Latin America prepares for dealmaking ahead of Rubio’s visit
As Secretary of State Marco Rubio begins his first overseas trip Saturday in Panama, Central American nations grapple with President Donald Trump’s tough stance, including military threats over the Panama Canal and pressure to accept deportation flights, News.Az reports citing the Miamiherald.
The visit comes during a tense period for the region, which has been grappling with the potential economic repercussions of Trump’s policies, like mass deportations and a halt in foreign aid.
“It’s every country for himself,” said Michael Shifter, president of the Inter-American Dialogue research institute in Washington. U.S. leaders know “how fragmented the region is and how easy it is to pick them off,” he said.
“And that’s what Trump does best.” Despite several attempts to secure meetings with Trump’s team in the lead-up to his presidency, the region faced consistent rebuffs. Now with Trump in office and treating Latin America as a critical focus — his inaugural address mentioned Panama six times, while traditional foes like Iran and Russia were never raised -- the stakes are high. Rubio will land in Panama on Saturday, then move on to Guatemala, El Salvador, Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic.
Talks are expected to center on immigration, curbing China’s influence in the region and thwarting the flow of drugs, particularly fentanyl, into the United States. Latin American nations want to maintain the status quo in their U.S. relations: keeping trade open, maintaining American investments — which Trump says he wants to bring home — and leaving the spigots of foreign assistance open.
One of Rubio’s biggest requests will most likely be that these countries sign “safe third country” agreements, to accept asylum-seekers from other nations that are seeking refuge in the United States.
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