Ecuador is an ethnically and geographically diverse country of 18.1 million people, encompassing parts of South America’s Pacific coast, Amazon basin, and Andean highlands. Following a period of bilateral tensions under former President Rafael Correa (2006-2017), U.S.-Ecuador ties have strengthened, including under current President Daniel Noboa (2023-present) of the right-leaning National Democratic Action movement. During the second Trump Administration, the United States and Ecuador have expanded bilateral security cooperation and initiated joint military operations to curtail drug trafficking and other illicit activity linked to transnational criminal organizations (TCOs). Since roughly 2021, TCO-linked illicit activity has contributed to a security crisis in Ecuador, with gangs fighting for control of drug trafficking routes and prisons and attempting to influence politics. The U.S. and Ecuadorian governments also have expanded cooperation on trade and migration issues through the signing of new nonbinding bilateral agreements. Congress, at times, has sought to shape the executive branch’s approach to U.S.-Ecuador relations. In 2022, for example, Congress enacted the United States-Ecuador Partnership Act of 2022 as Title LV, Subtitle B, of the James M. Inhofe National Defense Authorization Act for FY2023 (P.L. 117-263). Authorized until December 2027, the act includes measures aimed at strengthening bilateral security cooperation and commercial ties to promote democracy and regional stability and to counter malign foreign influence. In the 119th Congress, Members have expressed a range of views on Ecuador and U.S. policy. Some Members have commended President Noboa as a strong U.S. ally and called for an expansion of bilateral security cooperation to dismantle TCOs. Some Members have voiced concern about human rights conditions amid Ecuador’s security crisis and possible democratic erosion under President Noboa; those of this view have called on the Trump Administration to suspend joint U.S.-Ecuador military operations and to ensure U.S. security assistance does not contribute to potential human rights abuses. The 119th Congress may assess security, economic, and human rights conditions in Ecuador—including any implications for regional security efforts—and consider legislative and other measures to shape bilateral relations.
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