Trump forms 'Americas Counter Cartel Coalition' amid push to stop narco-terrorism

 

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DORAL, FLORIDA - MARCH 07: U.S. President Donald Trump (C) stands with (L-R) Kamla Persad-Bissessar, SC, MP, Prime Minister of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, Santiago Peña, President of the Republic of Paraguay, Luis Abinader, President of the Dominican Republic, Rodrigo Paz Pereira, President of Bolivia, Nayib Bukele, President of El Salvador, Javier Milei, President of Argentina, José Raúl Mulino, President of Panama, Mohamed Irfaan Ali, President of Guyana, Nasry “Tito” Asfura, President of Honduras, Rodrigo Chaves Robles, President of Costa Rica, José Antonio Kast, President-elect of Chile, and Daniel Roy Gilchrist Noboa Azín, President of Ecuador, during a group photograph at the start of the “The Shield of the Americas Summit ,“ a gathering with heads of state and government officials from 12 countries in the Americas at the Trump National Doral Golf Club on March 7, 2026 in Doral, Florida. The White House describes the gathering as a landmark summit aimed at reshaping regional alliances and reinforcing U.S. influence in the Western Hemisphere. (Photo by Roberto Schmidt/Getty Images)

President Donald Trump welcomed leaders from across Latin America for the "Shield of the Americas" Summit in Florida on Saturday.

Trump said the summit was convened to bring together like-minded allies in the region to promote freedom, security, and prosperity amid efforts to stop narco-terrorists and drug cartels.

"On this historic day, we come together to announce a brand new military coalition to eradicate the criminal cartels plaguing our region," Trump said at the event.

"We’re calling this military partnership the Americas Counter Cartel Coalition," he added.

Trump also said "the heart of our agreement" is a commitment to using lethal military force "to destroy the sinister cartels and terrorist networks once and for all."

The leaders of Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guyana, Honduras, Panama, Paraguay, and Trinidad and Tobago participated in the gathering.

"All of the nations in this room share the same priorities: security, prosperity, free commerce, and the rule of law," Trump said.

"That's why together, we're also forming the Shield of the Americas, a new organization to advance these shared priorities in our hemisphere," he said.

Department of Homeland Secretary Kristi Noem, who Trump ousted from her position and appointed as the special enjoy for the new coalition of nations, joined them. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Department of War Secretary Pete Hegseth, and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, were also there.

Officials characterized the summit as a historic coalition aimed at reinforcing regional partnerships and advancing coordinated strategies to confront shared security challenges.

The gathering came just two months after Trump ordered a U.S. military operation to capture Venezuela's then-president, Nicolás Maduro.

"We went right into the heart and took him out," Trump said at the summit.

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