US President Donald Trump is set to gather with Latin American leaders on Saturday at his Miami-area golf club to discuss issues facing the region, from organised crime to illegal immigration.
What's expected at ‘Shield of the Americas’ summit?
The gathering, dubbed the “Shield of the Americas” summit, aims to serve Washington by boosting US interests in the region and curbing those from foreign powers like China.
In a press release on March 6, a US government spokesperson said, "The United States will welcome our strongest likeminded allies in our hemisphere to promote freedom, security, and prosperity in our region."
"This historic coalition of nations will work together to advance strategies that stop foreign interference in our hemisphere, criminal and narco-terrorist gangs and cartels, and illegal and mass immigration," the statement read.
Who will attend?
Ex-Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem will also attend as Special Envoy to the Shield of the Americas.
Among the leaders to attend the Florida summit are Argentina's libertarian president Javier Milei, Ecuador's Daniel Noboa and El Salvador's Nayib Bukele — whose security crackdown is seen as a model for many in the region.
Trump will also host the leaders of Bolivia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Guyana, Honduras, Panama, Paraguay, and Trinidad and Tobago — as well as Jose Antonio Kast, the president-elect of Chile.
According to reports, Mexico and Brazil, which are currently lead by leftists Claudia Sheinbaum and Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, are likely to be absent from the summit.
"Without Mexico and Brazil, it's not going to be very successful in tackling those issues" of narcotrafficking and counterterrorism, Irene Mia, a Latin America expert at the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) told AFP.
She added that Mexican cartels play a key role in the trafficking supply chain and Brazil's ports are critical narco-trafficking routes to Europe.
Full list of attendees
A White House official told Axios that heads of state from 12 nations will gather, including:
- Argentine Republic President Javier Milei
- Bolivian President Rodrigo Paz Pereira
- Chile President-elect José Antonio Kast
- Costa Rican President Rodrigo Chaves Robles
- Dominican Republic President Luis Abinader
- Ecuadorian Constitutional President Daniel Noboa
- El Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele
- Guyanese President Mohamed Irfaan Ali
- Honduran President Nasry "Tito" Asfura
- Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino Quintero
- Paraguayan President Santiago Peña
- Trinidad and Tobago's Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar
'Shield of the Americas' comes at a crucial times
The “Shield of the Americas” summit comes soon after Trump ordered US strikes alongside Israel in Iran.
Also, just two months earlier, Trump had ordered a US military operation to capture Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and whisk him and his wife to the US to face drug conspiracy charges.
Trump has also implied in recent days that communist-run Cuba is "next" after taking out leaders in Venezuela and Iran.
Besides, most of the right-wing heads of state share concern about the rising power of drug cartels in Latin America.
"All those countries used to be quite secure and didn't really have an issue with organized crime, but they've seen increasing levels of organized crime because of the reconfiguration of the drug trade," Irene Mia, a Latin America expert at the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), told AFP.
Why it matters
According to Axios, while modern US presidents have typically shied away from exerting American influence over the Western hemisphere, the summit underscores Trump's willingness to reassert American control under his so-called "Donroe Doctrine."
After years of neglect, Trump established the 'Donroe Doctrine' to restore American preeminence in the Western Hemisphere," White House spokesperson Anna Kelly told Axios in an emailed statement.
"The President has successfully strengthened our relationships in our own backyard to make the entire region safer and more stable," and the summit will "Make America, and our partners, Strong Again."
