Costa Rica Releases Rubio Invitation for 22 September
COSTA RICA · DIPLOMACY
Key Facts
- —The country Costa Rica is a Central American democracy and a close US partner against drug trafficking and organised crime.
- —What happened On Friday 9 October, the Foreign Ministry gave the daily La Nación a copy of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s invitation.
- —The invitation It asked the head of state to a Shield of the Americas meeting on Tuesday 22 September, replies due 19 September.
- —Her account President Laura Fernández fired Foreign Minister Manuel Tovar on 24 September, saying he had not told her about the meeting.
- —The meeting Donald Trump joined after the start and led part of the US-hosted session in New York, held during UN General Assembly week.
- —What it leaves out The invitation, sent in Rubio’s name, does not mention Trump, who joined the session only after it had begun.
- —Still open The ministry has not said when the Rubio invitation arrived or when it reached the president’s office.
Costa Rica’s Foreign Ministry has released the Rubio invitation that asked President Laura Fernández to a 22 September meeting in New York. The meeting belonged to the Shield of the Americas, a US-led anti-cartel coalition, and Donald Trump joined it.
Fernández skipped it and fired her foreign minister two days later, saying he had kept her in the dark. The copy, released on Friday 9 October, shows the invitation was addressed directly to the head of state.
What the Rubio Invitation Says
The ministry shared the document with La Nación, a leading San José daily, after the paper asked about it. “We are sharing the respective invitation sent virtually by the State Department, passed on through ordinary diplomatic channels,” the ministry said.
The Rubio invitation is addressed directly to the head of state or head of government. It asks the leader to attend a meeting of the Shield of the Americas hosted by the United States.
It names UN Headquarters at 405 East 42nd Street in New York as the venue. The card does not mention Trump.
It set the meeting for 2 p.m. on Tuesday 22 September, with registration by Saturday 19 September. The ministry did not say when the Rubio invitation arrived, or when it passed it on to the presidency.
Why Fernández Fired Her Foreign Minister
Fernández won Costa Rica’s 1 February 2026 election for Pueblo Soberano, the governing party aligned with her predecessor, Rodrigo Chaves. She did not go to New York in September.
On 22 September she was in Barranquilla, Colombia, for security talks with Colombian President Abelardo De La Espriella. In a 21 July interview, she had already said she would skip the UN General Assembly to focus on issues at home.
On Thursday 24 September, she fired Foreign Minister Manuel Tovar, who had led the country’s delegation in New York. “Tovar attended the session without giving prior notice or informing the President of the Republic of his participation,” Casa Presidencial, the president’s office, said.
The statement called this negligence that caused “great strategic damage” by keeping her out of the session. At an official event at the Golfito marina, on the southern Pacific coast, Fernández apologised to US Ambassador Melinda Hildebrand for her absence.
Tovar had spoken publicly about a high-level Shield of the Americas meeting in New York at least since 17 September.
Since his dismissal, he has not given his version of events. Apart from a brief farewell message, his only public comment has been a Bible verse on X.
The verse, from the Gospel of John, reads: “Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
What the Shield of the Americas Is
Trump launched the Shield of the Americas on 7 March 2026 in Doral, Florida, according to Delfino, a San José news site. Its agenda covers organised crime, drug cartels, irregular migration and the influence of outside powers in the hemisphere.
The 22 September session in New York was its second meeting. When it began, Rubio said Trump would join later, and Trump then arrived and led part of it.
The 15 governments taking part issued a joint declaration against 24 groups they describe as narco-terrorist. They also said they would seek a consultation at the Organization of American States under the Rio Treaty, a 1947 mutual-defence pact.
The meeting was public knowledge beforehand. Paraguay announced on 18 September that President Santiago Peña would attend, and the Dominican Republic listed President Luis Abinader’s participation a day later.
The State Department’s public schedule, released the evening before, listed only Rubio’s meeting with Shield heads of state and foreign ministers. According to CR Hoy, a Costa Rican news site, the official agenda did not mention Trump.
What It Means for You
For Americans, the episode is about how dependable Costa Rica is inside Washington’s campaign against Latin American cartels. The country sits on the routes that carry South American cocaine north to the United States.
The copy confirms that Washington invited Costa Rica’s head of state through ordinary diplomatic channels. That shifts attention to who in San José handled the invitation from the US Secretary of State, and when.
Nothing in the dispute changes visa, travel, trade or investment rules for Americans. Nothing suggests Costa Rica is leaving the Shield of the Americas, and Fernández has apologised for missing the session.
The document does not prove that Fernández saw the invitation herself. It shows that Washington addressed it to the head of state and that it reached the Foreign Ministry.
What Is Not Known
The ministry has not given the date the Rubio invitation arrived or the date it was forwarded to Casa Presidencial. Without those dates, it is unclear whether Fernández or her staff could have answered by 19 September.
Fernández has blamed an “error” in passing the invitation on to her, but has not said who received it or when. Tovar has not given his own version and has not answered La Nación’s interview requests.
More: Costa Rica news in English, every day from The Rio Times.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Shield of the Americas?
It is a US-led coalition that Donald Trump launched on 7 March 2026 in Doral, Florida. It coordinates action against organised crime, drug cartels and irregular migration, and held its second meeting in New York on 22 September.
Was Costa Rica’s president invited to the Shield of the Americas meeting?
Yes. The Rubio invitation released by Costa Rica’s Foreign Ministry is addressed to the head of state or government. It set the meeting for 2 p.m. on 22 September, with replies due by 19 September.
Why was Manuel Tovar fired?
President Laura Fernández dismissed him on 24 September. Her office said he attended the meeting without telling her, which kept her out of the session. The invitation was addressed to the head of state, but when it reached her office is not known.
Does the dispute affect Americans travelling to Costa Rica?
No. It concerns domestic politics and diplomacy, and no travel, visa or trade rule has changed because of it.
Sources: La Nación (Foreign Ministry reply and copy of the invitation), 9 October 2026; Delfino, 24 September 2026; Delfino (column on the missing invitation), 25 September 2026; CR Hoy, 28 September 2026; US Embassy in Costa Rica, 10 October 2026.
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief