Rubio to visit Central America on 1st trip as top US diplomat
Secretary of State Marco Rubio will depart on his first foreign trip next week to visit countries in Central America and the Caribbean whose cooperation may be vital for carrying out the Trump administration's mass deportation plans, the State Department said on Thursday.
Rubio is expected to journey to Panama, Guatemala, El Salvador, Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic, according to the department.
The Trump administration's immigration crackdown is expected to be a major part of Rubio's agenda during the diplomatic mission. In a statement from the Pentagon released on Wednesday announcing that active-duty troops would be deployed to the southern border, acting Defense Secretary Robert Salesses said the State Department will be in charge of obtaining "the requisite diplomatic clearances and provide host-nation notification" for deportation flights.
To accomplish that, Rubio is expected to encourage foreign governments to accept more of their deported nationals and, in some cases, take in deportees from other countries.
Rubio has already said addressing irregular immigration will be a central focus of the State Department during the second Trump administration. In a statement issued Wednesday, Rubio said, "Our diplomatic relations with other countries, particularly in the Western Hemisphere, will prioritize securing America's borders, stopping illegal and destabilizing migration, and negotiating the repatriation of illegal immigrants."
He also said the department will "no longer undertake any activities that facilitate or encourage mass migration."
In Panama, Rubio's engagements are likely to focus on the country's strategic waterway: the Panama Canal. President Donald Trump has voiced concerns about the canal's operations numerous times in recent weeks, claiming during his inaugural address that the Panamanian government has broken promises it made to maintain the waterway's neutrality when the United States agreed to turn over control of the canal in 1977.
"The purpose of our deal and the spirit of our treaty has been totally violated. American ships are being severely overcharged and not treated fairly in any way," Trump said. "And above all, China is operating the Panama Canal."
Trump has repeatedly said the U.S. should take back control of the canal, refusing to rule out using the U.S. military to do so.
While China does not actually operate the canal, Chinese-owned companies do operate the canals on either side of the waterway, and Beijing's strategic positioning has stoked bipartisan concern in the past.
"A foreign power today possesses, through their companies, which we know are not independent, the ability to turn the canal into a choke point in a moment of conflict, and that is a direct threat to the national interest and security of the United States," Rubio said during his confirmation hearing before the Senate earlier this month.
"This is a legitimate issue that needs to be confronted," Rubio said, adding that he wasn't yet prepared to say whether Beijing has the ability to take effective control of the waterway.
"It's something we're going to have to study very carefully," he said. "This is not a joke. The Panama Canal issue is a very serious one."
Rubio has also voiced concerns about lax oversight allowing smuggled goods to be moved through the canal, and in 2022, he led a bipartisan group of senators in urging the government of Panama to investigate tankers accused of smuggling Iranian oil through the canal.
During his confirmation hearing, Rubio also shared a positive review of Panamanian leaders.
"The Panamanian government, particularly its current officeholders, are very friendly to the United States and very cooperative," he said. "And we want that to continue."
