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The President of the United States, Donald Trump, nominated the Cuban-American lawyer Juan Rodríguez as the ambassador of the United States to Guatemala, according to a list of nominations sent to the Senate on March 9, 2026.
The designation appears in the official document from the White House titled “Nominations Sent to the Senate”, which states: “Juan Rodríguez, of Florida, to be the extraordinary and plenipotentiary ambassador of the United States of America to the Republic of Guatemala.”
As happens with this type of diplomatic appointment, the nomination must go through the confirmation process of the U.S. Senate. The procedure includes a review by the Foreign Relations Committee and a hearing before the full Senate decides whether to approve the appointment or not.
After the nomination was announced, Cuban-American Congressman Carlos A. Giménez publicly reacted on social media platform X. “Congratulations to Florida Cuban-American attorney Juan Rodríguez who has been nominated by President Donald Trump as the next ambassador of the United States to the sister Republic of Guatemala!” the legislator wrote in a post on X.
The Miami-Dade County Commissioner Roberto J. González also spoke, expressing in another message on X: “Congratulations to Juan Rodríguez, a talented Cuban-American lawyer from Florida, on his nomination by President Donald Trump as the Ambassador of the United States to Guatemala.”
The official added, "As someone born in Guatemala, I feel a great admiration for your beautiful land and your wonderful people. This is an excellent choice that will strengthen the lasting bonds of friendship, cooperation, and shared prosperity between two great nations."
Rodríguez is a lawyer with over two decades of experience in complex international litigation, particularly in commercial disputes and corporate fraud cases. Part of his work has involved proceedings in multiple jurisdictions and international arbitrations.
According to his professional profile, he has also represented clients in cases related to RICO law, antitrust, price-fixing, franchise rights, and intellectual property. Furthermore, he has served as external legal counsel for a multinational corporation with operations in the agricultural and hospitality sectors in Central and South America.
Rodríguez obtained his law degree from the University of Florida College of Law in 1986 and previously graduated with honors in Political Science from the University of Michigan. He has also been involved with the Cuban American Bar Association, where he served as a director from 2001 to 2002.
His nomination adds to other recent appointments of Cuban Americans in high-level diplomatic positions. Among them is businessman Benjamín León Jr., the current ambassador of the United States to Spain and Andorra, who took office after being nominated by Trump and confirmed by the Senate.
Currently, the U.S. Embassy in Guatemala is led by John M. Barrett as the chargé d'affaires. Barrett took office in January 2026 following the departure of the former ambassador, Tobin John Bradley.
The U.S. diplomatic representation in Guatemala is regarded as one of the most significant in Washington's Central American portfolio due to the bilateral agenda between the two countries, which includes topics such as migration, trade, development, and security cooperation.
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