The administration of US President Donald Trump will seek $45 million in security funding for Ecuador as part of its cooperation with the country’s right-wing government.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the pledge Wednesday during a visit to Ecuador’s capital Quito.
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He also praised the government of Ecuadorian President Daniel Novoa as “the most engaged and active partner” in the U.S. effort to dismantle criminal networks and “bring to justice those who have never been brought to justice.”
Rubio said that in addition to the $45 million security package, the Trump administration will launch a $10 million effort to tackle illegal gold mining, gang recruitment and drug trafficking.
It will also provide one Coast Guard cutter and five interceptors to support the Ecuadorian Navy, adding to the seven ships the U.S. delivered earlier this year.
Rubio’s visit to Ecuador is part of a larger three-country trip to South America, which includes a three-day stop in Colombia. He is scheduled to head to Peru on Thursday.
So far, security has been a major theme on his journey. The United States is seeking to increase its influence throughout the Western Hemisphere, taking increasingly aggressive military action abroad in the name of fighting crime.
The Trump administration also designated several Latin American criminal organizations as “foreign terrorist organizations.”
“These are not ordinary groups. They are clearly involved in a common crime, but they have terrorist capabilities throughout the region that need to be confronted,” Rubio said in Quito. “They have to be dismantled, they have to be defeated, and we are committed to doing that.”
As part of Wednesday’s suspension, Rubio designated the Ecuador-based drug lord Los Tiguerones as a “foreign terrorist organization,” accusing it of trafficking illegal drugs and being involved in the violent takeover of television stations in 2024.
Since 2023, Ecuador has become increasingly assertive under the Noboa government.
The youngest president in the country’s modern history, Novoa was first elected after the government was suddenly dissolved in 2023. To secure re-election in 2025, Novoa has pivoted to security concerns and promised a tough crackdown.
Ecuador has seen a surge in crime since the coronavirus pandemic, with drug lords increasingly using its Pacific ports.
To combat the problem, Novoa deployed thousands of military and police forces to crime-prone areas. He also called the conflict with drug traffickers a “state of war.”
This approach is closely aligned with the Trump administration’s national security platform, and the two countries have forged close ties since Trump returned to power in 2025.
For example, in March, the United States acknowledged that it was engaged in joint military operations with Ecuador.
Right-wing governments in the region, including Noboa’s administration, also participate in the American Coalition Against Cartels (ACCC), a regional security framework created and led by the Trump administration.
More recently, Ecuador has cooperated with the United States in efforts to intercept and attack vessels suspected of being involved in drug trafficking.
On Tuesday, for example, the United States seized a vessel it said had ties to the Los Choneros criminal organization and transferred the suspects to Ecuadorian authorities. This was the sixth such surgery in less than two weeks.
Both the United States and Ecuador have been accused of human rights abuses as part of their counter-drug operations.
For example, the United States has carried out approximately 68 deadly boat attacks in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific Ocean since September 2, 2025, in a campaign aimed at eliminating “narco-terrorists.”
More than 220 people were killed in these operations. Some families, including those in Ecuador, have accused the Trump administration of attacking and killing fishermen who had no connection to drug trafficking.
The Ecuadorian survivors of the U.S. ship collision were repatriated to their home country in October 2025, but were later released from detention due to insufficient evidence. Legal experts liken the attack to extrajudicial killings that violate international law.
But Mr. Rubio used his visit to defend the boat bombing campaign. “Our goal is not to go after fishermen. Our goal is to go after drug traffickers,” he said.
