Salazar urges US to hold Mexico accountable over Cuban medical program

U.S. Representative María Elvira Salazar has formally requested that U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer demand that Mexico terminate its program for hiring Cuban medical professionals. In a letter dated October 22, Salazar argues that the program, which employs over 3,000 Cuban doctors in Mexico, constitutes a forced labor scheme that violates the labor provisions of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA).

Salazar cites the U.S. State Department’s 2025 Trafficking in Persons Report, which classifies Cuban medical missions as a form of human trafficking and modern slavery. The congresswoman alleges that these professionals face restrictions on freedom of movement, separation from their families, and significant wage theft, claiming doctors sometimes receive as little as 5% of the compensation paid by Mexico, with the remainder being seized by the Cuban government.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has defended the program, stating that it is necessary to address specialist shortages in various communities and rejecting claims that Cuban doctors receive lower wages than their Mexican counterparts. The dispute arrives as the USMCA undergoes review, potentially turning the medical program into a significant point of tension in bilateral trade and labor negotiations.