Rubio hopes more Latin American governments will join Trump's security alliance in the hemisphere

Secretary of State Marco Rubio expressed optimism Wednesday that new governments in Latin America will join the security alliance pushed by President Donald Trump.

Rubio made the remarks while defending the State Department's budget proposal for fiscal year 2026-2027 before Congress, highlighting progress to date. "Over 14 countries in the hemisphere .,. have signed up to partner with us on counterterrorism, counternarcotics, and security matters," he said.

The alliance, unveiled by Trump in March at Florida under the name Shield of the Americas, seeks to strengthen regional cooperation on security, migration and combating organized crime.

The secretary went further and anticipated a growth of the initiative: "We believe that that number will grow over the next few months as elections change leaderships in various countries," he added.

The announcement came amidst a marked shift toward more conservative governments in several Latin American countries, including Argentina, El Salvador, Ecuador and Chile.

Conservative security strategy advances in the region

Rubio's message reinforces the Trump administration's strategy of building a network of ideological allies in the Americas to face common challenges.

The president celebrated Tuesday the first-round victory of Colombian conservative candidate Abelardo de la Espriella, who has expressed his support for the security initiatives promoted by Trump in Latin America.

According to various polls, de la Espriella is consolidating as the clear favorite to win the presidential runoff.