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