Alan Gross lost 110 pounds and several teeth while imprisoned for five years in Cuba. But during a visit in prison by Sen. Bernie Sanders in 2014, Gross says the Vermont senator told him that he did not understand why the island was so harshly criticized.

“I don’t know what’s so wrong about this country,” Sanders said during a one-hour meeting with the prisoner and two other members of Congress visiting Havana, Gross told the Miami Herald.

“I thought it was a pretty insensitive thing for him to say,” Gross said. “Couldn’t he see, with his own eyes, what was going on around the country that he’s been traveling through? And I was a hostage to the government of the country that he didn’t see anything wrong with.”

Gross said he didn’t reply to the senator. Although there were no guards present, Gross suspects Cuban authorities were recording the conversation.

“I was kind of shocked,” Gross said.

Sanders’ campaign did not respond Wednesday to Gross’ comments, published first by NPR Wednesday less than two weeks before the March 17 Florida Democratic primary.