'Shield of Americas' formed to target cartels in Western Hemisphere

A new international coalition of 14 countries, the "Shield of the Americas," has been formed to target cartels and transnational crime in the Western Hemisphere. There is "an immediate and universally shared threat in our hemisphere," posed by "transnational narco-terrorist organizations, which endanger the peace and security of our hemisphere along with the safety, security, and prosperity of our citizens," they said. The governments of the United States, Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guyana, Honduras, Panama, Paraguay, Peru and Trinidad and Tobago have all signed a Memorandum of Understanding to target transnational crime, the U.S. State Department said when announcing the new coalition. It's the first joint action they've taken "to confront the scourge of narco-terrorism" and their shared goal is to target 24 international criminal organizations, some of which have been designated as foreign terrorist organizations (FTOs) in the U.S. Shield of Americas members are targeting TdA, MS-13, Carteles Unidos, Cartel del Golfo (Gulf Cartel), La Nueva Familia Michoacana, Cartel del Noreste, Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generacion (CJNG), Cartel de Sinaloa, Gran Gri,; Viv Ansanm, Los Lobos, Los Choneros, Barrio 18, Cartel de Los Soles, Clan del Golfo, Primeiro Comando da Capital, Comando Vermelho, Chone Killers, Los Viagras, Juarez Cartel (La Línea), FARC dissident groups (including FARC-Estado Mayor Central, FARC-Segunda Marquetalia, aliases, affiliates and successor groups), ELN, Shining Path (Sendero Luminoso), and Los Tiguerones. The new coalition was forged 21 months after President Donald Trump directed U.S. federal agencies to target Mexican cartels and other foreign groups threatening American citizens and national security. The order directed the agencies to respond to and reverse the unprecedented volume of drugs and criminal actors that poured into the country during the Biden administration, including through building a range of law enforcement partnerships. Of the many executive orders Trump signed addressing border security, one designated Mexican cartels, the Venezuelan prison gang Tren de Aragua, Salvadoran La Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13), and other organizations as FTOs and specially designated global terrorists under the U.S. Constitution, Immigration and Nationality Act and International Emergency Economic Powers Act, The Center Square reported. Last February, Secretary of State Marco Rubio officially designated multiple groups as FTOs. Since then, he's also designated dozens more spanning the globe. Shield of the Americas members said they "unite efforts to defend their sovereignty by collectively imposing sanctions and other measures on these 24 narco-terrorist groups." The coalition plans to take targeted actions under three pillars of their coalition: "economic, security and multilateral coordination." When it comes to defending their economies, they said they will enhance economic cooperation, explore investment screening mechanisms, safeguard critical minerals supply chains through diversified and reliable sourcing, and promote "trusted supplier regulations for digital infrastructure." "We recognize that durable security requires economic development, stable jobs, and tangible opportunities for the people, and that economic sovereignty is successfully defended when capital entering our nations is transparent and verifiable," they said. When it comes to security and multinational cooperation, they said they will coordinate sanctions, designations, and financial actions, expand civilian law enforcement and facilitate "humanitarian and messaging assistance to defend popular will." They also plan to share intelligence, expand access to security technologies and capabilities and promote training and professional development of human resources, among other measures, they said. The countries also formally requested the president of the Organization of American States Permanent Council to schedule a meeting for them to establish a formal consultation under Articles 6 and 13 of the Inter-American Treaty on Reciprocal Assistance (Rio Treaty). Once it's scheduled, they said they "intend to participate at the ministerial level to consider adopting a resolution promoting and facilitating collective action against narco-terrorist organizations under the Rio Treaty." The new coalition is a marked reversal of previous federal policies. The Trump administration's U.S. Southern Command has been striking suspected FTO drug boats in the eastern Pacific and Caribbean through Joint Task Force Southern Spear. U.S. Customs and Border Protection has also expanded interdiction efforts in four major regions in U.S. coastal and international waters, The Center Square reported. CBP's Air and Marine Operations is working with Coast Guard crew and other federal partners to detect and interdict vessels used by cartels, FTOs and other criminal networks. "The ocean is not a safe haven for cartels and smugglers," CBP Commissioner Rodney Scott said. "If you are moving drugs, contraband, or people toward our shores, expect us to find you."