Sheinbaum Defies U.S. Pressure, Upholds Cuban Medical Worker Agreement

President Claudia Sheinbaum announced at her morning press conference (mañanera) that Mexico will continue to accept Cuban doctors and medical specialists in the country, defying mounting U.S. pressure that has caused other Latin American nations to abandon similar agreements. 'It's a bilateral agreement that helps Mexico a lot,' Sheinbaum said, adding that Cuban doctors fill critical gaps in rural areas where Mexican specialists are unwilling to work. The Trump administration had characterized the Cuban medical program as akin to forced labor and has been pressuring hemisphere-wide governments to sever the agreements.