights abuses.
The slave doctors’ program is a key funding source for the Cuban government, alongside military-controlled tourism and remittances.
Numerous former Cuban doctors have spoken out about their dire experiences, detailing forced falsifications of performance records and the obliteration of essential medical supplies to falsely inflate the program’s success. Defectors face an eight-year ban on returning to their homeland, disrupting their family lives.
The Mace Medicos program originated in Brazil back in 2013 under former president Dilma Rousseff’s administration, during which time Rousseff was also embroiled in corruption allegations.
Former president Jair Bolsonaro was a vocal opponent of Mace Medicos, denouncing it while serving in the Brazilian parliament. The Castro administration later ended the program in 2018, during Bolsonaro’s presidency, after he mandated that Cuban doctors receive fair salaries directly, without the Cuban government as an intermediary. Bolsonaro had also urged the Castro regime to let doctors bring their families on missions.
In 2019, Bolsonaro replaced the Mace Medicos program with Brazilian-focused initiatives that didn’t rely on Cuban doctors, allowing those who remained in Brazil to work under improved conditions.
Since returning to power, President Lula has relaunched the Mace Medicos program, now rebranded as Mais Médicos Para o Brasil.
In response to Rubio’s announcement, Brazilian Health Minister Alexandre Padilha expressed that such actions were an “unjust attack.” He defended Brazil’s payment system amid a U.S. investigation into trade practices.
“The program saves lives and has the backing of the Brazilian populace,” Padilha emphasized. “We will not back down in the face of this challenge, as health and sovereignty are paramount.” He reflected on the legacy of doubling the number of doctors in the program and reaffirmed support for Brazil’s working citizens.
Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez also commented, asserting that Cuba would continue its services despite the new visa restrictions, claiming an ongoing legitimate medical cooperation with Brazil.
In late July, President Trump had separately designated Brazil as a national security threat to the U.S. and imposed a 50% tariff on imports from there, citing various issues linked to both the former and current Brazilian administrations.
De Moraes, a target of U.S. human rights sanctions, has faced scrutiny for his actions against conservative voices in Brazil, which have also contributed to broader tensions in U.S.-Brazil relations.
