President Donald Trump convened leaders from 12 nations across the Western Hemisphere on Saturday at the “Shield of the Americas” summit in Doral, Florida, highlighting recent U.S. military actions and issuing pointed warnings against adversaries in Latin America, reports Baltimore Chronicle, with reference to the ABC. Attendees included Argentine President Javier Milei, Bolivian President Rodrigo Paz Pereira, Chilean President-elect Jose Antonio Kast, Honduran President Tito Asfura, and other key regional figures.
In his opening remarks, Trump discussed developments in the ongoing U.S.-Israeli operations against Iran, stating that “tremendous progress” had been achieved and noting the significant effects on U.S. energy markets. He described the military build-up under his previous administration as foundational to current operations and emphasized that recent actions, including the capture of former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, exemplify U.S. military strength.
Trump repeatedly underscored the success of U.S. operations in Venezuela and signaled forthcoming interventions in Cuba. “As we achieve a historic transformation in Venezuela, we’re also looking forward to the great change that will soon be coming to Cuba,” he stated, describing Cuba as a nation “at the end of the line” due to financial strain, lack of oil, and an entrenched regime. He added that Cuba is entering “its last moments of life as it was” while anticipating a transformative future.
Relations between the United States and some Latin American leaders have been tense, with criticism directed at U.S. incursions in Venezuela. Trump also highlighted challenges with Mexico’s anti-cartel efforts and prior disagreements with Colombian President Gustavo Petro, though the two leaders have since coordinated following the Venezuela raid. Both Trump and Petro issued public statements of cooperation, and Petro was invited to the White House.
At the summit, Trump formally launched the “Americas Counter Cartel Coalition,” pledging joint efforts to dismantle drug trafficking networks. “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. We’ll get rid of them. We need your help,” he told attending leaders.
The event coincided with the announcement of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s reassignment to a new role as a special envoy for “The Shield of the Americas,” effective March 31. Noem addressed DHS staff, noting that her new position would leverage partnerships and expertise developed during her tenure. She attended the summit alongside secretaries Marco Rubio, Howard Lutnick, and Pete Hegseth, and was formally introduced to the attending leaders by Rubio, who highlighted her active involvement in ongoing initiatives.
Noem pledged to provide personal access to herself for summit leaders, emphasizing cross-national collaboration against cartels. “Our objectives are going to be to destroy the cartels, to go after these narcoterrorists that are destroying our people, killing our children and our grandchildren. We’re also going to keep our adversaries at bay,” she said, offering her personal contact to ensure continuous cooperation.
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