MIAMI, Florida
President Donald Trump convened twelve Latin American heads of state Saturday at his Doral golf resort outside Miami — a first-of-its-kind gathering pitched as a “Shield of the Americas” summit — warning that action against Cuba is “imminent and unavoidable” and floating a hemispheric defense treaty that would grant the United States legal standing for unilateral operations inside any signatory nation.
The summit, held at Trump National Doral Golf Club, brought together leaders from Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, Argentina, Chile, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay, Panama and the Dominican Republic. Nicaragua and Venezuela were not invited. Secretary of State Marco Rubio represented the administration alongside national security adviser Michael Waltz.
“The era of patience with the Cuban regime is over,” Trump told reporters at a joint press conference. “We have three options on the table — and all three end with the regime changing.” He did not specify which options he was referring to and declined to take questions.
The centerpiece proposal is a hemispheric defense framework that would allow the United States to conduct unilateral military operations inside any participating nation against what the administration classifies as terrorist or narco-trafficking threats — without requiring host-government approval in advance. No participating leader publicly endorsed the framework. Mexico’s President Sheinbaum called it “a violation of sovereignty under any name.”
Colombia’s Petro said he attended to “listen, not to sign anything that undermines Colombian independence.” Brazil’s Lula, who addressed the summit by video link, proposed an alternative framework built around multilateral UN authorization — and was reportedly met with laughter from Waltz, according to two diplomatic sources present who spoke to Media Hook on condition of anonymity.
The summit produced a joint communiqué — not a treaty — committing signatories to enhanced intelligence sharing on transnational crime and a working group on border security coordination. No binding commitments were made on the defense framework. Trump said the treaty text would be circulated within 30 days for “partner review.”
Latin American analysts were sharply divided. “This is theater with a legal veneer,” said Dr. Claudia Urrutia, director of the Latin American Security Studies Program at FLACSO in Buenos Aires. “The real message is to China and Venezuela — everyone in the hemisphere is being asked to pick a side.” Others noted that the Doral venue, a private Trump property, meant US taxpayer money flowed directly to the President’s businesses. The White House rejected that characterization.
Cuba’s Foreign Ministry called the summit “an act of aggressive interference” and said it would file a formal complaint with the OAS. The Cuban statement, carried by state media, said Havana was “not concerned.”
Diego Vargas, Media Hook Latin America.