President Donald Trump speaks during a cabinet meeting, Tuesday, Aug. 26, 2025, at the White House in Washington, as Secretary of State Marco Rubio, left, looks on. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
MSWASHINGTON (AP) — Secretary of State Marco Rubio will travel to Mexico and Ecuador next week, making his fourth foreign trip in the Western Hemisphere since becoming President Donald Trump’s top diplomat in January.
Rubio, who has already and twice and to Canada this year, will return to the region to discuss Trump administration priorities, including stemming illegal migration, combating organized crime and drug cartels, and countering what the U.S. believes is in its backyard.
Rubio’s “fourth trip to our hemisphere demonstrates the United States’ unwavering commitment to protect its borders, neutralize narco-terrorist threats to our homeland, and ensure a level playing field for American businesses,†the State Department said Thursday.
Rubio's first foreign trip as secretary of state was to Panama, El Salvador, Guatemala and the Dominican Republic, during which he assailed Chinese influence over the Panama Canal and sealed deals with the others to . The agreement with El Salvador, which could include deporting U.S. citizens, is still being contested in federal courts.
Rubio later traveled to Jamaica, Guyana and Suriname.
A senior State Department official said virtually every country in Latin America is now accepting the return of their nationals being deported from the U.S. and, with the exception of Nicaragua, most have stepped up their actions against drug cartels, many of which have been by the U.S.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to preview details about what will be private diplomatic conversations, also said progress has been made in countering China in the Western Hemisphere, including steps taken by Panama to reclaim by Chinese companies and removing itself from China's Belt and Road development initiative.
The official said Ecuador is starting to try to extricate itself from the Belt and Road scheme but is already saddled by what he termed “predatory†debt to China.
Rubio will be in Mexico City and Quito from Tuesday to Thursday, the State Department said.
¹ú²úÓÕ»ó¸£Àû. All rights reserved.
Sorry, an error occurred.
Already Subscribed!
Cancel anytime
Thank you .
Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in.
Check your email for details.
Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password.
An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account.
No promotional rates found.
Secure & Encrypted
Thank you.
Your gift purchase was successful! Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in.
| Rate: | |
| Tax: | |
| Today's total: | |
| Begins: | |
| Transaction ID: |
A receipt was sent to your email.
