Rubio will visit Central America, including Panama, on first trip abroad as secretary of state

WASHINGTON (AP) — Secretary of State Marco Rubio will make his first official trip abroad next week to Central America, including a stop in Panama, which President Donald Trump has riled with talk of trying to reclaim the Panama Canal.

Rubio, a former Florida senator who is the son of Cuban immigrants, will also visit El Salvador, Guatemala, Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic, department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce said Thursday.

She said the destinations reflected his interest in the region and the importance of elevating ties with neighboring countries, particularly on combating illegal migration.

“This is a serious approach by the secretary to deal with the issues that directly affect our ability to get this nation back on her feet and to deal with why there is such high migration,” Bruce said.

She said the trip “signals something to those countries, it should signal something to Americans and to those who also said that ‘America First’ was an isolationist argument. It is the opposite.”

While migration will be at the top of Rubio’s agenda, the stop in Panama probably will draw the most attention because of Trump’s repeated calls for the United States to retake control of the Panama Canal. Trump has accused Panama of reneging on commitments for the operation of the canal made to then-President Jimmy Carter when the U.S. ceded control of the vital waterway.

Trump has often complained that China has take over canal operations, charges denied by Panamanian officials.

Rubio is expected to depart late next week and return to Washington toward the end of the first week in February.