Florida Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar (R) is calling for an investigation to be launched regarding Mexico’s alleged cooperation with the Castro regime in human trafficking. If true, this would be a violation of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) because of Mexico’s use of foreign medical personnel from Cuba.
Joining the Florida Republican in calling for the investigation are Florida Reps. Carlos Gimenez (R), Mario Diaz-Balart (R), and Florida Senator Marco Rubio (R), who have also directed a letter to the Department of Labor’s Office of Trade and Labor Affairs.
In a statement, Elvira Salazar provided more information regarding the call, saying that “we know the horrors the Cuban regime is capable of and their so-called ‘medical professional exchange missions’ are no exception.’”
She added that “slavery still exists, and it’s happening just across our borders with the approval of Mexico’s government,” noting that “Mexico’s acceptance of exploited labor and human trafficking is reprehensible and diminishes the integrity of the USMC.”
As a result, the lawmakers called “for a formal investigation to determine whether this violates the human rights provisions of this historic trade agreement.”
In a press release from Elvira Salazar’s office, Mexico is accused of “engaging in international human trafficking by using Cuban doctors that are forced to go on medical missions.” The Cuban doctors that are sent to Mexico “have their wages stolen by the regime, are forced to sign contracts against their will, and their families are put at risk if they do not comply.” Moreover, “the profits from these medical missions go back to the Cuban regime and are used to further oppress the Cuban people.”
A vocal critic of the Castro regime, most recently, Elvira Salazar directed a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken regarding ongoing talks between Biden administration officials and officials from the Castro regime.
In the State Department’s 2021 Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report, the Biden administration informed that there were ‘participants’ from the Castro regime’s program that received “just five to 25 percent of their salary, with the remaining $6 to $8 billion annually being confiscated by regime officials.”
