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BRIDGETOWN, BARBADOS – In a bold and unwavering declaration, Prime Minister Mia Mottley has sent shockwaves across the region and beyond, defying U.S. pressure and vowing to stand by Cuba’s medical missions—even if it costs her U.S. visa.

During her passionate contribution to the budget debate, Mottley made it clear that she will not bend to the U.S.’s expanded visa restrictions, spearheaded by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, targeting Cuban medical personnel deployed overseas.

“This matter with the Cubans and the nurses should tell us everything that we need to know,” Mottley declared in Parliament. “Barbados does not currently have Cuban medical staff or Cuban nurses, but I will be the first to tell you that we could not get through the pandemic without the Cuban nurses and doctors.”

Standing shoulder to shoulder with regional leaders, including Trinidad and Tobago’s Dr. Keith Rowley, St. Vincent’s Dr. Ralph Gonsalves, Grenada’s Dickon Mitchell, and Antigua and Barbuda’s Gaston Browne, Mottley is prepared to take a historic stand against U.S. policy.

“If we cannot reach a sensible agreement on this matter, then if the cost of it is the loss of my visa to the U.S., then so be it,” she declared, adding, “Principles only mean something when it is inconvenient to stand by them.”

Mottley’s defiance is a stunning rejection of Washington’s stance, which claims that Cuba’s labor export program amounts to “forced labor”—a claim firmly repudiated by Caribbean leaders who view Cuban doctors as lifesavers, not victims.

As the Caribbean braces for potential fallout from this defiant stand, one thing is clear: Prime Minister Mia Mottley refuses to bow to international pressure at the expense of regional healthcare. Will the U.S. respond? Will more Caribbean leaders join this unprecedented challenge?

One thing is certain: Mottley is not backing down!