JAKARTA – US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will meet Mexican leaders during his first visit to the country since taking office.
This visit is part of the Trump administration’s efforts to eradicate illegal immigration and drug cartels, as well as counter China’s influence in Latin America.
Washington’s highest diplomat will visit Mexico City and Ecuador on its latest visit to the region. There, Rubio will meet colleagues and presidents of the two countries.
Rubio, the first US foreign minister of Latin descent, traveled to countries in Central America and the Caribbean in his first overseas visit after taking office, as the government returned to focus on Latin America.
The visit to Mexico and Ecuador was carried out after the US military attacked a ship from Venezuela in the Caribbean on Tuesday which US officials said was carrying illegal drugs.
This is the first known operation since a recent wave of warships deployed by the Trump administration into the region, which has raised tensions between Washington and Caracas.
The visit comes at a time when Trump is also intensifying his campaign to deport illegal migrants in the US, send federal agents to major US cities, and push for a high daily fishing quota.
The crackdown on illegal immigration has drawn criticism from several Latin American countries, including Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, who condemned the recent immigration raids in the United States.
Although Sheinbaum has maintained good relations with Trump, the government’s trade policies and efforts to fight drug cartels have disrupted relations between the two neighboring countries.
“This relationship is not in its best situation right now,” said Martha Barcena Coqui, who once served as Mexico’s ambassador to the United States and is now an expert at Washington’s Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank.
Rubio and Mexican officials are likely to hold “very open” talks about eradicating the cartel.
Earlier this year, Washington designated several Mexican cartels as terrorist organizations.
Sheinbaum said the US and Mexico were close to reaching a security deal to expand cooperation in fighting drug cartels, but he firmly rejected the Trump administration’s view that Mexico could carry out unilateral military operations in Mexico.
The US military has stepped up air surveillance of Mexican drug cartels, and Trump has authorized the Pentagon to start using military force against the groups.
The recent increase in the number of warships in the southern Caribbean is also part of an effort to follow up on Trump’s promise to take firm action against the cartel.
“That may be the most sensitive issue,” said Will banteng, a Latin American study researcher at the Council on Foreign Relations.
A senior State Department official said Washington hopes to announce concrete measures related to security, illegal immigration, and against China during Rubio’s visit to Mexico and Ecuador.
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