Marco Rubio Passes His First Big Test on Global Stage

During the brief weekend standoff between the U.S. and Colombia over deportation flights ordered by the Trump administration, Secretary of State Marco Rubio was seen in a video handling paperwork and taking calls while President Donald Trump posted threats of tariffs and sanctions in between lunch and a round of golf at his Miami club.

The bout of Trumpian diplomacy — which resulted in Colombia immediately backing down from its position that it would not accept the migrant flights — also served as the first major test for Rubio as America's chief diplomat. When Colombian President Gustavo Petro reversed course approved the repatriations, even pledging to send his presidential plane to pick up the migrants, it was seen by many as both a show of American strength and an unmistakable message to the region.

While the standoff was classic Trump — diplomacy by social media — it was Rubio who was working behind the scenes to add teeth to the president's threats. The secretary of state not only publicly backed Trump's promise of tariffs but also leveraged consular powers to impose unprecedented measures against Colombian officials almost immediately, including travel sanctions, revoking family members' visas and canceling visa appointments until they complied.

Rubio, a Cuban-American and fluent Spanish speaker, is well-versed in the geopolitical forces that shape Latin America, and a fierce enemy of the socialist regimes in countries like Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela. As the son of Cuban exiles who fled Fidel Castro's regime before the revolution, he holds deeply rooted political and ideological views on Latin American affairs, often at odds with Petro's left-wing policies in Colombia.

"It was clear from the outset, with Trump as president and Rubio as secretary of state, that relations with Colombia would be fraught," Michael Shifter, professor at Georgetown University and former president of the Inter-American Dialogue, a think-tank policy on Western Hemisphere affairs, told Newsweek.

While Petro said his issue was the U.S. treating those migrants "like criminals," including cuffing them and sending them back via military plane, there was nothing particularly new about the U.S. sending deportation flights to the region, which have been a routine practice even under previous administrations. Between 2020 and 2024, Colombia alone received 475 deportation flights from the United States, including some in which the deportees were chained at the ankles. In 2023, a similar standoff occurred when Colombia temporarily suspended these flights over concerns about the treatment of deportees, resuming them only after those issues were deemed resolved.

What stands out in the early days of the new Trump administration is the charged political climate surrounding the issue. Washington's tone has shifted from traditional backroom diplomacy to one of open threats and tough talk, with Trump calling the shots. He is ready to impose high tariffs — or even the threat of such tariffs — as a show of force, using them to push his agenda on immigration, drugs and national security, even if an ally like Colombia is seen to be standing in his way.

"The unfortunate standoff offers a taste of what's to come in the relationship between Latin America and the Trump administration," Shifter said. "Tariff threats and sanctions are Trump's preferred instruments of foreign policy. In coming years, Latin American countries will need to figure out how to navigate the very tricky terrain that Trump has established."

Petro, like Trump, is known as an impulsive populist. But in Colombia, his stand against the U.S. appeared to backfire. A former guerrilla member and the country's first leftist leader, Petro is facing political and social turmoil after peace talks with insurgent groups collapsed, sparking violence in the northeast. Trump was not wrong when he said on Truth Social that Petro is unpopular—recent polling shows the Colombian leader with a 56 percent unfavorable rating and approval in the 30s.

"Petro thinks he's giving us dignity and autonomy, putting us on equal footing with the U.S., but this will end in additional submission. The power imbalance is too great," Colombian political analyst Sandra Borda said in an interview with Newsweek, adding that Petro's attempt to pick a fight with Trump seem aimed at rallying his base as he faces growing pressure at home.

"It seems that Petro was tempted to take political advantage of the standoff to shore up his support at home and proudly become Trump's first declared enemy," said Shifter, the Georgetown professor.

Another blow to Petro came with the abrupt dismissal of U.S. Ambassador to Colombia Francisco Palmieri, who had maintained a strong relationship with the leftist leader. Rubio, taking a hardline approach to U.S.-Colombia relations, ordered Palmieri's removal on Friday — almost immediately after he was sworn in and before the flight standoff — and appointed John McNamara, the U.S. Consul General in Curaçao, as interim ambassador until Dan Newlin is confirmed by the Senate.

"It is unusual for an acting ambassador, a career diplomat, to be removed from their position while awaiting the confirmation process for the permanent appointee," reported Colombian journalist Daniel Coronell on Monday, after breaking the news on W Radio, a local radio station in Bogota.

In a statement provided to Newsweek from the secretary of state's office on Sunday, Rubio said: "As demonstrated by today's actions, we are unwavering in our commitment to end illegal immigration and bolster America's border security."

Rubio's statement made it clear: the U.S.-Colombia relationship will focus not just on the long-standing fight against drug trafficking but also on migration—a key issue that helped deliver Trump the White House for a second time.

"It's funny because some Americans said, "Oh, they won't pay much attention to Latin America." But one of the first ambassadors they appointed was to Colombia. They clearly understand that this region is crucial for Trump's agenda, especially since migration was a key campaign issue," said Borda, the Colombian political analyst.

Soon after the deportation flight showdown was resolved, Rubio was quick to announce the victory, claiming it as a win for the U.S. and Trump's "peace through strength" doctrine of foreign affairs. But it was also a personal victory against Petro, whom he had previously referred to as "Gustavo Chávez," comparing him to the late Venezuelan socialist president Hugo Chávez.

Rubio is slated to make his first international trip as secretary of state to Panama, the gateway to the treacherous jungle route known as the Darién Gap, where thousands of migrants begin their journey to the U.S., to underscore the administration's focus on Latin America. With Rubio on board, Trump wasted no time making it known that it would be strictly on his terms.