Mexico City, Mexico — Mexico and the United States reaffirmed their commitment to cross-border security cooperation on Wednesday during U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s visit, while stressing that efforts would be carried out within the framework of each nation’s sovereignty.
What had been expected to yield a formal bilateral security agreement instead resulted in a renewed pledge to strengthen existing collaboration. Both sides highlighted shared priorities: halting the flow of fentanyl and other synthetic drugs into the United States, curbing the smuggling of U.S.-purchased firearms into Mexico, and maintaining tighter control of migration, which has dropped sharply in recent months.
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A new element announced was the creation of a “high-level implementation group”, which will meet regularly to ensure that commitments translate into concrete action. “This is a high-level group that will meet and coordinate on a regular basis to make sure that all the things we are working on … are being implemented,” Rubio said.
Rubio, the first Latino U.S. secretary of state, is on his inaugural tour of Central America and the Caribbean since taking office, part of the administration’s effort to pivot renewed attention to Latin America. His trip to Mexico and Ecuador follows a U.S. military strike on a Venezuelan vessel in the Caribbean on Tuesday that Washington claimed was carrying illegal drugs—the first such action since President Donald Trump ordered a surge of warships to the region, escalating tensions with Caracas.
Trade also loomed over Rubio’s visit. While Mexico recently won a 90-day reprieve from Trump’s threatened 30% tariffs, it still faces previously imposed 25% fentanyl-related tariffs. Analysts expect the ongoing review of the USMCA trade agreement to remain a sticking point.
After meeting President Claudia Sheinbaum, Rubio underlined Washington’s desire to treat Mexico as a close partner in security, migration, and commerce. Sheinbaum, while pledging cooperation, reiterated concerns about U.S. overreach. “What our administration plans to agree to with the United States is a cooperation program about border security and the application of the law within the framework of our sovereignties,” she said.
The meeting came as Trump intensifies pressure on regional governments through tariffs, sanctions, and stepped-up deportations of undocumented migrants. Despite tensions, Rubio described the U.S.–Mexico relationship as “the closest cooperation we’ve ever had, maybe between any country.”
Rubio will continue his Latin American tour in Ecuador on Thursday.
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