Costa Rica Foreign Minister Sacked After Unauthorized Trump Summit

Costa Rican President Laura Fernandez fired the foreign minister over his unauthorized attendance at the “Shield of the Americas” meeting in New York.

Published On 24 Sep 202624 Sep 2026

Costa Rican President Laura Fernandez has dismissed Foreign Minister Manuel Tovar following his attendance at a U.S.-led security summit with President Donald Trump without her prior knowledge, an action the government claims prevented her participation and inflicted significant strategic damage to national interests.

Fernandez asserted that she was the designated representative for Trump’s “Shield of the Americas” anti-cartel summit in New York. The coalition focuses on combating regional drug trafficking and organized crime.

Tovar participated “without providing prior notice or informing” the president, a conservative Trump ally, according to Costa Rica’s government.

Several right-wing Latin American leaders also attended the event, held alongside the United Nations General Assembly in New York. Fifteen coalition members released a joint statement announcing plans to freeze assets, impose visa restrictions, and pursue criminal charges against members and supporters of 24 criminal organizations.

This gathering represents the administration’s latest initiative to galvanize regional support for a tougher stance on drug trafficking. Since returning to office last year, Trump has designated cartels as foreign terrorist organizations and authorized numerous strikes on vessels in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific that U.S. officials say were transporting narcotics to the United States.

Costa Rica, traditionally viewed as a bastion of stability in Latin America, is currently confronting a sharp rise in drug-related violence.

Tovar declined to address his dismissal, offering only gratitude to Fernandez, who took office in May, for appointing him to her cabinet.

Indiana Trejos, Costa Rica’s Minister of Foreign Trade, has been appointed acting foreign minister and will assume the role upon her return from a UNGA mission.

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