The White House spokesperson, Karoline Leavitt, stated that Colombia was not invited to the regional initiative called "Shield of the Americas" because Washington believes that the Colombian government has not yet demonstrated the expected level of cooperation in the fight against drug trafficking.
During a press conference, the official explained that the United States assessed the level of collaboration of the South American country before finalizing the list of participants in the new regional alliance promoted by President Donald Trump.
"I don't think we are yet seeing the level of cooperation we would like from the Government of Colombia to invite them to the Shield of the Americas event," Leavitt stated to reporters.
Despite the exclusion, the spokesperson noted that the White House does not rule out the possibility of other countries joining the coalition in the future.
"We hope that this new organization continues to expand and that we can keep inviting additional countries," he added.
According to the official explanation, the initiative aims to strengthen regional coordination in response to drug trafficking and other threats related to organized crime in the Western Hemisphere.
A new regional alliance against drug trafficking
The so-called "Shield of the Americas" is a military and security alliance promoted by the Trump administration to coordinate actions among various Latin American countries against drug trafficking, cartels, and transnational organized crime.
The project was presented at a summit held at the Trump National Doral resort in Miami, where the U.S. president gathered leaders from twelve Latin American and Caribbean countries to formalize the regional coalition.
During the meeting, the U.S. government described the bloc as an initiative aimed at addressing security issues affecting the region, including drug trafficking, illegal migration, and transnational criminal networks.
The White House presented the meeting as an important step to strengthen cooperation among allied governments on the continent.
As Leavitt explained in that context, the participating countries agreed to collaborate in fighting criminal organizations, drug traffickers, and groups deemed threats to regional security.
The participating countries and the regional political division
Several Latin American leaders considered political allies of Washington participated in the summit. Among them were: Javier Milei, Nayib Bukele, Daniel Noboa, Santiago Peña, Luis Abinader, José Raúl Mulino, Rodrigo Chaves, and Nasry Asfura.
Representatives from Trinidad and Tobago and Bolivia also attended.
José Antonio Kast also participated, who will assume the Chilean presidency on March 11 and will become the first far-right leader in the country since the return to democracy.
The selection of participants highlighted a clear ideological division in the hemisphere. Governments from the left or center-left with significant regional influence, such as Gustavo Petro, Claudia Sheinbaum, and Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, were excluded.
The absence of Colombia and the tensions with Washington
Colombia's exclusion drew particular attention because the country has been one of the main partners of the United States in the fight against drug trafficking for decades.
However, in recent years, relations between Washington and Bogotá have experienced political tensions, especially during Gustavo Petro's presidency.
Trump himself has publicly accused the Colombian leader of tolerating the existence of "cocaine factories" in the country, which has contributed to the deterioration of the diplomatic climate between both governments.
After Leavitt's statements became known, the Colombian president publicly responded, stating that his government had not requested to participate in the alliance.
Petro stated that Colombia has not requested to join the "Shield of the Americas" and questioned some of the countries that are part of the bloc, adding a new chapter to the political tension between the two governments.
A regional context marked by security operations
The summit of the "Shield of the Americas" took place at a time of significant U.S. pressure in the region regarding security and the fight against drug trafficking.
A few months earlier, on January 3, 2026, U.S. special forces carried out a military operation called "Absolute Resolution" in Venezuela, which resulted in the capture of then Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores.
Both were later transferred to New York to face charges related to narcoterrorism and conspiracy to import cocaine.
That episode was interpreted by several analysts as a sign of Washington's tougher approach to drug trafficking and the governments it considers linked to criminal networks in the region.
In that context, the new regional coalition led by the United States aims to strengthen military and police cooperation among allied countries to confront these threats.
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