Speaking at the inaugural Americas Counter Cartel Conference in March, top advisers from the Trump administration made clear that Latin America would remain a parallel priority as the conflict with Iran continued to escalate, framing the region as a strategic front tied directly to U.S. national security interests.
White House security adviser Stephen Miller was one of the more vocal officials, saying the United States would "not cede an inch of territory in this hemisphere," describing a doctrine that leans on "hard power, military power, [and] lethal force" to confront criminal networks.
