Rubio chooses Central America for first trip amid Panama Canal pressure

Marco Rubio's first trip as U.S. secretary of state to Central America to address migration and Panama Canal concerns.

Marco Rubio will pay his first trip as U.S. secretary of state to Central American nations including Panama, where President Donald Trump has threatened to seize the Panama Canal, a spokeswoman said Thursday (January 23, 2025).

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

State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce said Mr. Rubio would travel starting late next week to Panama as well as 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 neighbors — and in today’s world, it’s certainly South and Central America,” Mr. Bruce said.

"There's a reason why this is the first trip. It signals how seriously he takes it," she said.

Mr. Bruce did not describe the details of any expected conversations on the Panama Canal. Mr. Trump in his inaugural address Monday (January 20, 2025) vowed that the United States would be “taking it back.”

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