Secretary of State Marco Rubio is preparing to travel to Panama, Costa Rica, Guatemala and other Central American and Caribbean nations in the coming weeks, State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce confirmed to CBS News.
The trip, expected to be his first overseas as the top U.S. envoy, will include a stop in Panama to meet with leaders there as President Trump is calling for the U.S. to retake operational control of the Panama Canal. His stops in other Central American counties are likely to focus on establishing formal agreements with those countries to take back nationals deported from the U.S. as part of new Trump administration immigration policy that is expected to result in a significant uptick in deportations. Several Latin American governments, including Guatemala, have signaled they are open to establish new agreements.
Rubio’s confirmation this week as the first Latino Secretary of State has been closely tracked across the hemisphere by governments intrigued by his ascension and eager to earn more attention from American officials, especially its top diplomat with a personal connection to the region and a long work history of public criticism towards communist and socialist governments.
One person familiar with the planning, granted anonymity to speak candidly about ongoing planning, said Rubio
Rubio to stop in Panama on first overseas trip as secretary of state
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