U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is making his first official visit to Mexico this week, where he is expected to sign a new bilateral security agreement with President Claudia Sheinbaum.
The stop in Mexico, followed by a visit to Ecuador, marks Rubio's second trip to Latin America since becoming secretary of state. In February, he visited Panama, El Salvador, Guatemala, and the Dominican Republic, where he negotiated agreements on immigration enforcement and the acceptance of deportees from the United States.
Rubio is meeting with Sheinbaum on Wednesday. After that, the two will give a press conference. Sheinbaum emphasized that Mexico will continue to pursue cooperation grounded in mutual respect for sovereignty.
"There will be moments of more tension, moments of less tension, and topics where we may not agree, but we must strive for a good relationship," Sheinbaum said. "I believe tomorrow's meeting will demonstrate that — a relationship rooted in respect and, at the same time, collaboration within the framework of our sovereignty."
Sheinbaum also underscored the importance of maintaining strong ties with the United States, citing the deep personal, cultural, and economic connections between the two countries.
"We must always seek a good relationship with the United States," she said. "It's our neighbor, nearly 40 million people of Mexican descent live there across multiple generations, we share many common interests, and we are trade partners — so we must always work toward that relationship."
Following his meeting with Sheinbaum, Rubio will travel to Ecuador, where the U.S. and Ecuadorian governments are negotiating a deal that would allow the country to receive hundreds of deportees from third countries.
"It will be a limited program that applies only to refugees of certain nationalities who have no criminal background and who meet specific conditions such as being in good health," Ecuadorian Foreign Minister Gabriela Sommerfeld said.
Several Latin American countries have agreed to similar arrangements since the start of the Trump administration. In August, the U.S. reached a deal with Honduras to accept a few hundred third-country deportees over a two-year period, with the possibility of expanding that number.
The agreements follow the recent signing of a "safe third country" asylum deal with Paraguay and are part of the administration's broader effort to expedite the removal of migrants.
In total, at least a dozen countries have agreed to accept deportees from third countries since the beginning of Trump's second term.
© 2025 Latin Times. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
