Trump administration doubles down on military action in Latin America

News | Donald Trump Trump administration doubles down on military action in Latin America At the inaugural ‘Americas Counter Cartel Conference’, Trump officials pledged to continue military operations against Latin American gangs. Listen to this article | 6 mins By Joseph Stepansky Published On 5 Mar 2026 5 Mar 2026 Click here to share on social media Share Save Add Al Jazeera on Google The United States-Israeli war with Iran continues to rage, as Washington pledges to send more troops and military assets to the Middle East and Tehran widens its retaliatory strikes across the region. But on Thursday, top officials under US President Donald Trump shifted focus to another military front: Latin America. Recommended Stories list of 3 items list 1 of 3 ‘Remote coercion’: What has US approach been since abduction of Maduro? list 2 of 3 Another US boat strike in Caribbean Sea kills three, Pentagon says list 3 of 3 What US military actions has Trump taken since returning to office? end of list Since taking office for a second term, Trump has indicated he plans to exert US dominance over the entire Western Hemisphere. His push for control has coincided with military operations against alleged criminal networks across the region. At Thursday’s inaugural “Americas Counter Cartel Conference”, speakers such as White House security adviser Stephen Miller assured reporters that Latin America would remain a top military priority for the US, regardless of events in the Middle East. “We are not going to cede an inch of territory in this hemisphere to our enemies or adversaries,” Miller said, adding the US was “using hard power, military power, lethal force, to protect and defend the American homeland”. Miller further maintained there is no “criminal justice solution” to drug cartels, which he likened to armed groups like al-Qaeda and ISIL . Organised crime, he concluded, “can only be defeated with military power”. Since Trump took office last year, his administration has applied what...