What is ‘The Shield of the Americas’ that Kristi Noem will serve as envoy to?

Newly established ‘Shield of the Americas’ will have its first summit Saturday in Miami, Florida NewsWorldAmericasUS politicsWhat is ‘The Shield of the Americas’ that Kristi Noem will serve as envoy to?Newly established ‘Shield of the Americas’ will have its first summit Saturday in Miami, FloridaAriana Baio Thursday 05 March 2026 22:37 GMTBookmarkCommentsGo to commentsBookmark popoverRemoved from bookmarksClose popoverTrump to attend newfound 'Shield of the Americas' Summit over the weekendYour support helps us to tell the storyRead moreSupport NowFrom reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.Your support makes all the difference.Read moreOutgoing Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem will serve as “Special Envoy” to The Shield of the Americas, a new initiative launched by President Donald Trump to stop mass migration to the U.S. and thwart drug cartels, the president announced Thursday. The Shield of the Americas is Trump’s newly-established summit that will feature allied leaders of Latin American countries, such as President Javier Milei of Argentina and President Nayib Bukele of El Salvador, to discuss and commit to stopping illegal immigration and drug cartels. Noem’s new position comes after the president ousted her from her role leading the department on its aggressive anti-immigration operation, which resulted in 675,000 deportations and led to the deaths of three U.S. citizens.In a statement, Noem thanked the president for the appointment and said she was looking forward to working with leaders “to dismantle cartels that have poured drugs” into the U.S. As one of her primary acts as special envoy, Noem said she plans to join Trump, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Trade Representative Jamieson Greer at the first summit Saturday in Miami, Florida. open image in galleryThe new ‘Shield of the Americas’ is a partnership between the US and several Latin American countries – though it notably excludes Mexico, Venezuela, Colombia and Brazil (AFP via Getty Images)White House Spokesperson Anna Kelly said in a statement, “The President has successfully strengthened our relationships in our own backyard to make the entire region safer and more stable, and this weekend’s ‘Shield of the Americas’ Summit will encapsulate all of his work to Make America, and our partners, Strong Again.”It’s unclear what duties Noem will be completing in her role as special envoy. Though other administration officials in special envoy roles represent the U.S. in meetings and negotiations.Noem said Thursday the goal of the newfound summit was to “promote freedom, security and prosperity in our region.” Part of that includes partnering with the 12 attending countries to “address criminal narcoterrorist gangs and cartels and counter illegal and mass migration.”The first Shields of the Americas summit will include a signing of the Doral Charter, which will affirm the right of the peoples of our Hemisphere to chart their own destiny free from interference.“After years of neglect, President Trump established the ‘Donroe Doctrine’ to restore American preeminence in the Western Hemisphere,” Kelly said.That is directly tied to Trump’s “Donroe Doctrine,” which is the president’s current policy based on the 1823 Monroe Doctrine – when the U.S. declared any foreign interference in America’s efforts to expand could be considered a hostile act against the U.S. Not every Latin American country has been invited, or at least accepted an invite, to the Shield of the Americas. Most of the attendees appear to be leaders of countries that have elected more right-leaning figures or who have expressed a desire to work with Trump.open image in galleryTrump has adopted a set of policies nicknamed the ‘Donroe Doctrine’ which champion US influence in the Western Hemisphere (Nathan Howard/Getty Images)Notably missing will be Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, Acting President of Venezuela Delcy Rodríguez, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Colombian President Gustavo Petro.Early reports indicate the Shield of the Americas will support Trump’s “Donroe Doctrine” ambitions as he seeks to exert U.S. influence over Latin American countries such as Venezuela and possibly, Cuba.