World · Latin America · 3 hrs ago
US lawmaker says Mexico’s Cuban doctors program may breach USMCA
US Republican María Elvira Salazar accused Mexico of violating the USMCA by employing Cuban doctors under conditions she says amount to forced labor.
She said Mexico employs more than 3,000 Cuban doctors and asked US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer to raise the issue with Mexican officials.
Salazar cited claims that the doctors are separated from their families, face travel restrictions and receive only a small share of their pay.
She also pointed to USMCA rules against forced labor, which include a commitment to prohibit imports made using that practice.
Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum denied that Cuban doctors are paid less than Mexican doctors and said they work in places lacking medical specialists.
Salazar urged Mexico to end the program, but the sources give no decision or next step from the Mexican government or US trade representative.
US Representative María Elvira Salazar says Mexico’s program employing Cuban doctors may violate the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA).
In a letter dated October 22, 2026, she urged US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer to tell Mexico to end the program and release the doctors.
Salazar alleged that Mexico employs more than 3,000 Cuban doctors under forced-labor conditions.
Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum said Cuban doctors are paid the same as Mexican doctors.
She said the Cuban doctors work in places where specialist doctors are unavailable.
- Who
- US Representative María Elvira Salazar and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum.
- What
- Salazar says Mexico’s Cuban doctors program may breach the USMCA and should be dismantled. Sheinbaum says the doctors are paid the same as Mexican doctors.
- When
- Salazar’s letter was dated October 22, 2026; Sheinbaum commented on October 23.
- Where
- Mexico.
- Why
- Salazar argues that the program involves forced labor and conflicts with USMCA rules. Sheinbaum says the doctors fill specialist shortages.
María Elvira Salazar
Claudia Sheinbaum and the Mexican government
Program conditions
María Elvira Salazar
Salazar says Cuban doctors are employed under forced-labor conditions, including restrictions on travel and separation from their families.
Claudia Sheinbaum and the Mexican government
Sheinbaum says the Cuban doctors are hired directly and earn the same as Mexican doctors.
Program’s purpose
María Elvira Salazar
Salazar urges Mexico to dismantle the program and release the doctors.
Claudia Sheinbaum and the Mexican government
Sheinbaum says Cuban doctors are placed in areas where specialist doctors are unavailable.
Salazar said she raised the issue with then-President Andrés Manuel López Obrador during a congressional delegation visit to Mexico City.
Salazar dated her letter to US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, asking him to raise the issue with Mexican officials.
Sheinbaum said Cuban doctors are paid the same as Mexican doctors and work where specialist doctors are unavailable.
- Letter date
- October 22, 2026
- Doctors employed
- More than 3,000, according to Salazar
- USMCA provision cited
- Chapter 23
- Mexican president
- Claudia Sheinbaum
- US trade representative addressed
- Jamieson Greer
What people are saying
The USMCA is not optional. Mexico cannot benefit from free trade with the United States while allowing the Cuban dictatorship to exploit its doctors.
Mexico employs more than 3,000 Cuban doctors in a forced-labor scheme.
It is a direct hire and they earn exactly the same as a Mexican doctor, so there is no difference.