U.S.–Mexico Relations

Mexico's president, Claudia Sheinbaum, has publicly rebuked the U.S. over the treatment of Mexican nationals in immigration custody and signaled a break with U.S. pressure on Cuba by saying Mexico would deliver oil to the island, a move she framed as rejecting the U.S. blockade. The immediate provocation was a rising toll of Mexican deaths in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody: as of March 18, 2026, 46 people had died in ICE custody or detention facilities, with fiscal year 2025 alone recording 24 deaths — surpassing the previous peak in FY2020. Reported causes include medical delays and misdiagnoses, with suicides and related causes making up roughly 17 percent of recent deaths, and critics point to overcrowding and poor medical care as drivers of the increased death rate.