MIAMI, FL - Today, Congressman Carlos A. Gimenez (FL-28) sent a letter to President Donald J. Trump urging the issuance of a targeted executive order revoking the Pan American Health Organization’s (PAHO) immunity under the International Organizations Immunities Act (IOIA) for its involvement in the Mais Médicos program.
The Mais Médicos program, orchestrated by PAHO, has facilitated the trafficking and exploitation of more than 10,000 Cuban medical professionals. Despite receiving millions of U.S. taxpayer dollars, PAHO has used its immunity under the IOIA to shield itself from accountability in U.S. courts.
Congressman Carlos Gimenez looks forward to closely working with the Trump Administration to hold the murderous Castro regime and its accomplices accountable for their countless crimes against humanity.
Read the full letter below or HERE:
"Dear President Trump:
"Thank you for your continued support for the Cuban-American people and their struggle against the oppressive regime in Cuba. One of the countless ways Cubans are taken advantage of is through the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO). The PAHO program facilitates the trafficking of Cuban Medical professionals under the “Mais Medicos” program in Brazil. I respectfully request that you issue an executive order revoking PAHO’s immunity under the International Organizations Immunities Act (IOIA) as it pertains to this program.
"Between 2013 and 2018, PAHO orchestrated and profited from a scheme in which well over 10,000 Cuban doctors were forced to work in Brazil under conditions that met the U.S. government’s own definition of human trafficking and forced labor. These doctors were stripped of the vast majority of their wages, had their travel documents confiscated, and were placed under constant surveillance by Cuban intelligence operatives. PAHO, acting as a financial intermediary, transferred over $2.3 billion from Brazil to the Cuban regime, while retaining at least $129 million for itself.
"Despite receiving tens of millions of dollars annually in U.S. taxpayer funding and being headquartered in Washington, D.C., PAHO has invoked immunity to shield itself from accountability in U.S. courts. It has defied multiple federal court orders, refused to produce key financial documents, and failed to deliver the independent review it promised your administration in 2019. Its actions are an affront to U.S. law, our commitment to human rights, and the values we champion throughout the Western Hemisphere.
"The U.S. State Department has consistently classified Cuba’s medical missions as a form of human trafficking in its Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Reports from 2017 to 2024. Yet PAHO—a U.S.-based organization within the UN system—has played a central role in enabling this exploitation. Continued immunity under the IOIA would send the wrong signal to foreign governments and international organizations that traffic in forced labor with impunity.
"I am not calling for a blanket revocation of PAHO’s status. Rather, I am urging a targeted executive order revoking immunity solely for PAHO’s activities related to the Mais Medicos program. This action would not disrupt legitimate public health operations but would ensure that trafficked Cuban doctors may seek redress in American courts, and that U.S. law is not undermined by foreign entities operating within our jurisdiction.
"Thank you for always standing with the Cuban-American people and defending the victims of its repression. Now is the time to send a clear message to the organizations that use U.S. taxpayer dollars to commit human trafficking: you will face severe consequences "
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