Trump convenes second Shield of the Americas gathering at UN General Assembly, urges sanctions on 24 'narco-terrorist' groups

President Trump held the coalition's second gathering on the sidelines of the 81st UN General Assembly in New York, attended by 15 of the coalition's governments — Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guyana, Honduras, Panama, Paraguay, Peru and Trinidad and Tobago, alongside the US — but not Brazil or Mexico. Trump pledged 'unmatched military might' against cartels, calling 24 listed criminal organizations — including MS-13, Tren de Aragua, unnamed Mexican cartels, Colombia's ELN, Brazil's Primeiro Comando da Capital and Comando Vermelho, and Peru's Shining Path — the 'ISIS of the Western Hemisphere,' and urged members to 'formally designate narco-terrorists as common threats to stability.' The coalition's joint statement committed members to asset freezes, visa restrictions and pursuit of criminal charges against the groups' members and supporters, organized under three pillars: economic, security and multilateral coordination. Secretary Rubio praised 'the emergence of strong leaders who are committed to the challenge of taking on transnational terrorism.'