Overview
- Rubio began his three‑nation tour on Tuesday by meeting Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella in Barranquilla and signing memoranda on civilian nuclear cooperation and protection of critical minerals.
- In Quito Rubio designated the Ecuadorian gang Los Tiguerones as a foreign terrorist organization and said he will seek $45 million from Congress to fund joint counternarcotics work while pledging additional coast guard cutters and interceptor vessels.
- U.S. maritime interdictions and sinkings of vessels linked to trafficking continued during the trip, following a year of strikes in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific that have killed more than 220 people and prompted human‑rights and sovereignty complaints.
- The State Department says Washington is pressing to wrap trade deals with Colombia, Peru and Ecuador and to fold the three countries more tightly into the U.S.‑led 'Shield of the Americas' security framework.
- Supporters portray the tour as a restoration of U.S. influence and a direct push at organized crime, while critics warn the militarized approach and new resource agreements risk eroding national sovereignty and increasing civilian harm; the visits follow a recent U.S. agreement to access Venezuelan oil reserves.