BARRANQUILLA, Colombia (AP) — Secretary of State Marco Rubio began a three-nation tour of Latin America on Tuesday, visiting U.S.-aligned conservative leaders as the Trump administration steps up military operations to combat drug trafficking and seeks further inroads in the Western Hemisphere aimed at improving America’s energy standing and combating illegal migration.

A week after sealing a massive oil deal with Venezuelan leaders, Rubio arrived in neighboring Colombia to meet President Abelardo de la Espriella. Colombia’s new leader has embraced President Donald Trump’s policies on issues from drugs to immigration and energy.

The two signed a civil nuclear cooperation deal and a critical minerals agreement during the visit to Barranquilla in the Caribbean. De la Espriella is among a new generation of right-wing conservatives who are winning elections and showing support for Trump’s muscular approach in a region that has tilted leftward in recent decades.

“We have a lot of common interests with them, both taking on regional transnational criminal terrorism and also economic engagements,” Rubio told reporters about the three countries before departing for South America. “It’s part of a trend that you’re seeing in the Western Hemisphere of alignment with U.S. and U.S. interests.”

During the signing of the agreement, De la Espierella said the two countries have a “long-term strategic partnership,” and he stressed the importance of fighting drug trafficking. The Colombian president promised to resume fumigating coca crops, targeting drug labs, and apprehending drug kingpins.

“Colombia wants to become the first U.S. hemispheric security partner,” he said.

Rubio defends Venezuela oil deal but says he isn't stopping there

Asked why he wasn't making a stop in Venezuela, Rubio said he will visit “eventually,” but there was not time on this trip. He defended the Venezuela deal, saying the oil fields were “once dominated by China and Russia and Iran” but never tapped for production.

Acting President Delcy Rodríguez agreed last week to give the U.S. control of roughly one-fifth of Venezuela’s oil reserves — the largest in the world.

While the deal could eventually generate billions for an economy wrecked by years of mismanagement, many Venezuelans say they believe gaining control of Venezuelan oil was the ultimate objective when Trump ordered U.S. forces to capture then-President Nicolás Maduro.

The oil fields are “going to generate royalties and revenues for the Venezuelan people, eventually through a democratically elected government — hopefully sooner rather than later — and directly benefit the people of Venezuela as opposed to going into the pocket of some, you know, corrupt government official or in the hands of American and Venezuelan adversaries,” Rubio said.

Colombia's president has vowed to crack down on drug trafficking and immigration

Colombian Foreign Minister Omar Bula said in a video released Tuesday that Rubio’s visit marks the beginning of “rebuilding a strategic alliance with the United States, our main partner in the region.” He affirmed that Colombia will focus on discussing security, which includes combating drug trafficking, trade and the defense of “shared values.”

De la Espriella has promised to take a hard line against drug traffickers and pledged to deport thousands of migrants in Colombia without residence permits, mainly Venezuelans, as he tries to make significant changes to immigration policies that he says will reduce crime.

After taking office last month, De la Espriella brought Colombia into the Americas Counter Cartels Coalition and strengthened long-standing security cooperation with the United States, following strained relations during the 2022-2026 administration of progressive Gustavo Petro.

Former presidential candidate Iván Cepeda, a Petro ally, said on X that Rubio’s visit appears to be an “act of surrendering strategic aspects of our sovereignty,” especially because “agreements that commit the country’s mineral and energy wealth” will be signed and matters of national security will be discussed.

De la Espriella has carried out at least three bombings against illegal armed groups and increased military operations. However, several minors have died during the bombings, which has drawn criticism from opposition leaders.

As part of his security strategy, he has focused his efforts on showcasing the results of military operations. However, there was criticism from the opposition and the state-run Ombudsman’s Office after De la Espriella displayed the bodies of alleged criminals wrapped in white bags on the ground alongside seized ammunition.

Nicknamed “El Tigre,” or The Tiger, the president has shifted the country’s security policy, closing the peace negotiations initiated by Petro during his administration, which he considers a failed effort that only increased violence in Colombia.

Colombia grapples with illegal armed groups vying for control of territories strategically important for drug trafficking and illegal mining, despite the fact that a decade ago the state signed a historic peace agreement with the FARC rebel group.

Latin American allies help expanded operations to fight drug trafficking

A day earlier, U.S. forces intercepted and sank an Ecuadorian vessel that Washington accuses of links to the criminal group Los Choneros, the fifth in less than two weeks.

Expanded operations in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean began a year ago, coinciding with an extreme crackdown on migrants in the U.S. illegally, many of them from Latin America.

But unlike in strikes on alleged drug-trafficking boats in Latin American waters that began in September 2025, those aboard the floating refueling stations accused of supporting drug trafficking have been removed and transferred to Ecuadorian authorities.

It appears to be a shift after a series of strikes on boats over the year have killed at least 227 people, whom the Trump administration accused of being “narcoterrorists” but without providing evidence. The U.S. military carried out at least two of those deadly strikes last month.

Later Tuesday, Rubio told reporters that Colombian leaders have not asked for U.S. forces to directly confront drug traffickers, but they do want other kinds of help.

“In the end, the majority of this fight, the Colombian authorities are willing to take on themselves,” Rubio told reporters in Colombia. “They just need our help with equipment. They need our help with intelligence. They need our help sometimes with some specialized training.”

“The Colombians have never asked for American soldiers to come into Colombia and take on drug cartels,” Rubio added. “They’ve asked for our help and training.”

After Colombia, Rubio will make a brief stop in Quito. He will see Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa, whose government has steadily increased counternarcotics operations conducted with the U.S. military.

Rubio will round out the trip with a stop in Lima, Peru, where he will meet new President Keiko Fujimori — the daughter of former leader Alberto Fujimori — as the government also has taken a rightward turn.

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Suarez reported from Bogota, Colombia. Associated Press reporter Meg Kinnard in Columbia, S.C. and Jonathan J. Cooper in Phoenix, Arizona contributed to this report.

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