The US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, ended on February 6 his first international tour, focused on Latin America. For geopolitical analyst Alberto Fernández, based in Washington DC, this trip marks a turning point in relations between the United States and the region, historically characterized by distance.
According to Fernández, the visit could point out the beginning of a new era of cooperation and approach between the US and its Latin American neighbors.
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Rubio is the first Hispanic who assumes the State Secretariat. Catholic practitioner and son of Cuban immigrants, was born in Miami in 1971 and has been a senator for Florida for 14 years. Since his seat, he participated “in foreign policy affairs that involved Latin America,” said Fernández.
On his first trip as Secretary of State, Rubio visited Panama, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Guatemala and the Dominican Republic. The central issues of the tour were illegal migration, drug trafficking, the Panama Canal and the growing presence of China in the region.
For Fernández, the fact that the first tour has been Latin America is “a recognition” by the administration of Donald Trump that “there have been years of carelessness of the United States in their relations with Latin America.”
“Certainly, being Hispanic and Catholic helps Rubio do the work of Secretary of State for the United States in Latin America (…). And, of course, being from Miami, he knows a lot about the region, not only from Cuba, but from Nicaragua, Venezuela and those countries that have communities in the city that some call the ‘Capital of Latin America’, ”he told ACI Press.
Fernández said that the carelessness of the United States in its relations with Latin America “has had consequences in the field of economy, security, many things,” such as China’s gradual income in the region and has caused a crossing of statements between Trump and the Panamanian president, José Raúl Mulino, on the administration of the channel.
Trump states that the interoceanic route is controlled by the Asian country and that this breaks the Neutrality treatysomething Mulino denies.
The channel was one of the themes addressed by Rubio and culminated with Panama’s commitment to retire from the Strip and the China route – the new silk route -, work with the United States in new investments and audit the company Panama Ports Company, part of the Chinese conglomerate CK Hutchison Holdings that manages two of the five ports adjacent to the channel, one in the Atlantic And another in the Peaceful.
“There was a specific mission in Panama to face China’s threat against the channel and our interests. It seems to have been successful, ”said Fernández. He added that the conflict between the United States and the Asian giant is not limited to the economy, but includes “things like espionage, influence peddling, military and security.”
“If China controls the channel, you can control the round trip of the United States Navy,” he said.
On February 2, the Archdiocese of Panama reported in a note That the archbishop, Mons. José Domingo Ulloa, said that “the defense of the State, the Panama Canal and our national identity demand a firm commitment, inspired by faith and the values that unite us as a nation.”
“Let’s make civism a peaceful and powerful tool to proclaim respect for our homeland,” said the president of the Panamanian episcopate.
During his visit to Panama, the American Chancellor attended the Sunday Mass in the La Merced Church of San Felipe, in the historic center. During his passage through Costa Rica he denounced the persecution suffered by the Catholic Church in Nicaragua.
Visit to allied governments
The geopolitical expert explained that the inclusion on the tour of El Salvador, Costa Rica, Guatemala and the Dominican Republic has been to strengthen ties with allied governments “which are democratic and try to improve the lives of their citizens.”
The second destination was El Salvador, whose president Nayib Bukele “has won the admiration of many in the United States because of the way he dismantled the criminal gangs that plague his country,” said Fernández.
During Rubio’s meeting, the Salvadoran president offered to receive deportened criminals from the United States in his prisons. Rubio has indicated that this “generous offer” will be studied by his government.
For Fernández, with this proposal El Salvador seeks to “demonstrate that it is a capable country that can help the United States. And from the United States is to strengthen ties with an ally that is more or less on the same political course. ”
The third country was Costa Rica, where Marco Rubio highlighted the government’s decision to demand in 2023 that the countries of companies interested in providing 5G technology sign the Budapest agreement on the fight against cybercrime. This prevented Huawei’s entry, because China has not signed this document.
However, in 2024 Costa Rica accused Huawei of hindering the development of 5G networks at the Costa Rican Institute of Electricity, one of the Internet and mobile telephony suppliers. He said that the Chinese company sought to press them so that the decree on cybersecurity was no longer a requirement and thus ensure its participation.
Rubio praised the position of the Central American country and said he will have the support of the United States, in addition to strengthening the fight against drugs.
The penultimate country was Guatemala, whose border with Mexico makes it an important point for the immigration policy of the United States. In addition, it is one of the few countries that has diplomatic relations with Taiwan, the island that lives under the constant military threat of China and that is one of the United States allies in Asia.
Guatemalan President Bernardo Arévalo reported that it was agreed to “increase the number of deportees of both our nationality and deportees of other nationalities by 40%.”
The last scale was the Dominican Republic, who shares the island with Haiti and faces its own immigration crisis because of its neighbor’s political and social disorder.
Therefore, at the end of the meeting, President Luis Abinader requested that Haiti’s humanitarian aid be maintained. Rubio said that “the United States will continue to support Haiti’s future, so that there can be industries in that country, so that there is economic stability, that is essential for its future.”
Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua
During his passage through Costa Rica, the Secretary of State approached the regional immigration crisis and indicated that it has been caused by the totalitarian regimes of Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua, which he called “enemies of humanity.”
“If it weren’t for those three regimes, there would be no immigration crisis in the hemisphere,” he said.
The analyst Alberto Fernández explained that these are countries that “act against interests directly from the United States” being allies of Russia, China and Iran; and that “they have ties with trafficking and drug trafficking.”
“We do not need a moderate voice against them, but a wise and right voice. The meaning in Washington now is that ‘moderation’ to face evil is nothing good. This government wants peace and good relations, but seeks to project strength and competition in a political and moral sense, ”he said.
On his last day in the Dominican Republic, Rubio witnessed the seizure of a plane from the Venezuelan PDVSA and has been delivered to the United States.
The Secretary of State wrote on the social network X That “the seizure of this Venezuelan aircraft, used to evade US sanctions and money laundering, is a powerful example of our determination to demand accounts to the illegitimate regime of Maduro for its illegal actions.”
The absence of Colombia
In this historic tour of Colombia was absent, the main ally of the United States in the region in recent decades, but with which it had a diplomatic friction because of deportations.
The geopolitical expert said it was understandable that Colombia was not included “on a first trip, because it has become a problem.”
“This is a country that is a close friend of the United States for many decades,” but is now “governed by an unstable leftist who is openly hostile to the United States.”
Alberto Fernández is sure “that there will be diplomacy, without a doubt, with the regime of Gustavo Petro, but the administration of President Trump will first approach friends and not the adversaries.”
Eduardo Berdejo
Professional in Social Communication of the National University of San Marcos in Peru, I have more than 20 years of experience in Catholic digital journalism. As part of ACI Press, I have been sent to cover the trips of Pope Francis to Cuba, Mexico, Colombia and Peru, in addition to the Synod of Sinodality in the Vatican in 2023.