Rubio heads to Central America as Trump admin attempts crack down on migration to US
CNN
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrives in Panama Saturday for his first trip as the United States’ top diplomat that that will test if his diplomacy can build on President Donald Trump’s bellicose and transactional approach to “American First” foreign policy, particularly on migration.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrives in Panama Saturday for his first trip as the United States’ top diplomat that that will test if his diplomacy can build on President Donald Trump’s bellicose and transactional approach to “American First” foreign policy, particularly on migration. Rubio’s choice to visit Central America – Panama, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Guatemala, and the Dominican Republic – is intentional and meant to drive forward the Trump agenda by “paying closer attention to our own neighborhood.” Migration will be a key focus throughout Rubio’s trip, set against the backdrop of the dramatic confrontation between Trump and Colombian President Gustavo Petro last Sunday. Discussion about the Panama Canal – which Trump has repeatedly said should be back under US control – is also “a priority” while the top US diplomat is in Panama City. Rubio is also expected to emphasize efforts to counter China in the region. However, aid officials and some US officials say this effort – and priorities like countering illegal migration and drug trafficking – have been undermined by his sweeping foreign assistance freeze. On migration, Trump officials have been mapping out a Latin America strategy, keenly aware that the region is integral to their aggressive deportation agenda. For years, the US has been sending back migrants from Central American countries. However, the Covid-19 pandemic in part spurred record migration across the Western Hemisphere, meaning that more people were journeying to the United States’ southern border from multiple countries.
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