Marco Rubio will travel to Mexico next week to sign a security agreement

The U.S. State Department on Thursday confirmed a trip by Secretary of State Marco Rubio to Mexico and Ecuador, from September 2 to 4. As Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum announced just a few days ago, Rubio will meet with Mexican authorities to, among other issues, sign a security agreement amid the Trump administration’s crackdown on drug cartels.

In a statement, the State Department said that Rubio’s first official trip to Mexico, and his fourth to the hemisphere as head of the agency, is meant “to advance key U.S. priorities.”

“These include swift and decisive action to dismantle cartels, halt fentanyl trafficking, end illegal immigration, reduce the trade deficit, and promote economic prosperity and counter malign extra continental actors,” reads the statement.

With this trip, the Donald Trump administration reaffirms its international agenda, focused on U.S. security and the “external threats” it has identified and targeted: “The Secretary’s fourth trip to our hemisphere demonstrates the United States’ unwavering commitment to protect its borders, neutralize narco-terrorist threats to our homeland, and ensure a level playing field for American businesses.”

The State Department adds that the trip also seeks to “deepen bilateral ties with Mexico and Ecuador and foster broader burden sharing across our region.”

Last June, Mexican President Sheinbaum and Undersecretary of State Christopher Landau met at the National Palace, where Landau presented his new position and asserted that his administration was seeking “the best relationship” with Mexico. Sheinbaum said that her cabinet had demonstrated progress on security and migration issues, and that the migrant community in the United States was being supported. The visit was a prelude that set the stage for Rubio’s expected arrival.

Since the beginning of Trump’s second term, the U.S. and Mexico have experienced a back-and-forth in their relations and public communications, marked by disagreements and trade negotiations in response to the tariffs imposed by Trump. There have also been statements about the fight against drug trafficking groups, trials of Mexican drug traffickers in U.S. courts, and immigration issues that have dominated the agendas of both nations.

This will be Rubio’s fourth visit to the region as head of his country’s diplomacy, following his visits to Central America and the Caribbean earlier this year.

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