Overview

• State Department confirms a Sept. 2–4 trip, with stops in Mexico City and Quito, as Rubio makes his first visit to Mexico as secretary of state.
• Rubio is expected to meet President Claudia Sheinbaum, with talks targeting cartel dismantlement, fentanyl flows, illegal migration, and a more level playing field for U.S. businesses.
• Washington frames the mission as protecting U.S. borders, neutralizing so‑called narcoterrorist threats, reducing the trade deficit, and deepening regional burden‑sharing.
• Mexico describes a near‑final bilateral security accord grounded in sovereignty, territoriality, mutual trust, and cooperation, even as U.S. officials emphasize practical implementation steps.
• In Ecuador, Rubio will meet President Daniel Noboa and press concerns over Chinese influence as part of a broader push to counter malign extracontinental actors.