US’ Rubio chooses Central America for first trip, amid Panama Canal pressure

WASHINGTON – Marco Rubio will make his first trip as US secretary of state to Central American nations, including Panama, where US President Donald Trump has threatened to seize the Panama Canal, a spokeswoman said on Jan 23.

Mr Rubio, who is the first Hispanic and first fluent Spanish speaker to serve as the top US diplomat, has vowed to put a top priority on Mr Trump’s goal of curbing migration from Central American nations.

US State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce said Mr Rubio would travel, starting late next week, to Panama, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala and the Dominican Republic.

“It’s about making sure that if we’re going to be safe and prosperous and in good shape, we’ve got to have an interest in our neighbours – and in today’s world, it’s certainly South and Central America,” Ms Bruce said.

“There’s a reason why this is the first trip. It signals how seriously he takes it.”

She did not describe the details of any expected conversations on the Panama Canal.

Mr Trump in his inaugural address on Jan 20 vowed that

the United States would be “taking it back”.

Mr Rubio in his confirmation hearing did not suggest military force but said the US needed to address serious concerns about Chinese influence near the vital waterway between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.

Panama, which has long been friendly to the US, has complained to the United Nations about Mr Trump’s threat.

President Jose Raul Mulino, during a panel at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, said the canal “belongs to Panama and will continue to belong to Panama”.

Enforcement against migration

Mr Trump – who during his campaign said immigrants were “poisoning the blood of our country” – has put a top priority on halting undocumented migration into the US.

The Central American nations of El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras – torn by endemic violence, poverty and natural disasters exacerbated by climate change – have been among the top sources of migration.

Mr Trump’s predecessor, Mr Joe Biden, vowed to look at the root causes of migration. Mr Trump has quickly put an emphasis on enforcement, suspending a Biden programme that gives asylum seekers a chance to make their case in an orderly way and threatening to use the military to help secure the US-Mexico border.

El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele has been a favourite of Trump supporters for his lethal and ruthless crackdown on crime. The US President’s son, Mr Donald Trump Jr, attended Mr Bukele’s second inauguration in 2024.

The Biden administration had a more distant relationship with Mr Bukele amid concerns over human rights, although it also largely worked with him as it sought to address migration.

Mr Rubio’s decision to visit Guatemala most likely marks a continuation of US support for President Bernardo Arevalo, a once-obscure anti-corruption advocate who pulled off an upset election victory in 2023.

The Biden administration hailed Mr Arevalo’s victory and quickly moved to work with him as he pushed back against an entrenched elite that sought to stop him from taking office.

Mr Arevalo has enjoyed some bipartisan support in Washington, but his opponents have sought an alliance with fringe movements that refused to recognise Mr Biden’s 2020 victory over Mr Trump.

Mr Rubio, the son of Cuban immigrants, on taking office said he would stop State Department work that seeks to “facilitate or encourage mass migration”, vowing to pursue Mr Trump’s goal of enforcement. AFP