Policy Priorities
U.S. Leadership in the Hemisphere
We work to guarantee the United States remains the leading economic, political, and military power in the Western Hemisphere.Hemispheric Security is National Security
Our strategy begins with the principle that the safety of the U.S. depends on the stability of our neighbors—security must start at home and next door.Border Integrity and Homeland Defense
From stopping illicit flows to dismantling cartel-state alliances, we push for decisive policies that secure the border and reinforce our internal defenses.Push Back Against Chinese Influence
China is expanding its influence across Latin America—we’re exposing it and pushing back with policy and partnerships that protect U.S. interests.
At the America First Policy Institute (AFPI), we believe that safeguarding the homeland starts with securing our own neighborhood. The Western Hemisphere Initiative was launched to reaffirm and strengthen America's role as the undisputed leader in the region. Guided by the America First vision, we are committed to countering foreign adversaries—such as Communist China—who seek to undermine U.S. influence and stability in Latin America and the Caribbean.
This initiative isn't about short-term fixes—it's a long-term strategy to secure our borders, assert U.S. dominance, and build strong alliances across the hemisphere. By uniting policy, research, and action, the Western Hemisphere Initiative ensures America leads from a position of strength, rooted in sovereignty, and focused on the security and prosperity of our people.
In a fast-moving world, the Western Hemisphere is a front line. Our team is actively engaged—on the ground, in the room, and leading the conversation. We’re tracking critical developments, forging key alliances, and driving the ideas that keep America in command. Because if the United States doesn’t lead here, someone else will—and that’s a risk we won’t take.
Team
The Honorable Chad Wolf
Chair, Homeland Security & Immigration
The Honorable Robert Wilkie
Co-Chair, American Security
Joshua Treviño
Senior Fellow for the Western Hemisphere Initiative
Melissa Ford Maldonado
Director of the Western Hemisphere Initiative
Peter J. Brown
Senior Fellow for Western Hemisphere Security and Maritime Affairs
Kristen Ziccarelli
Director of Civilizational Action
Emily Cole
Foreign Affairs Coordinator
Latest
Op-Ed
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January 9, 2026
Venezuela Exposes Western Europe’s Procedural Reflex
On January 3, 2026, the United States took historic action against a regime that had spent years exporting violence, narcotics, and instability far beyond its borders. In a joint operation involving the U.S. military and law enforcement, Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were captured and removed from the country. Venezuelans around the world have poured into the streets to celebrate the collapse of a brutal dictatorship.
Commentary
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January 6, 2026
Only America Could Do This: Inside Trump’s Venezuela Victory
Op-Ed
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January 2, 2026
At Long Last, Washington Remembers Its Own Neighborhood
At the dawn of the new year, the most important foreign-policy debate facing the United States isn’t unfolding in Ukraine or the Middle East. It’s playing out much closer to home—in Central and South America.
Op-Ed
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December 12, 2025
‘America First’ Starts in our Own Hemisphere
There’s a reason American airmen, sailors, and Marines are putting themselves into harm’s way in the southern Caribbean. It’s not because Washington suddenly returned to neoconservative adventurism. It is because a narco-state ruled by a corrupt leftist dictator has become the latest frontline in defending the American people.
Op-Ed
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November 30, 2025
What Brought the Trump Administration to the Brink with the Venezuelan Regime
At this writing, the United States appears to be on the verge of military action against the Venezuelan regime. The president of the United States has de facto closed Venezuelan airspace — via Truth Social, of course — and the largest concentration of American military power in the SOUTHCOM area of responsibility since the 1989 Christmas season is gathered across the Caribbean basin. Naval assets are afloat to the north of the Venezuelan littoral, and American bases and facilities have emerged (or been reactivated) not just in U.S.-controlled territories like Puerto Rico and Guantanamo Bay, but in sovereign allies such as Trinidad and Tobago and the Dominican Republic. All this raises obvious questions, foremost among them: Why now, and why Venezuela?
Topics
- Rural Prosperity
- Government Weaponization
- American Only Elections
- Clean Votes
- Secure Elections
- Big Tech & Censorship
- Budget, Spending, & Taxes
- Government De-Regulation
- The Administrative State
- Rogue Prosecutors Citizens Rights
- Regulatory Reform
- Border & Immigration
- Asia
- Europe
- Defense
- Israel & the Middle East
- The Western Hemisphere
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