Trump urges Latin America to ‘unleash the power’ of their militaries to help US fight cartels
President Trump announces "Americas Counter Cartels Coalition" military effort with Latin American nations to tackle drug cartels: "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." pic.twitter.com/vn2D1YlTbP
— CSPAN (@cspan) March 7, 2026
DORAL, MIAMI: President Donald Trump said Saturday, March 7, that the US and Latin American countries will be working together to combat violent cartels. He encouraged regional leaders gathered at his Miami-area golf club to take military action against d*ug t****icking cartels and transnational syndicates.
Trump said these groups posed an “unacceptable threat” to the hemisphere's national security. The Trump administration is also looking to demonstrate it remains committed to sharpening US foreign policy’s focus on the Western Hemisphere, even while dealing with major crises around the globe.
Trump announces ‘America’s Counter Cartel Coalition’ at Shield of the Americas Summit
Trump addressed regional leaders gathered for what the White House called the “Shield of the Americas” summit at his Miami-area golf club. The meeting brought together heads of state from across the Western Hemisphere to discuss security challenges, particularly the growing influence of violent cartels and transnational syndicates.
“This morning, I'm honored to welcome distinguished heads of state from across the Western Hemisphere for the first Shield of the Americas Summit,” Trump said. He described the meeting as “something very, very special,” noting that many officials had worked hard to organize it because the region is “a very important place for us.”
Trump remarked on the convenience of hosting leaders closer to home, saying, “It's nice to be home. It's very, very important. You know, we go all over the world, 9,000 miles away, 12,000 miles away. I said, how long is this flight? Sir, this flight is 19 hours. I said, oh, that's great. I said, now I have flights that last for two hours. I like that better, much better.”
During the summit, Trump announced the creation of a new military coalition aimed at combating criminal networks. “On this historic day, we come together to announce a brand new military coalition to eradicate the criminal cartels plaguing our region,” he said. The alliance was named the “America’s Counter Cartel Coalition.”
According to Trump, representatives of 17 different nations formally entered the alliance earlier in the week in Miami. He credited Secretary of War Pete Hegseth for his work, saying, “You are fantastic, doing a great job. We're proud of you.”
Trump said the agreement centered on a shared commitment to using force against cartel 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,” he said.
Trump urges Latin American leaders to use military force against cartels
Trump urged leaders in the region to take stronger action against criminal organizations. He said, “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.”
He said cartel activity had grown rapidly in the region and was largely connected to d*ug t****icking. Trump also cited enforcement efforts aimed at stopping narcotics entering the US by sea.
“So what we were doing with the boats coming in — the boats — there's not a lot of people coming in by boats anymore,” he said.
Trump continued, “We knocked down dugs coming in by sea. Dugs coming in through water is down 96%. We're trying to find out who the other 4% are, because I think they're the bravest people in the world. Either that or they don't watch television, right? They're either very brave or they're not watching.”
He compared the proposed coalition’s approach to previous US-led international efforts. Referring to the coalition that confronted the Islamic State group in the Middle East, he said, “We must now do the same thing to eradicate the cartels at home.”
The summit came just two months after Trump ordered a military operation to capture Venezuela’s Nicolas Maduro and bring him and his wife to the US to face d*ug conspiracy charges. Trump’s time with the Latin American leaders was limited.
