Honduran President Xiomara Castro said in a national broadcast, “Faced with a hostile attitude of massive expulsion of our brothers, we would have to consider a change in our policies of cooperation with the United States, especially in the military field, in which without paying a penny for decades they maintain military bases in our territory that in this case would lose all reason to exist in Honduras”.
Honduras is home to one of the largest US military bases in Latin America and the Caribbean, the Enrique Soto Cano air base, also known as Palmerola. About 1,500 US military personnel are stationed at the air base shared with the Honduran Air Force.
The Joint Task Force – Bravo of the US Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) operates out of Palmerola. SOUTHCOM is the military command of the US Army that operates in all of Central and South America. The Soto Cano base is a key geopolitical and military position for the US, having historically served as the base of its operations in Central America during the 1980s, during which left-wing guerrilla groups in several countries in the region were fighting against US-backed dictatorships.
Castro’s words constitute the first clear diplomatic response to the threats Trump made against immigrants on the campaign trail and in the weeks since his electoral victory. The President-elect has pledged to deploy the military, utilizing wartime statutes and the collaboration of right-wing governors, to deport millions of people during his term.
Read: How does Trump plan to carry out mass deportations?
Trump’s anti-immigrant agenda extends beyond domestic policies
The President-elect has threatened Canada and Mexico with a 25% tariff until the number of migrants and drugs entering the United States decreases. Additionally, he warned of a 10% tariff on imported Chinese goods, accusing China of failing to curb the production of precursor chemicals needed to make drugs like fentanyl. Earlier on the campaign trail, the President-elect had promised to impose a 60% tariff on China in addition to ending their trading status as a most-favored nation.
The three countries threatened with tariffs have criticized Trump’s assertions. However, Xiomara Castro is the only president who has concretely explained what will happen if the president-elect executes his agenda.
According to the Honduran Vice Chancellor, Tony Garcia, if the Trump administration’s mass deportation plan comes to fruition, close to 250,000 Hondurans could be deported in 2025 alone.
Castro leads regional collaboration ahead of Trump’s incoming administration
As President pro tempore of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), Castro has called for an urgent meeting of foreign ministers to address the challenge of migration amid the start of the Trump administration. The Honduran president has emphasized the importance of holding the meeting in collaboration with Mexico, whose President, Claudia Sheinbaum, has had several public rebuttals to Trump’s comments regarding migration and drug trafficking.
In addition, Castro explained that the meeting will consider new ways to support Haiti, a country experiencing a serious economic and social crisis, and develop mechanisms to help Cuba, which is also going through a complex economic crisis due to the economic embargo imposed by the United States more than 60 years ago. Both of these countries have experienced waves of migration as they’ve grappled with these broader national crises.
“We will be convening a meeting of foreign ministers for the month of January to address the issue of migration, support the sister republic of Haiti, and express our solidarity with the people and government of Cuba,” said the President of Honduras.
