The United States hosted the "Shield of the Americas" summit in Doral, Florida, during which U.S. President Donald Trump signed a proclamation launching a coalition to combat drug cartels, The Guardian reported on March 7. Heads of state from Argentina, Bolivia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guyana, Honduras, Panama, Paraguay and Trinidad and Tobago attended the event, as did Chile's president-elect.

During the summit, Trump stated that Mexico is the epicenter of cartel violence, though he also again praised President Claudia Sheinbaum, as well as Venezuela's interim President Delcy Rodriguez. The summit occurred as the U.S. military has expanded military operations in the region, conducting dozens of strikes on alleged drug trafficking vessels in the Caribbean Sea and the eastern Pacific Ocean that have killed over 150 people. The U.S. military has also begun collaborating with the Ecuadorian military to target gangs in the country in March.