Overview

• The State Department says Secretary of State Marco Rubio will visit Mexico City and Quito from Tuesday to Thursday to meet Presidents Claudia Sheinbaum and Daniel Noboa.
• Rubio’s agenda targets “swift and decisive action” to dismantle cartels, halt fentanyl trafficking, end illegal immigration, and counter what Washington calls malign extracontinental actors.
• Sheinbaum has suggested a security agreement could be signed, but U.S. officials have downplayed the likelihood of a major formal accord in favor of operational cooperation.
• In Ecuador, Rubio will press for greater distance from China as U.S. officials highlight the country’s Belt and Road ties and heavy debt exposure.
• Officials cautioned against expectations of a U.S. troop presence in Ecuador despite a severe homicide surge, Noboa’s appeals for help, and a constitutional change allowing foreign bases.