March 6 (UPI) -- President Donald Trump will meet Saturday near Miami with 12 Latin American leaders at the "Shield of the Americas" summit, a gathering focused on security and migration that aims to lay the groundwork for a multilateral alliance in the region.
The meeting marks the first major regional summit organized by Trump since returning to office. It comes amid geopolitical tensions with Iran, a new regional landscape after the apprehension by the United States of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro in January and growing U.S. concern about China's influence in Latin America.
Only leaders aligned with the Trump administration were invited to attend. Trump named fired Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem as special envoy for the Shield of the Americas, but it was not clear whether she would attend the summit.
They include Argentine President Javier Milei, Bolivian leader Rodrigo Paz, Chilean President José Antonio Kast, Costa Rican President Rodrigo Chaves, Dominican Republic President Luis Abinader, Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa and Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele,
Also, Honduran President Tito Asfura, Guyanese President Mohamed Irfaan Ali, Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino, Paraguayan President Santiago Peña and Trinidad and Tobago President Christine Kangaloo.
