Rubio visits Mexico, Ecuador to talk drugs, border, trade

Secretary of State Marco Rubio was slated to kick off his trip to Mexico and Ecuador with a meeting with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum late Wednesday morning. The two planned to discuss cooperation on issues including drug trafficking, illegal immigration, and trade, according to the State Department. Rubio was also set to meet with Ecuadorean officials in Quito the following day. The State Department said a goal of the trip was broader burden sharing across the Americas. The secretary of state will likely press Mexico and Ecuador to step up their operations against gangs.

The trip came a day after President Donald Trump said he ordered a U.S. military strike on a boat carrying drugs and 11 members of the Tren de Aragua gang. The strike, which killed everyone on board, occurred in international waters as the craft headed toward the United States, he said. The Venezuelan cartel is classified as a foreign terrorist organization.

Rubio on Tuesday said the strike showed that the president was going on offense against drug cartels. Drug trafficking destabilizes the Caribbean basin as well as America, he said. The operations would continue, he said.

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