Us Congress 2025-2026 Regular Session

Us Congress House Bill HR205 Compare Versions

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Old	New	Differences
1	1	IV
2	2	119THCONGRESS
3	3	1
4	4	STSESSION H. RES. 205
5	5	Denouncing the human trafficking and forced labor of and profiteering from
6	6	Cuban medical personnel serving in third-world countries.
7	7	IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
8	8	MARCH10, 2025
9	9	Mr. G
10	10	REENof Tennessee (for himself, Ms. SALAZAR, Mr. GIMENEZ, and Mr.
11	11	M
12	12	OSKOWITZ) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to
13	13	the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committee on
14	14	the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker,
15	15	in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the juris-
16	16	diction of the committee concerned
17	17	RESOLUTION
18	18	Denouncing the human trafficking and forced labor of and
19	19	profiteering from Cuban medical personnel serving in
20	20	third-world countries.
21	21	Whereas the Department of State’s 2024 Trafficking in Per-
22	22	sons (TIP) Report designates Cuba as a Tier 3 country
23	23	that does not fully meet the minimum standards for the
24	24	elimination of trafficking and is not making significant
25	25	efforts to do so;
26	26	Whereas the 2024 TIP report cites Cuban regime policy or
27	27	pattern to profit from forced labor in Cuba’s labor export
28	28	program, which included foreign medical missions;
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31	31	•HRES 205 IH
32	32	Whereas the 2024 TIP report notes the Cuban regime kept
33	33	a significant amount of wages of workers, confiscated
34	34	passports and professional credentials of workers, sub-
35	35	jected workers to surveillance and strict curfews, and did
36	36	not consistently inform participants of the terms of their
37	37	contracts;
38	38	Whereas the 2024 TIP report states the Cuban regime failed
39	39	to address trafficking crimes despite an increasing num-
40	40	ber of allegations from survivors, credible nongovern-
41	41	mental organizations, international organizations, and
42	42	foreign governments of the involvement of Cuban officials
43	43	in facilitating serious human rights abuses and forced
44	44	labor;
45	45	Whereas the 2024 TIP report charges that the Cuban regime
46	46	threatened, coerced, and punished government-affiliated
47	47	workers, including medical professionals, and their family
48	48	members if participants left the program;
49	49	Whereas the 2024 TIP report concludes regime authorities
50	50	did not make efforts to address labor trafficking crimes;
51	51	Whereas the June 2024 report by the Department of State
52	52	to Congress, ‘‘Human Trafficking In Cuba’s Labor Ex-
53	53	port Program’’, as mandated by section 7045(e) of the
54	54	Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related
55	55	Programs Appropriations Act, 2024 (Public Law 118–
56	56	47), cites sources that estimate the Cuban regime reaps
57	57	annual profits of between $6,000,000,000 and
58	58	$8,000,000,000 from the labor export program;
59	59	Whereas the June 2024 report by the Department of State
60	60	to Congress lists 72 countries that may have had govern-
61	61	ment-affiliated Cuban workers in their territories in the
62	62	last 5 years;
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65	65	•HRES 205 IH
66	66	Whereas the June 2024 report by the Department of State
67	67	to Congress states that host governments should use
68	68	transparent and fair recruitment practices in the hiring
69	69	of foreign workers and have a responsibility to proactively
70	70	identify victims of exploitation and human trafficking in
71	71	their country, and to protect such victims from further
72	72	exploitation, yet Cuba maintains overwhelming levels of
73	73	control over its workers deployed abroad;
74	74	Whereas foreign governments continue to rebuff diplomatic
75	75	efforts of the United States to ensure the protection of
76	76	Cuban medical personnel working within their territories;
77	77	Whereas section 7045(e) of the Department of State, Foreign
78	78	Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act,
79	79	2024 (Public Law 118–47), states that the Secretary of
80	80	State shall apply the requirements of section 7031(c) of
81	81	this Act (visa revocation authorities) to officials from
82	82	countries and organizations identified in the June 24 re-
83	83	port; and
84	84	Whereas the Department of State has acknowledged that in
85	85	Brazil, the Cuban medical mission, known as ‘‘Mais
86	86	Medicos’’, was ‘‘facilitated’’ by the Pan American Health
87	87	Organization, which augments ample public information
88	88	that Brazilian, Pan American Health Organization, and
89	89	Cuban officials are responsible for designing, imple-
90	90	menting, and perpetuating the trafficking of Cuban doc-
91	91	tors in the Mais Medicos program: Now, therefore, be it
92	92	Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 1
93	93	(1) recognizes that the human trafficking and 2
94	94	forced labor of Cuban medical personnel abroad by 3
95	95	the Cuban regime are gross violations of inter-4
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98	98	•HRES 205 IH
99	99	national human trafficking and forced labor treaties 1
100	100	and protocols; 2
101	101	(2) recognizes that the signatories to these 3
102	102	agreements have a solemn responsibility to abide by 4
103	103	their obligations under these accords to ensure the 5
104	104	working conditions of Cuban medical personnel meet 6
105	105	international standards for foreign laborers; 7
106	106	(3) urges foreign governments to reject the ex-8
107	107	ploitation, profiteering, and wage garnishment of the 9
108	108	Cuban regime by paying the Cuban medical per-10
109	109	sonnel directly; 11
110	110	(4) urges the President of the United States to 12
111	111	utilize visa revocation authorities against foreign and 13
112	112	organization officials who have participated in 14
113	113	Cuba’s human trafficking schemes, including the 15
114	114	Brazilian, Cuban, and Pan American Health Organi-16
115	115	zation officials involved in Mais Medicos, and the 17
116	116	Honduran and Mexican officials involved in other 18
117	117	schemes until such time as the host government ful-19
118	118	fills its obligations under international human traf-20
119	119	ficking and forced labor treaties and protocols to 21
120	120	protect the rights of those workers; and 22
121	121	(5) approves of the policy changes outlined in 23
122	122	the press statement issued on February 25, 2025, by 24
123	123	Secretary of State Marco Rubio, entitled, ‘‘Expan-25
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126	126	•HRES 205 IH
127	127	sion of Visa Restrictions Policy for Individuals Ex-1
128	128	ploiting Cuban Labor’’. 2
129	129	Æ
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