# JOHN KOUFOS: Trump’s ‘Shield of the Americas’ could help defend us from cartels

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/john-koufos-trumps-shield-of-the-americas-could-help-defend-us-from-cartels/
- Published: 2026-10-30T09:00:05+00:00
- Updated: 2026-10-30T09:36:03+00:00
- Original publisher: Fox News (publisher lean: Far right)
- Original article: https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/john-koufos-trumps-shield-americas-could-help-defend-us-from-cartels
- Topics: Americas, Art, Culture, Health, Medicine, Paranormal, Weird & Viral, World

## Key points

- US initiative designates eight criminal groups as terrorist organisations.
- Author says financial disruption and cross-border cooperation could weaken cartels.
- Brazil is described as a key holdout from the coalition.

## Summary

The author argues that the US-led “Shield of the Americas” initiative could help counter cartels by treating them as international organisations rather than separate local crime problems. He says designating major groups as foreign terrorist organisations gives authorities stronger tools to disrupt their finances and coordinate action across borders.

The article names the Sinaloa Cartel, Jalisco New Generation Cartel and Tren de Aragua among eight designated groups. It says the designations allow assets to be frozen and impose penalties for providing material support, while the initiative promotes intelligence sharing and military coordination. The author criticises Brazil’s expected absence from the coalition and argues that gaps between governments have helped criminal networks operate.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.