Trump Urges Latin American Military Action Against Cartels at Shield of the Americas Summit
At the Shield of the Americas summit at Trump National Doral in Miami, President Trump unveiled the "Americas Counter Cartel Coalition" — which U.S. officials say includes 17 committed countries — and urged regional leaders to "use your military" to eradicate transnational drug cartels, framing the effort as a new military coalition modeled on the anti‑ISIS campaign. The brief gathering, attended by leaders including Argentina’s Javier Milei and El Salvador’s Nayib Bukele and senior U.S. officials such as Kristi Noem (named special envoy) and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, drew criticism from Cuba and highlighted notable absences from major regional players like Brazil, Mexico and Colombia as Trump departed for a Dover AFB dignified transfer.
📌 Key Facts
- The Shield of the Americas summit was held at Trump National Doral in Miami (the site will also host the G20 later this year); President Trump’s time at Doral was brief because he departed to Dover AFB for the dignified transfer of six U.S. troops killed in Kuwait, linking the summit’s optics to the opening phase of the Iran war.
- Trump formally labeled the new grouping the “Americas Counter Cartel Coalition,” describing it as a “brand‑new military coalition” to aggressively target and “eradicate” cartels across the Western Hemisphere and framing the effort as part of a so‑called “Donroe Doctrine” to reassert U.S. dominance and push back on Chinese encroachment.
- Trump urged regional leaders to use their militaries against cartels, saying “the only way to defeat these enemies is by unleashing the power of our militaries. We have to use our military. You have to use your military,” and compared the effort to the U.S.‑led coalition against the Islamic State, signaling an escalatory, military‑first approach.
- Reporting differs on size: The New York Times said 17 Latin American countries committed to join the coalition, while multiple outlets confirmed a roster of attending countries that included Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guyana, Honduras, Panama, Paraguay and Trinidad and Tobago; major regional powers Brazil, Mexico and Colombia did not attend.
- U.S. officials and aides at Doral included Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Senator Marco Rubio and other Trump cabinet figures; Hegseth led a preparatory conference with representatives from 17 countries that produced a joint security declaration on regional peace and sovereignty.
- The summit grew out of the collapse of the planned 10th Summit of the Americas after the Dominican Republic, under U.S. pressure, barred Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela—touching off boycott threats from Colombia and Mexico and prompting Dominican President Luis Abinader to postpone the original event; it followed recent audacious U.S. actions, including an operation two months earlier to capture Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, according to reporting.
- Kristi Noem, recently removed as Homeland Security secretary, accepted a newly created Shield of the Americas special envoy role at Doral; Trump announced Sen. Markwayne Mullin will replace her as DHS secretary effective March 31. Noem defended the administration’s border record—claiming the border is ‘secure’ and that more than 3 million people were removed in the last year—and framed the pivot to aiding regional partners’ security as possible because of that progress.
- Cuban President Miguel Díaz‑Canel denounced the summit as “small, reactionary, and neocolonial,” accusing the U.S. of committing right‑wing governments to accept the lethal use of U.S. military force to manage internal order.
📊 Relevant Data
In 2025, DHS reported 605,000 formal deportations, with an additional 1.9 million self-deportations, totaling over 2.5 million people who left the US, though independent analyses suggest the self-deportation figures may be exaggerated.
Thanks to President Trump and Secretary Noem, More than 2.5 Million Illegal Aliens Have Left the US — Department of Homeland Security
As of February 2026, 73.6% of individuals held in ICE detention (50,259 out of 68,289) have no criminal conviction, indicating that a majority of detentions involve non-criminal immigrants.
TRAC: Immigration Detention Quick Facts — TRAC Reports
Main push factors driving migration from Latin American countries to the US in 2025 include hunger, poverty, violence, and lack of jobs, with large-scale movements slowing but underlying issues persisting.
Border Report Live | Push and pull factors driving migrants to US — Border Report
US historical interventions in Latin America, including coups, sanctions, and support for regimes, have contributed to political instability and economic conditions that drive migration, with examples like pressure on Venezuela continuing into 2026.
Brief history of U.S. interventions in Latin America, Caribbean — NPR
Latinos represent 20% of the US population as of 2025, up from lower shares, accounting for over half of population growth from 2010-2023, with immigration from Latin America contributing to labor force expansion but also pressuring wages in some sectors.
Key facts about U.S. Latinos — Pew Research Center
📰 Source Timeline (7)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
March 07, 2026
11:34 PM
Trump encourages Latin American leaders to use military action to help the U.S. fight cartels
New information:
- Reports Trump explicitly told regional leaders, 'The only way to defeat these enemies is by unleashing the power of our militaries. We have to use our military. You have to use your military,' directly framing the cartel fight as a military, not just law-enforcement, mission.
- Details that Trump cited the U.S.-led coalition against the Islamic State group as his model, saying 'we must now do the same thing to eradicate the cartels at home.'
- Adds that Trump told attendees the U.S. will 'turn its attention to Cuba after the war with Iran' and predicted 'great change will soon be coming to Cuba,' saying Cuba’s communist leaders are 'very much at the end of the line.'
- Includes Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel’s denunciation of the summit as 'small, reactionary, and neocolonial' and his accusation that the U.S. committed right‑wing governments to 'accept the lethal use of US military force' to manage internal order.
- Confirms the specific list of participating countries: Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guyana, Honduras, Panama, Paraguay, and Trinidad and Tobago.
- Notes Trump’s time in Doral was brief because he departed afterward for Dover Air Force Base to attend the dignified transfer of six U.S. troops killed in Kuwait, explicitly linking the summit optics to the opening phase of the Iran war.
10:49 PM
Trump Assembles a New Coalition to ‘Eradicate’ Cartels
New information:
- The New York Times piece reports that Trump formally labeled the new grouping the 'Americas Counter Cartel Coalition.'
- It specifies that 17 Latin American countries have committed to joining the coalition, a concrete membership figure.
- Trump described it as a 'brand‑new military coalition' and said the U.S. military is 'knocking the hell out of them, where we can and we’re going to go heavier,' directly signaling an escalatory posture.
- The article emphasizes that U.S. officials say the coalition will 'aggressively target cartels and organized crime across the Western Hemisphere' as a central plank of Trump’s so‑called 'Donroe Doctrine.'
9:44 PM
Noem thanks Trump for new Shield of the Americas special envoy role after DHS ouster
New information:
- Confirms that Kristi Noem publicly thanked Trump and accepted the newly created Shield of the Americas special envoy role during the Doral summit, despite having just been removed as DHS secretary.
- Details Noem’s defense of her DHS record, including her claim that the administration has ‘secured’ the U.S. border and deported or removed ‘over 3 million’ people in the last year.
- Adds Noem’s framing that, with what she calls secure U.S. borders, the administration can now pivot to helping neighboring countries with their own border and security challenges.
- Specifies that Trump announced Sen. Markwayne Mullin will replace Noem as DHS secretary effective March 31 while Noem shifts into the envoy role.
- Lists top Trump cabinet officials present at the summit (Marco Rubio, Pete Hegseth, Howard Lutnick, Jamieson Greer) and notes attendance by regional leaders including Argentina’s Javier Milei and El Salvador’s Nayib Bukele.
11:00 AM
Noem reveals Trump will have 'big agreement' to announce at major summit with world leaders
New information:
- Kristi Noem confirms she will attend the Shield of the Americas summit at Doral as Trump’s newly appointed special envoy for the coalition after being ousted as Homeland Security secretary.
- Noem says Trump will announce 'a big agreement' at the summit laying out 'how we’re going to go after cartels and drug trafficking in the entire Western Hemisphere.'
- White House spokesperson Anna Kelly issues a detailed statement framing the summit as the encapsulation of the 'Donroe Doctrine,' claiming the southern border is secure, Latin American partners are working with the U.S. against cartels, and that Nicolás Maduro is facing justice in the Southern District of New York.
- The article lists by name 12 Latin American leaders expected to attend the summit, including Argentina’s Javier Milei and El Salvador’s Nayib Bukele, along with Trump cabinet officials Marco Rubio, Pete Hegseth, Howard Lutnick, and Jamieson Greer.
- Fox reports that on Friday, Pete Hegseth led a strategic conference in Doral with representatives from 17 Caribbean, Central American, and South American countries that produced a joint security declaration on regional peace and sovereignty, which Trump plans to celebrate at the summit.
6:32 AM
Trump looks to turn attention to Western Hemisphere, at least for a moment, at Americas summit
New information:
- Confirms the timing: President Trump will gather with Latin American leaders on Saturday at Trump National Doral Miami, with limited time due to his scheduled trip to Dover AFB for the dignified transfer of six U.S. troops killed in Kuwait.
- Spells out that the Shield of the Americas summit follows an 'audacious' U.S. military operation two months earlier to capture Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and bring him and his wife to the U.S. to face drug conspiracy charges.
- Adds that the summit is explicitly framed by Trump’s team as an effort to 'sharpen' U.S. foreign policy focus on the Western Hemisphere and 'reassert U.S. dominance' in the region while pushing back on Chinese economic encroachment.
- Provides additional context on the failed 10th Summit of the Americas, including that the Dominican Republic, under U.S. pressure, barred Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela, prompting boycott threats from Colombia and Mexico and leading President Luis Abinader to postpone the event citing 'deep differences' in the region.
- Quotes former NSC official Richard Feinberg comparing the current Shield of the Americas gathering to the original 1994 Summit of the Americas, underscoring how much narrower this Doral event is with key absences like Brazil, Mexico and Colombia.
5:42 AM
Trump looks to turn attention to Western Hemisphere at Americas summit
New information:
- Confirms the Shield of the Americas summit is being held specifically at Trump National Doral Miami, which will also host the G20 later this year.
- Lists confirmed attending countries: Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guyana, Honduras, Panama, Paraguay, and Trinidad and Tobago.
- Clarifies that the concept for this summit came out of the collapse of what was to be the 10th Summit of the Americas after the Dominican Republic, under U.S. pressure, barred Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela, provoking a boycott threat from leftist-led Colombia and Mexico.
- Adds direct, on‑the‑record rhetoric from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth accusing past U.S. leaders of 'benign neglect' of the hemisphere and promising to reassert U.S. dominance against Chinese encroachment.
- Notes that Trump’s participation time is constrained because he is also flying to Dover AFB for the dignified transfer of six U.S. troops killed in Kuwait during the Iran war.
- Underscores that major regional players Brazil, Mexico, and Colombia will not attend, sharpening the picture of an ideologically skewed coalition.