President Donald Trump convened a gathering of Latin American leaders at his Miami-area golf club on Saturday to discuss regional interests and announce what he called an Americas Counter-Cartel Coalition. The summit, dubbed the “Shield of the Americas,” brought together leaders from Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guyana, Honduras, Panama, Paraguay, and Trinidad and Tobago.
Key Takeaways
President Donald Trump convened a summit of Latin American leaders to announce an Americas Counter-Cartel Coalition aimed at eradicating cartels. The 'Shield of the Americas' summit included leaders from 13 countries and emphasized the use of military force against cartel networks. A former DEA administrator praised the administration's aggressive approach, citing recent drug seizures as evidence of progress.
Trump emphasized the need for a coalition to eradicate cartels, comparing it to the coalition formed to combat ISIS. He stated that Mexico is the epicenter of cartel violence and that cartels are fueling much of the bloodshed in the hemisphere. “We must recognize that the epicenters of cartel violence is Mexico,” Trump said.
The summit was attended by several right-wing leaders, including Argentina’s Javier Milei, El Salvador’s Nayib Bukele, and Ecuador’s Daniel Noboa. Notably absent were top-level leadership from Mexico and Brazil, both led by left-wing presidents who have resisted some of Trump's more hardline policies.
Trump praised Venezuela's interim president Delcy Rodriguez for her cooperation with the US. “She’s doing a great job because she’s working with us,” he said. The summit also included remarks from Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who reiterated the view that criminal networks and cartels pose an existential crisis for the entire Western Hemisphere.
Trump's announcement comes amid a series of military operations in Latin America aimed at combating drug trafficking. He justified these actions by arguing that cartels have grown more powerful than local militaries, necessitating a lethal response. Trump also reiterated his belief that Cuba is facing collapse and expressed optimism about upcoming changes in the country.
A former acting Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) administrator, Derek Maltz, said the U.S. crackdown on drug cartels under the Trump administration is unlike anything he’s seen before. He emphasized the need for an offensive strategy against narco-trafficking and praised recent enforcement actions as evidence of progress.
“We have to be offensive, and we have to go after these threats like we've never done before,” Maltz said during
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