He was a popular TV journalist when elected as El Salvador’s first modern-day leftist leader in 2009, but he went into exile hounded by corruption charges.

Rubio is expected to visit Panama, Guatemala, El Salvador, Costa Rica, and the Dominican Republic, according to the Department of State

Rubio's stop in Panama also comes as Trump in recent weeks has said he wants the Panama Canal back under U.S. control, claiming that “American ships are being severely overcharged and not treated fairly in any way,

A positive feedback loop is being created between El Salvador’s bitcoin education programs and crypto companies looking for a friendly jurisdiction.

Last year's increase nearly doubled El Salvador's inbound tourist numbers in comparison to the period from 2013 to 2016.

State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said Thursday that Rubio will also make stops in Guatemala, El Salvador, Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic on the trip that begins late next week.

Confined to their cells for all but 30 minutes a day, denied visits, forced to sleep on stainless steel cots without mattresses: this is life in Latin America's biggest prison.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio will travel to Central America for his first trip as the top US diplomat. Rubio is expected to depart late next week for Panama, Guatemala, El Salvador, Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic, State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said.

The new Secretary of State already has said the Hong Kong-based operator of Panama Canal-adjacent ports could be a “big national security and defense problem.”

The new US Secretary of State's first trip abroad is dominated by Donald Trump's rigid migration policy and his Panama Canal plans. Marco Rubio is

Secretary of State Marco Rubio is paying much-needed attention to Latin America.. But his mission statement has key omissions