Our secretary of state has been on the road again, this time doing the long trek back to South America to welcome and encourage the newest winners of the 'no longer Marxist governments' club.
It has really been a remarkable turnaround for the region and for the various countries' relationships with the United States, and he had a jam-packed itinerary planned.
Secretary Rubio was why he’s not traveling to Venezuela on this trip.
— JJ🕊️ (@jesseyjay94) September 8, 2026
His answer: "These are countries (Colombia Peru Ecuador) needed to get to that I hadn’t gotten to yet.
So in the case of Colombia, they just had a free and democratic election. They elected someone I know…
...So in the case of Colombia, they just had a free and democratic election. They elected someone I know very well, very aligned with the U.S. And we have a longstanding relationship.
In the case of Peru, after some political turmoil, they too have had a recent election. And President Fujimori is someone we look forward to engaging with.
And then in Ecuador, obviously their election was last year, but they’re one of our closest security partners in the region. And I think there’s more we can do with them economically as well."
His first stop was in Bogota, Colombia, where newly inaugurated President Abelardo de la Espriella was going through his own baptism of fire after a wicked earthquake rocked his country just days after he took office.
As Rubio said of de la Espriella at their joint press conference, 'This is a man of energy, this is a man of strength, this is a man of vision and of courage.'
SECRETARY RUBIO in COLOMBIA: Security is the basic and most important requirement of government, but prosperity follows closely behind it. pic.twitter.com/FsuPWEhjGA
— Department of State (@StateDept) September 8, 2026
The two men have known each other for years and are obviously delighted to be working together towards common goals.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Tuesday, September 8, pledged to "restore" ties with Bogota after four years of leftist rule, on day one of a three-nation tour aimed at bolstering conservative allies in Latin America. The trip to Colombia, Ecuador and Peru comes after a series of elections brought pro-US right-wing leaders to power, giving Washington an opening to tighten security and economic ties and push back against China's growing influence.
After talks with President Abelardo de la Espriella in the Caribbean city of Barranquilla, Rubio said an unnatural "distance" had developed between the United States and Colombia under former president Gustavo Petro.
...Rubio was effusive in his praise of de la Espriella as "a man of strength," joking he had known the Colombian leader long before he "lost his mind and went into politics." He said it was unusual to visit a country and meet a head of state he had known personally long before reaching office. The top US diplomat also portrayed the political shifts in Colombia and elsewhere as part of a broader regional realignment toward Washington.
"I think it's part of a trend that you're seeing in the Western Hemisphere of alignment with the US and US interests," he said before leaving Miami. The United States and Colombia signed agreements on critical minerals supply chains and civilian nuclear cooperation, reflecting Washington's effort to secure strategic resources and strengthen ties with friendly governments.
Since taking office after his June election victory, de la Espriella has expanded military cooperation with Washington and intensified operations against drug trafficking groups. The Colombian leader said the two countries were resuming a historic partnership that had been "interrupted for four years," and that Bogota aimed to become Washington's leading security partner in South America.
De la Espriella has also caused international waves by completely reversing former President Gustavo Petro's shunning of Israel. Within three days of assuming office, Colombia announced it was resuming diplomatic ties with the Jewish state, was moving its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, and was supporting Israel's claims to the Golan Heights.
Israel and Colombia are set to mutually exempt one another from requiring visas for travel starting on September 1, the Foreign Ministry announced in a post on X/Twitter on Thursday.
The decision follows talks between Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar and Colombia's Foreign Minister Álvaro Leyva Escobar, as the two countries work to strengthen ties.
...On August 10, just three days after the presidential inauguration, the Colombian government announced that it was recognizing Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan Heights, making it only the second country, after the US, to do so.
The new government has also announced its intention to move the country’s embassy to Jerusalem.
And de la Espriella wants his country to be positioned as America's top ally and security partner in the region.
President Abelardo de la Espriella said Colombia wants to be the top U.S. ally in the Americas on security matters, and prosecute its war on organized crime with support from Washington.
Speaking alongside U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, de la Espriella said the two nations are entering a strategic partnership to combat drug-trafficking and illegal migration.
“Colombia seeks to consolidate itself once again as the principal security partner of the U.S. in the hemisphere,” de la Espriella said Tuesday in Barranquilla, on the nation’s Caribbean coast.
That was a tremendous start to Rubio's swing through the region.
Ecuador was next, and the equally warm welcome he received there from President Daniel Noboa included our Sec. being awarded the National Order of Merit.
The United States stands shoulder-to-shoulder with Ecuador in the fight against narcoterrorism threatening our hemisphere. I worked together with President @DanielNoboaOk and Foreign Minister Kury this week to advance our security and economic priorities. pic.twitter.com/sTgukBJzcO
— Secretary Marco Rubio (@SecRubio) September 10, 2026
As part of their collaboration against the drug cartels, Rubio announced that seven former Ecuadorian officials had been indicted for accepting bribes, and that the US was designating another organization under the 'terror' label.
🚨 JUST IN: Sec. Marco Rubio announces the designation of another violent terror organization and 7 former Ecuadorian GOVERNMENT officials for accepting bribes, and betraying their duties, on behalf of terrorist organizations
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) September 9, 2026
MARCO FAFO 🔥🔥
"As we dismantle these terrorist… pic.twitter.com/EVR2pti4gG
..."As we dismantle these terrorist organizations, we also have to go after corrupt officials that collaborate and conspire with these terrorists!"
"We are designating a new group as an FTO...this comes on the heels of our designation of three other groups."
"These are violent, bloodthirsty terrorist organizations, and we have to make sure that we continue to pursue them."
"We'll be announcing the designation of 7 former members of the government here, officials, for accepting bribes and for betraying their most essential duties on behalf of, and they did this on behalf of these terrorist organizations, these dangerous criminal groups."
Marco is working hard with Latin American countries as they elect RIGHT-WING leaders that are pro-USA. He's currently in Ecuador, and is headed to Peru next, after being in Colombia yesterday. WORKHORSE! 👏🏻
And then he gave an impromptu masterclass on the effects of left-wing governments.
SECRETARY RUBIO: The left-wing destroyed Venezuela. The left-wing destroyed Cuba. The left-wing destroyed Nicaragua. The left-wing has basically destroyed every country they've gotten ahold of in the hemisphere. pic.twitter.com/0leDkOf3Np
— Department of State (@StateDept) September 9, 2026
..."Left wing groups have ALREADY been here, and they've DESTROYED the hemisphere! The left wing destroyed Venezuela, the left wing destroyed Cuba, the left wing destroyed Nicaragua."
"The left wing has basically destroyed EVERY country they've gotten a hold of in the hemisphere!"
"Not only have they done that here in Ecuador as well, not only have they done that in Bolivia. Look what Bolivia has suffered for 25 years because of left wing governance."
"These left wing groups are actually in ALLIANCE with these criminal narco trafficking organizations. They are ALIGNED with them. They are aligned with them, they permit them to conduct these activities in an nefarious alliance between them!"
"So I'm GLAD that's being confronted. And by the way, these groups are not just threats to these countries, they ultimately become threats to the United States."
"I work for the United States of America, and if a threat in this region is emerging to the national security and national interest of our country, WE ARE GOING TO ADDRESS IT."
"And what we're very happy about is that we can now address it in partnership with other presidents and other leaders in this region that feel the same way."...
The Secretary of State's next and last stop was Peru, and meeting new president, Keiko Fujimori.
She stunned the room with her announcement at their joint presser.
Peru, after years of suffering the effects of narco terrorism, was joining the Shield of the Americas.
The cartels just lost another country.
— Arkadalo® (@Arkadalo) September 10, 2026
Peru’s president stood next to Marco Rubio today and put her nation inside the Shield of the Americas. U.S. led. More than 15 countries. Intelligence sharing. Joint pressure on the networks that move poison, guns, and money through this… pic.twitter.com/PEpfaVEKsW
...Joint pressure on the networks that move poison, guns, and money through this hemisphere.
That is not a photo op. That is a government choosing Washington over the chaos that used to hide in the Andes and ship north.
Colombia. Ecuador. Now Peru. The map is filling in because America is leading again instead of lecturing from a podium. The last crowd treated our backyard like a suggestion. This one is treating it like our neighborhood.
Watch her say it out loud. Then tell me the Monroe Doctrine is a museum piece. 🇺🇸
Want the neighborhood locked down or do you want another decade of safe harbor for the people killing American kids?
This is absolutely gobsmacking progress - that's the only word for it.
REUTERS: Peru to join US anti-drug coalition after Rubio visit https://t.co/DdvE5D4Dxj
— Department of State (@StateDept) September 10, 2026
But as Rubio says, it's not a favor or a handout.
WE HAVE A NATIONAL SECURITY STRATEGY - THE THINGS THAT HAPPEN IN THIS HEMISPHERE DIRECTLY IMPACT US
The Western Hemisphere isn’t a talking point for this administration - it’s a real national security priority. Secretary Rubio said HE HELPED WRITE the NSS.
— JJ🕊️ (@jesseyjay94) September 10, 2026
"For this administration, this hemisphere is a priority. And you will continue to see it demonstrated over and over and… https://t.co/Bq3lDkrjkU
"For this administration, this hemisphere is a priority. And you will continue to see it demonstrated over and over and over again."
What happens in our own neighborhood directly affects U.S. security and prosperity, so engagement isn’t charity, it’s self interest.
That’s why he’s been traveling the region, hosting leaders, and rolling out things like the Shield of the Americas, with more joint initiatives coming.
Geography is real, and they’re going to keep acting like it.
RUBIO: "We have a national security strategy. I helped write it. And it talks about how the Western Hemisphere is a priority for this administration.
Not a rhetorical priority. Not a symbolic priority. Not a ceremonial priority. A real priority.
That’s why I’ve traveled extensively in the region. That’s why we’ve received visitors from the region.
And that’s why we’re here today. Because geography is real. The things that happen in this hemisphere directly impact us. We’re not doing anybody a favor here.
Us getting involved in the region is not a favor. It is essential to our own security, to our own prosperity, to our own well-being in the United States of America.
And this administration is committed to this. And there’ll be more if people talk about the Shield of the Americas. I’m very proud of it.
There’s going to be more initiatives like that in multiple realms where we can work together."
He says he'll get back to Venezuela when he has a chance, but touching base with all these newly installed friends and neighbors was priority time well spent.
The United States is putting the world on notice that we are not only actively watching over this hemisphere, but we will also be actively involved in defending it on all fronts.
The neighborhood watch finally has the cop it's needed for decades.
And we have one of, if not the finest, Secretaries of State in the history of this country to thank for managing the legwork.
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