U.S. Denies Melissa Aid to Cuba, an Island of Medical Solidarity

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has explicitly excluded Cuba from the humanitarian aid Washington will send to Caribbean nations affected by the devastating Hurricane Melissa. This decision stands in stark contrast to the island's history of international medical solidarity, whose most emblematic gesture was directed at the American people following Hurricane Katrina.

On Wednesday, October 29, Rubio announced via the social media platform X that his government would deploy rescue teams and vital supplies to assist the Caribbean nations impacted by Hurricane Melissa. In his message, he specifically mentioned Jamaica, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and the Bahamas, thereby deliberately omitting Cuba, which also suffered severe damage.

The head of Trump's diplomacy has historically maintained an antagonistic stance in favor of sanctions against the Cuban people. While the United States channels its aid to other countries, Cuba reports a bleak panorama: more than 3.5 million people without electricity, over half a million people evacuated, isolated towns, collapsed homes, and flooded crops in the wake of the cyclone. The Cuban government is directing a recovery strategy that has decided, above all else, to protect life.

The Henry Reeve Contingent: Cuba's Solidarity with the World

Washington's decision contrasts with the policy of medical cooperation that Cuba has sustained for decades. In September 2005, precisely in the aftermath of the Hurricane Katrina catastrophe in the United States, leader Fidel Castro created the "Henry Reeve" International Contingent of Doctors Specialized in Disaster Situations and Serious Epidemias.

This medical corps, which honors an American brigadier who fought for Cuba's independence in the 19th century, was founded with a clear purpose. The leader of the Cuban Revolution immediately offered the government of George W. Bush the dispatch of 1,586 health professionals and 36 tons of medical supplies to aid the victims in New Orleans.

The Bush administration rejected the help, citing "logistical challenges." However, this gesture marked the formal birth of a brigade that would become a global humanitarian actor.

Since then, the Henry Reeve contingent has deployed nearly 8,000 professionals to 22 countries to address the effects of 16 floods, 8 hurricanes, 8 earthquakes, and 4 serious epidemics, such as Ebola in West Africa and COVID-19. In recognition of this work, the brigade received the World Health Organization's Dr. Lee Jong-wook Memorial Prize for Public Health in 2017.

A Contrast That Transcends Geopolitics

The response to the crises of Hurricane Katrina and now Hurricane Melissa outlines a profound contrast in the priorities of two neighboring nations. On one hand, there is a superpower that, guided by political differences, decides to exclude a nation in need from disaster assistance. On the other, a small island that, even in the face of the adversity of a persistent economic blockade, has institutionalized solidarity, offering free aid without distinction of flags—even to those who have historically rejected it.

This principle is summarized in the words of Fidel Castro when making the offer in 2005: "We would be honored to send our doctors... We could move them by air in groups of 100, and they could arrive within 12 hours of receiving permission." Meanwhile, the experience of a Katrina survivor reflected the other side of the coin, with one stating, "Where was our government? They left us to die," as reported by People Dispatch.

A Lesson in Humanity in Times of Crisis

The devastation left by Hurricane Melissa in its path through the Caribbean demands, now more than ever, international cooperation free from politicization, if people are truly the top priority.

The exclusion of Cuba from U.S. aid not only deprives its people of vital resources in the midst of a crisis but also ignores the record of a country that has extended its hand time and again. It is the best evidence that "solidarity can be a more powerful response." The Henry Reeve brigade, born from a rejection, is a living testament that "selfless aid is, in itself, a form of diplomacy."