Marco Rubio met with the Prime Minister of Jamaica to discuss security issues and the presence of Cuban doctors

The sU.S. secretary of state, Marco Rubio, met Thursday in the Jamaican capital of Kingston with Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holmes.Prime Minister of Jamaica, Andrew Holmes, as part of his tour of different Caribbean countries in which he will address issues of security, illegal immigration, and reducing the dependence of several Caribbean countries on oil from Venezuela.

One of the central points in the meeting was the issue of the travel warning that the United States currently has imposed on Jamaica, which urges all Americans to "reconsider" their trips to this country due to the high crime rate, a fact that has generated annoyance in a good part of the Jamaican political leaders, since tourism is one of the major sources of income.

During a press conference with the Jamaican political leader, Rubio assured that the State Department would reassess its travel warnings for the country, in order to ensure that the real conditions on the ground are reflected. The secretary of state stressed that while it was impossible to promise that the travel warning for the Caribbean country would be eased in the short term, he assured that revisions could occur because of the clear progress that the Jamaican government has shownduring the past few months in reducing crime. "We pledged (that) we’re going to go back and reevaluate the travel advisories as they currently stand to ensure that they do reflect the reality of the new numbers and what the numbers show. Jamaica has made very impressive progress in your general numbers overall when it comes to the murder rate and so forth," Rubio explained.

In response to his statements, Holness commented during the press conference that his government was committed to working hard to demonstrate to the United States that the travel warning could be suspended. "We are committed to working collaboratively to ensure that travel advisories reflect the current realities and promote travel to Jamaica. I’m confident that the dialogue initiated today will lead to tangible outcomes," the prime minister said.

On the presence of Cuban doctors

Another important point that both leaders touched on during the press conference was the sending of Cuban doctors to Jamaica, about which Rubio said that, although Cuba is a communist dictatorship that on numerous occasions viciously exploits these health professionals in their shipments to other countries, the treatment they are receiving in Jamaica might be acceptable enough that the U.S. government has no major objection.

"They basically operate as forced labor in many places. Now there are places that have better labor standards. Perhaps Jamaica is one of those. And that’s fine. Every country operates the program differently, and obviously because of our relationship with Jamaica, we’re going to engage with them on that and talk about it further and have a better understanding. Perhaps none of this applies in the way it’s handled here," the Secretary of State said.

Rubio's arrival in Jamaica represents the first stop on a tour that will take him to Guyana and Suriname, in what different political analysts have considered the biggest sign that U.S. President Donald Trump appears to be more focused on the Western Hemisphere.