A week after the US and Israeli attack on Iran, President Donald Trump temporarily shifted his attention from the Middle East to focus on Latin America and more specifically on the drug cartels operating in the region.

He did so at the “Shield of the Americas” summit (Shield of the Americas), which he himself agreed and which was attended by twelve Latin American presidents aligned with the US president.

The event was attended by figures such as the president of Argentina, Javier Milei, of El Salvador, Nayib Bukele, of Ecuador, Daniel Noboa, and the president-elect of Chile, Jose Antonio Kast.

“This historic coalition of nations will work together to promote strategies that put an end to foreign interference in our hemisphere, to criminal and narco-terrorist gangs and cartels, and to illegal and mass immigration,” the State Department reported.

The agenda, which was designed to “promote freedom, security, and prosperity” in the region, focused on the creation of an Americas Counter Cartel Coalition.

This is a military agreement that seeks to eradicate cartels in the Western Hemisphere. "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," Trump stated. The proclamation, signed by the US president during the Miami summit, details that it is “a commitment from military leaders and representatives of 17 countries that demonstrates the region is ready to employ hard power to defeat these threats to our security and civilization.” Notably absent from the coalition are Mexico, Colombia, and Venezuela, countries that have been fighting drug trafficking for decades. “Expectations are extremely high.” By Ayelen Oliva from Miami. After signing the document that launches the Anti-Cartel Coalition of the Americas, Donald Trump presented each of the twelve Latin American presidents who participated in the meeting with a pen. The image of Trump, seated behind a desk and surrounded by standing Latin American leaders,symbolizes the alignment of these countries with the United States, whom Secretary of State Marco Rubio called “friends.” A few minutes earlier, the Latin American presidents laughed when Trump asked that one of the most well-known American military marches, The Washington Post, continue playing after it had stopped abruptly as they took the stage. That was just one of several occasions when the presidents displayed the event's friendly atmosphere to reporters. Argentine President Javier Milei also burst into laughter when Trump, greeting his Panamanian counterpart, Raul Mulino, said he “loved” the Panama Canal. Presidents Milei and Nayib Bukele of El Salvador, as well as Chile's president-elect, Jose Antonio Kast, were among the guests at the Trump National Doral to whom the US president dedicated a few seconds in his speech. "He is a man with whom we have become very close. The first time I saw him, he was a young and handsome man; now you are older and handsome," Trump told Bukele. Although the Anti-Cartel Coalition of the Americas seems to be focused more on Trump's concerns than on the interests of his allies in the region, the guests expressed optimism about the agreement. “Expectations are very high,” Bolivian Foreign Minister Fernando Aramayo told me a few minutes before Trump will begin distributing pens bearing his signature in gold lettering.

What the says

In the document, released by the White House, Trump asserts that through this agreement, the United States will address “these serious dangers using all necessary resources and legally available authorities, together with our allied nations.”

“The United States, under my leadership, has demonstrated a sustained commitment to dismantling cartels and foreign terrorists operating in the Western Hemisphere,” the document reads.

“These international entities control territories and commerce, extort political and judicial systems, wield weapons and deploy military capabilities, and use assassination and terrorism to achieve their ends,” it adds.

In his proclamation, the president thus established that “criminal cartels and foreign terrorist organizations in the Western Hemisphere must be dismantled to the greatest extent possible, in accordance with applicable law.”

And that the United States and its allies must “coordinate to deprive these organizations of any territorial control and access to the financing or resources necessary to carry out their campaigns of violence.” On the other hand, the United States announces that it will train and mobilize the military forces of partner nations to achieve the most effective fighting force. “The United States and its allies must keep external threats at bay, including malignant foreign influences from outside the Western Hemisphere,” the proclamation concludes.Trump's announcement comes days after the Ecuadorian government announced the start of joint military operations with the United States against “terrorist organizations” in that South American country. It also comes weeks after the Mexican Army led an operation that resulted in the death of Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, better known as “El Mencho,” one of the most wanted drug traffickers in the region. The White House's gamble This aligns with the operation carried out on January 3rd when Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were captured on drug trafficking charges. But combating drug trafficking is not the only objective of the military coalition. Trump confirmed what other administration officials had previously stated: the coalition will also focus on combating "illegal and mass immigration." *With information from Ayelen Oliva. Click here to read more stories from BBC News Mundo. Subscribe here to our new newsletter to receive a selection of our best content of the week every Friday. You can also follow us on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, X, Facebook, and our WhatsApp channel. And remember that you can receive notifications in our app. Download the latest version and activate them.

This also comes weeks after the Mexican Army led an operation that resulted in the death of Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, better known as “El Mencho,” one of the region's most wanted drug lords.

The White House's move aligns with the operation it carried out on January 3rd when it captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, on drug trafficking charges.

But combating drug trafficking is not the only objective of the military coalition.

Trump confirmed what other administration officials had previously stated: the coalition will also focus on combating “illegal and mass immigration.”

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