Panama Canal and immigration top of agenda for Rubio trip

He arrived in Panama on Saturday to press President Donald Trump’s top priority and to bring the message that the US wants to reclaim control over the Panama Canal

Marco Rubio appears before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee for his confirmation hearing. Picture: AP/Alex Brandon

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has embarked on his first foreign trip in office, arriving in Central America.

He arrived in Panama on Saturday to press President Donald Trump’s top priority — curbing illegal immigration — and to bring the message that the US wants to reclaim control over the Panama Canal, despite intense resistance from regional leaders.