STATE DEPARTMENT — U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is scheduled to visit Panama and other countries in Central America amid President Donald Trump’s push to reclaim the Panama Canal and Washington’s efforts to curb illegal migration.
State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce confirmed that Rubio will travel to Panama, Guatemala, El Salvador, Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic starting late next week.The trip is expected to mark Rubio’s first foreign visit as secretary of state.
The State Department said that Rubio is prioritizing engagement within the Western Hemisphere.
A spokesperson told VOA, “Engaging with our neighbors is a vital element in addressing migration, supply chains and economic growth, which are key to Secretary Rubio’s pursuit of foreign policy focused on making America strong, prosperous, and safe.”
Trump has said he has not ruled out the possibility of either military or economic measures to achieve his stated goal of bringing the Panama Canal back under U.S. control.
Earlier this week, Rubio outlined his foreign policy priorities, including halting the mass entry of undocumented migrants into the United States.
“The State Department will no longer undertake any activities that facilitate or encourage mass migration,” Rubio said in a statement. “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” to their home countries.
