In brief
In a bold response to looming deportation threats, President Xiomara Castro of Honduras signals discontent with U.S. military present, asserting it could face expulsion if President-elect Donald Trump implements substantial deportations of undocumented immigrants.
Honduras’s president Xiomara Castro issued a stern warning, claiming she might expel the U.S. military from its long-standing base in the nation if President-elect Donald J. Trump follows through on his plans for significant deportations of undocumented immigrants from the U.S. This marked the first direct confrontation within Latin America concerning Trump's controversial deportation intentions. During a televised address on Wednesday, Castro urged a reevaluation of U.S.-Honduran cooperation, particularly in defense.“Honduras could reassess our partnership concerning military cooperation, given this aggressive mass deportation approach towards our citizens,” she emphasized. Castro, alongside Mexico's President Claudia Sheinbaum, is organizing a foreign ministers' meeting to tackle this pressing challenge.The Honduran leader pointed out that the U.S. maintains military installations on Honduran soil without financial compensation for decades, questioning their legitimacy should deportations proceed. “These bases would entirely lose their rationale for existence here,” Castro stated.Enrique Reina, foreign minister of Honduras, further asserted that Castro possesses the authority to unilaterally revoke the agreement that enabled the United States to establish the Soto Cano air base. He reiterated that such a decision could happen without requiring the consent of the Honduran Congress, thereby giving the president substantial leverage if tensions escalated regarding U.S. immigration policies.
