US-Latin America military coalition to target cartels

Daily News Article   —   Posted on March 9, 2026

(by Sarah Davis, The Hill) –President Trump on Saturday announced a new coalition (Americas Counter Cartel Coalition) to counter drug trafficking and cartels during the inaugural “Shield of the Americas” summit in Miami.

“On this historic day, we come together to announce a brand-new military coalition to eradicate the criminal cartels plaguing our region,” Trump said during the event, which convened a range of Latin American leaders and members of his administration, among others.

“And you have a lot of it,” the president told the heads of state, adding that the U.S. is “knocking the hell out of” the cartels and vowing to “go heavier.”

His remarks follow his promise earlier this year to carry out land strikes on drug cartels, in addition to a slew of boat strikes on…narco-terrorist vessels in the Caribbean.

Earlier this week, the U.S. military also led an operation targeting an Ecuadorian “narco-terrorist” supply complex, which was carried out at the request of the nation’s government.

Trump also addressed the U.S. military’s ouster of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in January, calling the operation “18 minutes of pure violence.” He commended the South American nation’s interim leader Delcy Rodriguez for “working with us.”

“I mean, she’s doing a great job because she’s working with us,” the president said. “If she wasn’t working with us, I would not say she’s doing a great job. In fact, if she wasn’t working with us, I’d say she’s doing a very poor job. Unacceptable.”

He added that U.S. companies are “taking out tremendous amounts of oil” from Venezuela. [The socialist government of narco-trafficker dictator Hugo Chavez had seized control of two American oil companies assets in Venezuela, owing one over $1 billion and the other over $10 billion]. The two nations agreed to reestablish diplomatic relations earlier this week.

Leaders from Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guyana, Honduras, Panama, Paraguay and Trinidad and Tobago joined Saturday’s summit.

And at least 17 countries have signed on to the new agreement, called “Americas Counter Cartel Coalition,” which Trump noted “has to do with drugs, largely.”

“The heart of our agreement is a commitment to using lethal military force to destroy the sinister cartels and terrorist networks,” he said. “Once and for all, we’ll get rid of them.”

Turning to the leaders, the president added, “We’ll need your help. You just have to tell us where they are. We have amazing weaponry, as you probably noticed over the last short period of time,” [referring to] the U.S.’s joint military operations with Israel against Iran …..

[The president also focused a portion of his remarks on the cartels running Mexico, saying that the “epicenter of cartel violence” stems from the country. He added that cartels fuel and orchestrate “a deep bloodshed and chaos” in the hemisphere.

“The only way to defeat these enemies is by unleashing the power of our militaries,” Mr. Trump said. “We have to use our military. You have to use your military.”

The heads of state or government attending the “Shield of the Americas” summit, are from 12 countries aligned with Washington on issues including migration, drug trafficking and regional security.

The summit is a central piece of the Trump administration’s hemispheric strategy, dubbed the “Donroe Doctrine,” a play on the 19th Century Monroe Doctrine, which officials say seeks to deepen cooperation among U.S. partners while limiting the influence of geopolitical rivals such as China, Russia and Iran in Latin America].

The participating leaders signed the Doral Charter, a declaration affirming what officials describe as the “right of the peoples of our Hemisphere to chart their own destiny free from interference,” while emphasizing democratic governance and free-market principles.

The document also commit participating countries to closer cooperation against drug cartels, criminal gangs and illegal migration, as well as expanded coordination on trade and economic policy.

White House Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly said the summit reflects Trump’s effort to reassert U.S. leadership in the region.

“After years of neglect, President Trump established the ‘Donroe Doctrine’ to restore American preeminence in the Western Hemisphere,” Kelly said in a statement. “This weekend’s ‘Shield of the Americas’ Summit will encapsulate his work to strengthen partnerships that make the region safer and more stable.”

Trump was joined by several senior administration officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer.

Published at The Hill, March 7, 2026. Reprinted here for educational purposes only. May not be reproduced on other websites without permission.