Overview

• The State Department announced that Secretary of State Marco Rubio will make his first visit to Mexico as top diplomat next week before continuing on to Ecuador.
• Rubio is expected to meet President Claudia Sheinbaum in Mexico City on Tuesday and Wednesday, with a U.S. official downplaying any major formal security agreement despite Sheinbaum suggesting one was possible.
• Spokesman Tommy Pigott said Rubio will seek swift action to dismantle cartels, halt fentanyl trafficking, end illegal immigration and counter what the U.S. calls malign extracontinental actors.
• In Ecuador, Rubio will meet President Daniel Noboa and encourage the country to distance itself from China, with a U.S. official calling Ecuador a case study on the risks of dealing with the Chinese Communist Party.
• Ecuador’s government counts more than 5,200 homicides so far this year as Noboa deploys troops and seeks U.S. military help, while Washington says not to expect dramatic moves on a troop presence during the trip.