"We've seen people who appear to be beggars," Feitó told the commission. "When you look at their hands, at the clothes these people are wearing, they're disguised as beggars; they're not beggars. There are no beggars in Cuba." The minister also denied that some of the poorest Cubans search for food in garbage bins on the streets.

Cuba’s Labor Minister Marta Elena Feitó Cabrera faces backlash after controversial comments she made about poverty in the island nation