Rubio trip focuses on migration and Panama Canal dispute

The US Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived in Panama on Saturday on his first foreign trip in office. Rubio is is Central America for the five-nation tour. His priority is to curb illegal migration and to bring the message that the U.S. wants to reclaim control over the Panama Canal despite intense resistance from regional leaders.

President José Raúl Mulino, says there will be no negotiation with the United States over ownership of the canal. He said he hoped Rubio’s visit would instead focus on shared interests like migration and fighting drug trafficking.

Despite Mulino's rejection of any negotiation over ownership, some believe Panama may be open to a compromise under which canal operations on both sides are taken away from the Hong Kong-based Hutchison Ports company that was given a 25-year no-bid extension to run them.

After Panama, Rubio will travel to El Salvador, Costa Rica, Guatemala and the Dominican Republic.

His arrival comes after the U.S. resumed visa processing at its embassy in Bogota, which had been shut down Sunday after the Colombian government refused to accept two planeloads of Colombian deportees from the United States.