30th Parliamentary Intelligence-Security Forum – Countering Hybrid and Transnational Threats in the Americas: Building Integrated Resilience through Intelligence, Partnership, and Adaptation

Hon. Abraham Lugo drew on decades of service with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Department of Justice to explain how transnational and hybrid threats evolve rapidly when governance weakens. He contrasted El Salvador’s transformation—driven by strong political will and hard security decisions—with Ecuador’s swift collapse during the pandemic, when international cartels filled state vacuums, seized key corridors, recruited marginalized populations, and imposed criminal governance through extortion and violence.

Lugo emphasized that security can deteriorate or be rebuilt quickly. He distinguished profit-driven criminal organizations from emerging hybrid actors that blend crime with political, territorial, informational, and cyber tools to gain power, destabilize governments, and erode public trust. Examples included Ecuadorian gangs evolving into cartels, Hezbollah activity in the tri-border area, and fentanyl networks with potential political backing.

He argued that only integrated, multinational cooperation can counter these threats, built on three pillars: strong legal frameworks, institutional integrity, and operational integration. Citing work in Ecuador and El Salvador, Lugo highlighted how coordinated border strategies and regional intelligence sharing enabled early identification of emerging threats. He concluded by underscoring the need for parliamentary cooperation and legislative harmonization to shift from reactive responses to proactive, intelligence-driven regional security.