The United States Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, will meet on Tuesday with officials in Costa Rica and then in Guatemala, as part of a tour of Latin America focused on migration, security cooperation and the fight against influence China in the region.
Rubio was in El Salvador on Monday to talk with President Nayib Bukele, and announced that Bukele had offered to accept any United States deportion, regardless of his nationality.
“He has also offered to do the same with the dangerous criminals who are currently detained and serve their sentences in the United States, even if they are American citizens or legal residents,” said Rubio.
The United States government cannot legally deport US citizens.
Rubio said that El Salvador would fully cooperate in the repatriation of Salvadorans found in the US irregularly, and described the agreement as “the most extraordinary migration agreement, unprecedented, extraordinary anywhere in the world.”
Bukele said in X that his government offered to the United States “the opportunity to outsource part of its prison system,” and that El Salvador accepted fees to keep criminals convicted in their mega prison of the terrorism confinement center.
“The rate would be relatively low for the United States, but significant for us, making our entire penitentiary system sustainable,” Bikele said.
The State Department indicated that Rubio also raised strategies to counteract the influence of the Chinese Communist Party on the Western Hemisphere to safeguard the sovereignty and interests of both nations and the region.
His visit is produced in the middle of the restructuring of USAID, the US agency that supervises foreign aid, which has caused a confrontation between the Democrats of Congress and the administration of President Donald Trump.
Rubio announced that now it is The Interim Administrator of the United States Agency for International Developmentbut he has delegated his authority to another official. He stressed that the agency must align US foreign aid with national interests and comply with the policy directives of the State Department.
On Monday night, the United States and El Salvador also signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on civil nuclear cooperation, expanding strategic relationships between the two nations.
The State Department said that the Mou marks an initial step towards the construction of a solid civil nuclear association, with the aim of improving energy security and promoting economic cooperation.
Reduction of illegal immigration
Bukele is considered a US key ally in his regional efforts to address the immigration crisis.
On October 7, 2024, the United States and El Salvador signed a customs mutual assistance agreement, further strengthening border security and facilitating trade between the two countries.
El Salvador was once the third largest source of nationals captured on the southwest border of the United States. Today, it is no longer in the top 10.
Chinese influence
The US President Trump has maintained warm relations with Salvadoran President Bukele, who also strengthened the ties with Chinese President Xi Jinping after his state visit to Beijing in December 2019.
During Bukele’s visit, China promised millions in development projects for the Central American country through a series of agreements. Among them were a football stadium, a national library, a tourist spring and funds for improvements in water treatment.
In April 2024, China and El Salvador began negotiations on a free trade agreement, although the United States remains the main commercial partner of El Salvador.
El Salvador formally recognized the People’s Republic of China on August 21, 2018, cutting diplomatic ties with Taiwan.
Panama
On Monday, Rubio observed a deportation flight financed by the United States that started from Albrook International Airport in Panama and returned to his country of origin to dozens of undocumented Colombians. A total of 32 men and 11 women were repatriated, including seven individuals with a criminal record.
The maximum American diplomat said that this sent “a clear message” that the people who tried to enter the American border irregularly would be detained and sent back to their countries of origin.
On July 1, 2024, on the first day of the mandate of Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino, the United States and Panama signed a memorandum of understanding aimed to jointly reduce the number of migrants that illegally cross the region of the Darién of Panama on route to the United States .
The program is funded by the United States Department of State and implemented by the Department of National Security. The deportation of Monday was carried out under the memorandum of understanding and after an exemption from the State Department that lifted a previous pause in US foreign aid.
“This is an effective way to stop the illegal migration flow, mass migration, which is destructive and destabilizing,” Rubio told journalists at Albrook International Airport.
“This flight today was possible thanks to an exemption that we have issued,” he added. “We are going to issue a broader to continue this cooperation.”
Under the 2024 agreement, the United States has provided almost 2.7 million dollars to finance flights and tickets to repatriate migrants to their countries of origin.
Since the first repatriation flight on August 20, 2024, more than 40 charter flights have been made from Panama to more than 14 countries, with more than 1,700 undocumented migrants returned to their countries of origin, including Colombia, Ecuador, India and Vietnam.
In photos: protests in Panama for the arrival of the US Secretary of State
The Panañamos took to the streets on Saturday to protest against the visit of the US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, after the repeated statements of President Donald Trump about recovering the Panama Canal.
Panama recently reported a 90 % decrease in migrants crossing the Darien region compared to the same period last year.
Dispute on the channel
On Sunday, Rubio warned Panama that Washington “will take the necessary measures” if Panama does not take immediate measures to end what US President Donald Trump described how China’s “influence and control” of China on the Panama Canal.
“The Rubio secretary made it clear that this status quo is unacceptable,” said state department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce, in a statement after Rubio’s conversations with Mulino.
Mulino also announced that Panama has decided not to renew a 2017 memorandum with China on the belt initiative and the Beijing route and will seek to cancel the agreements with the Chinese government before its official expiration dates.
“We will study the possibility of finishing it before,” Mulino added on Sunday.
The belt and route initiative, or Bri, is a mass infrastructure project launched by China in 2013 under President Xi Jinping, with the aim of connecting multiple continents through terrestrial and sea routes. The United States has warned that the BRI “is driven by China’s mission to manipulate and undermine the global trade system based on rules for its own benefit.”
In the United Nations, the Chinese ambassador Fu Cong dismissed the accusations against China as “totally false” and “meaningless.” He said that China has never participated in the management or operation of the Panama Canal or interfered in its affairs. He also reaffirmed respect for the sovereignty of Panama and the status of the channel as a neutral entrance door.
The Chinese ambassador also described Panama’s decision “unfortunate” not to renew the Bri agreement.
After visiting Panama, El Salvador, Costa Rica and Guatemala, Rubio’s trip concludes with a stop in the Dominican Republic.
[Margaret Besheer, corresponsal de VOA en las Naciones Unidas, contribuyó a este informe. Parte de la información para esta historia fue proporcionada por The Associated Press y Reuters]
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