Secretary of State Marco Rubio plans to travel to Panama and other Latin American countries in his first trip abroad, signaling the importance of the region for a second Trump administration that is laser focused on the Chinese threat in the Western Hemisphere.

Rubio’s first foreign trip as secretary also presents an opportunity to address the immigration crisis in ways ‘border czar’ Kamala Harris failed to do in countries that are important stopover points on the journey to the U.S. southern border. 

The trip, which will reportedly take place in late January to early February, will see the newly confirmed secretary and chief foreign policy officer of the second Trump administration travel to Panama and likely other Central American countries that were the focus of Biden administration efforts to curb illegal immigration but also are ground zero of expanding Chinese influence in America’s backyard. 

China threat to the Panama Canal

In recent years, China has taken an important role in Latin America, becoming the region’s top trade partner and investing directly in infrastructure and energy projects. The communist power has also expanded ties with friendly regimes that can create headaches for the United States in its own backyard, like Venezuela, Cuba, and Nicaragua.

China’s influence in Panama has been steadily growing since 2017, when the small Latin American country cut off diplomatic relations with Taiwan and formally recognized the Chinese government led by the Chinese Communist Party. In 2018, Panama was the first country in the region to sign up for China’s Belt and Road Initiative, an infrastructure investment program designed to expand China’s economic and strategic influence across the globe. 

In his confirmation hearing, Rubio did not shy away from clearly defining the threat posed by the Chinese Communist Party to the United States. One former CIA operations officer told Just the News that China’s growing role represents a national security threat that Trump is eager to mitigate.

“The issue there is that for the last few years, the Chinese government has made some effective investments with the Panamanian government has taken more and more gradual control over the canal that poses a significant national security risk the United States,” Rick de la Torre told the "Just the News, No Noise" TV show. 

This includes control of port facilities on either side of the canal by China and Hong Kong-based companies. A consortium of Chinese companies was also awarded a contract in 2018 to construct a bridge over the canal. Chinese companies have also invested in energy and water management facilities in the small country. 

“You could imagine then a scenario not too far in the distance where the, let's say, the Chinese government, decides to take military action against the the island of Taiwan. What? How do we get…the Atlantic Fleet, into the Pacific Theater, if not through the Panama Canal, right?” He continued. 

In a treaty with the United States, Panama promised to preserve the neutrality of the canal, which is vital for the United States to be able to move its warships efficiently across oceans, but also for commercial shipping. The U.S. also reserved the right to intervene militarily if the neutrality of the canal is threatened. 

De la Torres says China’s investments in Panama may be designed to exert pressure and exercise control over a vital strategic area to the United States. 

“So these alliances that China has been doing in Latin America, with a lot of the despots there and through corrupt means, what they're doing is they're they're gaining a stronger footprint in Latin America, where now they could continue to take more and more control of strategic areas that are important to us,” de la Torre said. 

Fixing the Immigration Crisis

Near the beginning of their term, Vice President Harris was tasked by President Biden to address the “root causes” of illegal immigration by specific engagement and investment in the Northern Triangle countries of El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras, but her efforts ultimately failed to secure a reduction in illegal immigration, which rose to record highs during the administration. 

Rubio’s trip to the region comes amid a flurry of executive orders from President Trump gutting his predecessor’s immigration policy and implementing new rules to crack down on the flow of illegal immigrants. 

While Rubio’s trip is likely to feature discussions with Panama about the canal, immigration is certain to play a role in meetings with the several Central American countries through which migrants pass on the way to the U.S. southern border. Though tentative, Rubio is expected visit at least one of the Northern Triangle countries: Guatemala. 

State Department Spokeswoman Tammy Bruce made clear that immigration would be a focus of the trip and promising the new administration would not “continue ignore the region as other administrations have.” 

“Engaging with our neighbors is a vital element in addressing migration, supply chains and economic growth, which are key to Secretary Rubio’s pursuit of foreign policy focused on making America strong, prosperous, and safe,” Bruce said in a statement to Politico. 

Though the Biden administration said that it was working to solve the “root causes” of illegal immigration under the leadership of Vice President Harris, some of the its moves appeared counterproductive.

For example, shortly after Biden entered office, then-Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced that the United States would be abandoning Asylum Cooperative Agreements signed with the Northern Triangle countries during the Trump administration. 

These agreements are designed to reduce the burden of migration flows on the signatories by permitting asylees to claim asylum in only one of the countries party to the agreement. These agreements are also known as “safe third country” agreements. Before 2019, the United States only had one such agreement, with Canada, but that year, the Trump administration signed agreements with the three Central American countries. 

The State Department declined to comment on whether Secretary Rubio would work to renegotiate the Asylum Cooperative Agreements with the Northern Triangle nations in a bid to stem the flow of asylum seekers. 

In addition to the canal, Panama is also home to the Darien Gap—a stretch of dense rainforest and mountainous terrain that connects North and South America—a key crossing point for migrants heading north and a focus of Trump border czar Tom Homan. 

“Shutting down the Darien Gap is going to protect our national security. It’s going to save thousands of lives,” Homan said in an interview with NBC News shortly before the inauguration. 

"Each country has to resolve its problems”

In recent years, migrants from Venezuela, Columbia, Ecuador and even China, have flowed through the gap aided by the Panamanian government of former President Ricardo Martinelli—who was banned from running for reelection after being convicted of money laundering. 

More than 700,000 migrants crossed the gap in the last two years, but the administration is likely to find a partner in the new Panamanian government and facilitate some dealmaking by Rubio on the issue. 

President José Raúl Mulino, who took office last year, promised to end the flow of illegal immigration through the country after his inauguration and promised to seek a cooperative agreement with the United States on immigration. 

“I won’t allow Panama to be an open path for thousands of people who enter our country illegally, supported by an international organization related to drug trafficking and human trafficking,” Mulino said last July. “I understand that there are deep-rooted reasons for migration, but each country has to resolve its problems,” he said, signaling a shift in the government’s policy.