Latin American leaders urge unity amid U.S. trade and migration tensions

The meeting of 11 heads of state and 20 representatives from Latin America and the Caribbean, a bloc known as the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States, was marked by a call to put aside differences in the face of global tensions. “Today more than ever is a good time to recognize that Latin America and the Caribbean require unity and solidarity,” President Claudia Sheinbaum of Mexico said during the summit.

Trump on Wednesday suspended his global tariffs for 90 days on most countries other than China, which was hit with increased 125% tariffs, another escalation in the trade war between the two countries.

Even with the pause in tariffs, resentment still simmers among many trading partners and U.S. allies, which have started to look for other reliable trade alternatives in the face of uncertainty under the Trump administration. Adding to the economic turmoil are also larger frustrations over Trump's deportation tactics, increasingly the subject of legal scrutiny and human rights criticisms, and moves by his administration that some say infringe on the sovereignty of foreign nations.

Through a video message, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, who did not attend the summit, condemned the persecution of Venezuelan migrants by the U.S. administration. Sheinbaum insisted on the need for cooperation, reiterated that the structural causes must be addressed and rejected "the criminalization of brothers and sisters of our continent who for some reason have had the need to migrate north.”