On Tuesday, the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York City, President Donald Trump addressed the Shield of the Americas coalition and demanded a unified response to what he labeled the “ISIS of the Western Hemisphere.” He pledged to apply “unmatched military might” if necessary and urged every member nation to formally designate the identified criminal networks as common threats to regional stability.
Following the president’s remarks, fifteen governments that form the anti-cartel alliance issued a joint declaration. The statement outlined plans to impose asset freezesvisa restrictions and criminal liability for anyone furnishing material or logistical support to the listed entities. The coalition’s agenda also includes requesting the OAS Permanent Council to activate the 1947 Inter-American Treaty of Reciprocal Assistance, a mechanism designed to coordinate action against security threats.
The 24 groups targeted by the new sanctions
The list released at the meeting encompasses a mix of gangs, drug cartels, and insurgent movements that have already been placed on U.S. sanctions rosters. At the top are two organizations previously declared terrorist by Washington: Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) the powerful Central American gang, and Tren de Aragua a Venezuelan outfit active in Colombia, Peru and Chile. The roster also names the major Mexican cartels, Colombia’s National Liberation Army (ELN) dissident factions of the FARC Brazil’s Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC) and Comando Vermelho and Peru’s Shining Path. All 24 entities have already been flagged by the United States as narco-terrorist threats.
Regional response and legal hurdles
Support for the initiative came primarily from governments aligned with Trump’s agenda, including Argentina, Ecuador, El Salvador, Colombia and Peru. Chile, Bolivia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Guyana, Honduras, Panama, Paraguay, Trinidad and Tobago and the United States also signed on. Brazil and Mexico, however, chose to stay outside the coalition. Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva criticized the approach in his UN speech, warning of “renewed hegemonic temptations” and insisting that Brazil is “nobody’s back yard.”
Legal implementation varies by country. In Colombia, for example, the measures will require congressional approval, and lawmakers are currently drafting the necessary legislation. Al Jazeera correspondent Alessandro Rampietti noted from Bogotá that while the declaration is largely symbolic today, it sets the groundwork for future prosecutions and asset seizures once national legal processes are completed.
Broader U.S. strategy and controversy
The sanctions drive reflects a broader shift in U.S. policy outlined in the National Security Strategy released late last year. That strategy revives a modernized version of the Monroe Doctrine, emphasizing hemispheric primacy and a hard-line stance on transnational crime. Since resuming office, Trump has designated cartels as foreign terrorist organizations, authorized dozens of maritime strikes against suspected drug-running vessels, and reported that those actions have resulted in more than 223 deaths—a figure UN experts argue could amount to crimes against humanity.
While the administration frames the crackdown as a necessary defense of security, critics argue that the heavy-handed rhetoric and unilateral strikes undermine international law. The Shield of the Americas proposal attempts to shift some of that burden onto regional partners, but the mixed reception in Latin America highlights the tension between U.S. security ambitions and sovereign concerns about external interference.
