Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla vehemently dismissed the 2026 U.S. Department of State's Trafficking in Persons Report on Saturday, labeling it as "unilateral and deceptive." He accused Washington of leveraging the report to "justify its aggressive policy" towards Cuba and to engage in "obsessive persecution" of Cuban medical cooperation.
The report, released on Thursday, once again placed Cuba at Tier 3—the most severe category—for the seventh consecutive year since 2019. It concluded that the Cuban government continues to enforce a "policy or pattern" of forced labor within its labor export program.
Rodríguez Parrilla criticized the report's acknowledgment of U.S. pressures on countries receiving Cuban aid, stating, "It is cynical to openly recognize the harsh pressures and blackmail exerted against governments benefiting from our country's cooperation, regardless of the positive impact on populations aided by Cuban medical presence."
Concluding his statement, Rodríguez accused the U.S. government of persistently resorting to falsehoods to manipulate international public opinion.
What the Cuban regime refers to as cooperation, the State Department describes as a scheme where the state retains between 50% and 95% of the wages paid by host countries for these services. Meanwhile, workers are subjected to surveillance, curfews, and movement restrictions, with threats against their families in Cuba to prevent them from leaving the missions.
Impact on Cuban Labor Exports
By early 2026, approximately 18,000 Cuban workers were stationed across 52 countries, a decrease from the 24,000 recorded at the start of 2025. This drop is attributed to diplomatic pressure from Washington and the withdrawal of four countries from bilateral agreements with Cuba over the past year. Health professionals account for 75% of the exported civilian workforce.
The report also highlights, for the second year in a row, the recruitment of Cubans as mercenaries to fight in Ukraine on behalf of Russia, branding it as a form of human trafficking.
According to the document, Cuban citizens were lured with false job offers in construction or other trades in Russia. Upon arrival in Moscow, they were coerced into serving on the Ukrainian front. The organization Citizenship and Freedom reported that up to 25,000 Cubans were recruited for the Russian military, based on Ukrainian intelligence.
International Reactions and Consequences
In September 2026, Amnesty International documented these deceptive recruitment practices and urged Ukraine to assess if some Cuban prisoners of war were trafficking victims, not voluntary combatants. In response to the initial mention of this issue in the 2025 report, Cuba's Ministry of Foreign Affairs denied any state responsibility, claiming that Cubans involved in the conflict did so "on their own."
International scrutiny of Cuba's medical missions has intensified significantly this year. In April, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights published a 199-page report based on 71 testimonies, concluding that there are serious indications of forced labor, human trafficking, and "contemporary forms of slavery" in Cuban missions. It recommended that American nations withdraw from the program.
In Mexico, for example, the government paid approximately $3,750 monthly per doctor, while the professionals received only about $200.
In July, the U.S. sanctioned the entities managing the program—the Cuban Medical Services Marketer and the Central Unit of Medical Cooperation—as well as the Minister of Health, José Ángel Portal Miranda, and the UCCM director, Gretza Sánchez Padrón.
The State Department estimates that the military conglomerate GAESA, which controls around 40% of the Cuban economy, could manage assets worth up to $20 billion, some originating from labor exports.
Cuba is listed among the 12 countries worldwide with a documented "policy or pattern" of state-sponsored human trafficking, alongside North Korea, Russia, China, and Iran, among others.
The assistance restrictions linked to Tier 3 took effect on October 1, marking the start of the U.S. fiscal year.
Understanding the U.S. Report on Human Trafficking in Cuba
Why does the U.S. report categorize Cuba as Tier 3?
Cuba is categorized as Tier 3 because the report concludes that the Cuban government enforces a policy or pattern of forced labor, particularly in its labor export program, without taking significant steps to address or eliminate these practices.
What are the implications of Cuba's Tier 3 status?
Being placed at Tier 3 means Cuba faces certain restrictions on U.S. assistance, as it is considered non-compliant with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and not making significant efforts to comply.