45 visiting Cuban doctors sent by Castro to help out in rural areas of Venezuela have fled to Colombia, from where they hope to ask the U.S. government for asylum.

According to 20 Minutos, the doctors’ exodus wasn’t organized, as they have been leaving Venezuela into Colombia one by one, where they are allowed to stay for a maximum of 6 months.

To date, the U.S. government has not granted asylum to any of them, and the International Herald Tribune reports that in spite of a policy change which allows for Cuban medical professionals working abroad to enter the U.S. after a routine background check, they are currently in a limbo waiting for a response and at least 2 doctors have already been rejected.

Why did they flee? They say they didn’t plan it that way, but that they were being treated poorly:

“We couldn’t call our families or go out after 5 p.m. The Venezuelan national guard and Cuban authorities watched our every move,” Viamonte said. “We never planned on abandoning our duty, but we got tired of being treated like slaves.”

Via / 20 Minutos and IHT