Sanctions and Consequences: New Report Links U.S. Policy to Surge in Infant Mortality in Cuba

By Nuestra América Magazine News Desk

A new report from the Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR) is fueling renewed debate over the human cost of U.S. policy toward Cuba. The study concludes that the expansion of U.S. sanctions beginning in 2017—under the administration of Donald Trump—was likely the primary driver behind a dramatic increase in infant mortality on the island, which reportedly surged by 148 percent between 2018 and 2025.

The findings challenge long-standing narratives that attribute Cuba’s economic and public health struggles solely to internal inefficiencies. Instead, the report places significant responsibility on Washington’s “maximum pressure” strategy, which tightened financial restrictions, limited access to fuel, and curtailed international transactions involving the Cuban state.

7

According to Alexander Main, director of international policy at CEPR and coauthor of the report, the consequences are stark and ongoing. “The Trump policy of ‘maximum pressure’ on Cuba has killed a lot of babies,” he said, warning that the situation may be worsening due to what he described as a current U.S. fuel blockade targeting the island. While complete data for the most recent months is not yet available, Main suggested that infant mortality could now be rising at an even faster rate.

The report arrives at a moment of quiet but potentially significant diplomatic movement. According to The New York Times, U.S. and Cuban officials have been engaged in undisclosed negotiations, signaling a possible recalibration of relations after years of heightened tension.

Yet even as talks proceed behind closed doors, unresolved historical grievances are resurfacing—particularly among Cuban exile communities in the United States. Central among them is the longstanding demand for compensation over properties confiscated following the Cuban Revolution. These claims, which have lingered for decades, remain a politically sensitive issue and a potential obstacle to any broader normalization effort.

For Cuba, the stakes are both immediate and long-term. The island continues to grapple with shortages of medicine, fuel, and basic goods—conditions that public health experts say can directly affect maternal and infant care. Hospitals operating with limited resources face increasing challenges, from power outages to lack of essential supplies, compounding risks for vulnerable populations.

For Washington, the report raises difficult ethical and strategic questions. Sanctions are often framed as a tool to pressure governments without direct military engagement, but critics argue that in practice they can disproportionately impact civilians—particularly children and the elderly.

The CEPR study is unlikely to settle the debate, but it adds new urgency to calls for a reassessment of U.S. policy toward Cuba. As negotiations quietly unfold and humanitarian concerns intensify, the question remains whether geopolitical objectives can be reconciled with the human realities unfolding on the ground.

In the end, the report underscores a stark reality: economic policy is never purely economic. Its consequences, especially in vulnerable societies, can be measured not only in currency and trade—but in lives.