Rubio Flies to Mexico for Security Talks Amid Trump Pressure Campaign

Secretary of State Marco Rubio is flying to Mexico on Tuesday for talks with top officials on security, drugs and migration issues, as U.S.-Mexico tensions continue to rise following months of pressure from President Trump.

President Claudia Sheinbaum of Mexico has been engaged in a delicate balancing act with Mr. Trump. She is trying to cooperate in areas where the two nations have mutual interests, but must also show Mexicans she is not bowing to what many people in her country consider to be bullying by an American leader.

Mr. Rubio is making his third trip to Latin America as secretary of state, and he plans to travel to Ecuador after his stop in Mexico. During his 14 years as a senator representing Florida, he tried to shape policy in Latin America, taking a hard line on Cuba, where his parents are from, and on Venezuela.

Mr. Trump has tried to project greater U.S. power and dominance across the Americas, and has threatened countries that have been traditional partners, including Canada, Greenland, Mexico and Panama.

Mr. Trump and Mr. Rubio have insisted that Mexico crack down even harder on drug cartels, even though law enforcement agencies under Ms. Sheinbaum have made many more arrests compared to recent years. Mr. Trump has blamed the cartels for manufacturing fentanyl and other highly addictive synthetic drugs in large quantities and moving them into the United States.

Mr. Trump has secretly signed a directive ordering the Pentagon to take military action against certain Latin American drug cartels that the administration has labeled terrorist organizations, The New York Times reported last month.