Mexico seeks to show the United States it has a handle on security issues in the face of Trump’s tariffs threat. Noem’s trip also includes stops in El Salvador and Colombia.

Her trip comes amid a souring in relations between the Trump administration and the Colombian government — long the United States' closest ally in the region. Tensions between the two countries rose in January over accepting flights of immigrants deported from the United States.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem will travel to Central and South America next week as part of a high-profile tour focused on deportations and international cooperation to combat transnational crime—beginning with a visit to El Salvador’s notorious Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT).