Minister Fonseca Comments on Rubio’s Central America Tour

The U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s first overseas trip focuses on Central America, with immigration and the Panama Canal at the forefront of discussions. Rubio’s visit comes as the Trump administration seeks to curb illegal immigration and expand U.S. influence in the region, particularly against rising Chinese presence.

He had pointed out concerns over Chinese control of infrastructure along the Panama Canal, stating, “If China wanted to obstruct traffic in the Panama Canal, they could.” This aligns with President Trump’s push to regain control of the canal, though Panamanian officials reject any negotiations over its ownership.

Rubio’s tour includes stops in Panama, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Guatemala, and the Dominican Republic. However, the tour did not include Belize.

When asked about it today, Francis Fonseca, Belize’s Minister of Education, stated that no U.S. Secretary of State has ever visited Belize, and Rubio hasn’t visited any CARICOM states either, despite Belize being part of CARICOM. Fonseca said that Rubio’s trip was a “good” and positive sign, stating, “U.S. administrations have generally given very little attention to their own backyard—to Central America, the Caribbean.”

Fonseca also pointed out Rubio’s approach as the U.S.’s Secretary of State, stating, “Normally he would start in Europe… He said, let’s start in our own backyard,” and added that Rubio visited countries where there were “specific issues that he wanted to address with those countries on behalf of his administration.”