Latest News

Rubio to take up Trump's Panama gambit, migration crusade in Latam go to

When Marco Rubio shows up in Latin America this weekend on his first foreign trip as Donald Trump's secretary of state, he'll find a region reeling from the new administration's shockandawe approach to diplomacy.

In the first days of Trump's 2nd term, the brand-new president has actually doubled down on his intent to recover the Panama Canal, angered Brazilians by returning migrants in shackles and briefly imposed squashing sanctions and tariffs on Colombia in a tussle over deportee flights.

Rubio's very first stop will be Panama City as the Trump administration shifts back Washington's focus to Latin America, intending to counter the already extensive Chinese influence in the region and stem migration.

The first Latino secretary of state, Rubio has already indicated that the State Department will contribute in assisting Trump achieve his policy to suppress mass migration and the topic will be front and center as he advances to El Salvador, Costa Rica, Guatemala and the Dominican Republic.

The Trump administration has actually stepped up deportations, sending out migrants in military airplane to Latin American nations, including Guatemala. The flights sparked a brief spat with Colombia on Sunday after President Gustavo Petro refused to enable two military airplanes to land, before later on agreeing to send Colombian aircrafts to restore deportees.

Kevin Whitaker, a former U.S. ambassador to Colombia, said Trump's immediate imposition of tariffs as well as rarely utilized sanctions and visa constraints versus Colombia, a longstanding U.S. ally, in action signified to nations in the area how seriously the Trump administration is taking migration.

The message it sent out is how prepared the Trump administration is to use these tools, Whitaker, now at the Atlantic Council think tank, said in a call with press reporters.

Trump has indicated he wants to reassert U.S. dominance over the Western Hemisphere, saying Washington likewise requires to manage Greenland, an autonomous area of Denmark - an aspiration steadfastly rejected by Danish and Greenland officials - alongside his risks over the Panama Canal.

Rubio, the kid of Cuban immigrants and a fluent Spanish speaker, is a longtime hawk on Cuba and Venezuela policy.

During Trump's first term, he was a driving force behind a. rollback of predecessor Barack Obama's historical rapprochement. with Cuba and likewise played a major role in crafting a maximum. pressure campaign against Venezuela, consisting of sweeping. sanctions on the OPEC country's energy sector.

MIGRATION FOCUS

Right away after taking workplace, Trump declared a nationwide. emergency situation at the U.S.-Mexico border, prohibited asylum for people. fleeing conflict in their home countries and issued an order. that efforts to block the children of some immigrants from. ending up being U.S. citizens.

Rubio quickly took up the mantle.

Our diplomatic relations with other nations, especially. in the Western Hemisphere, will focus on securing America's. borders, stopping illegal and destabilizing migration, and. negotiating the repatriation of unlawful immigrants, Rubio stated. in a note setting out his top priorities.

Rubio could utilize his journey to press so-called 3rd nation. contracts, in which countries accept people of other nations. deported by the United States, as well as smoothing the method for. more deportation flights returning migrants to their own. nations, experts said.

Cuba and Venezuela have wintry relations with the U.S. and have actually considerably limited the number of deportees they are. going to accept, so Trump's administration will likely require to. find other countries to accept them-- possibly consisting of some. of the countries on Rubio's itinerary.

These are the locations Trump probably believes he can push. into taking these deportees from other countries, said Will. Freeman, a fellow for Latin America research studies at the Council on. Foreign Relations.

CHINA TENSION

Rubio's talks with Panama will take place in the shadow of. Trump's dangers. The president throughout his inauguration promised. that the United States would reclaim the Panama Canal however has. given no additional details on when or how he intended to recover. the canal - which is the sovereign area of a close partner.

Trump has actually blasted the fees U.S. shipping pays to use. the canal but seems most animated by the participation of a. Chinese company in its operations. The State Department's. representative stated the journey would partly have to do with countering. China in the region.

At his Senate verification hearing earlier this month,. Rubio said it might be argued that the terms of the U.S. arrangement with Panama that the canal can not be committed a. foreign power had been breached since of the participation of. Chinese business.

In reality, a foreign power today possesses through their. companies, which we know are not independent, the ability to. turn the canal into a choke point and a minute of conflict. And. that is a direct threat to the nationwide interest in security of. the United States, Rubio said.

U.S. Senators on Tuesday took part revealing alarm over. China's role in the canal, consisting of a Chinese business's work on. a bridge across the canal, and stated it positions risks to U.S. national security.

The Panamanian government has vehemently denied delivering. operation of the tactical waterway to China and insists it. administers the canal relatively to all shipping.

Isaac Kardon, senior fellow for China research studies at the. Carnegie Endowment for International Peace said he thought. there was area for contract-- something that would satisfy. Trump as a win without being disruptive.

I envision Rubio is going to be far more nuanced and I. think there's a little bit of a good police, bad cop style of. diplomacy underway, Kardon said.

Critics have actually implicated Trump of modern-day imperialism in his. hazards over the canal and Greenland, suggesting such rhetoric. could encourage Russia on its war in Ukraine and provide. validation to China if it decides to invade self-ruled. Taiwan.

China has in recent years gained financial and diplomatic. impact in Central America, where countries including Panama. have in current years stopped acknowledging the democratically. governed island of Taiwan, falling in line with Beijing's view. that Taiwan is China's territory.

(source: Reuters)