Headline:
Honduras President Xiomara Castro Warns of Military Base Closure if Trump Proceeds with Mass Deportations
Article:
Honduras president Xiomara Castro has warned that she may close U.S. military bases in the country if president-elect Donald Trump proceeds with his threat of mass deportations of Hondurans. Castro made the statement in a national radio and television address on Wednesday, January 1st.
"The presence of U.S. military bases in Honduras would lose all reason to be if they were expelled," Castro added, highlighting the potential change in cooperation policies with the U.S., particularly in the military sphere where bases have existed for decades without cost to Honduras.
Trump’s administration has previously suggested a plan to deport approximately 15-20 million immigrants, many of whom come from Honduras and have made significant contributions to the U.S. economy. Honduras currently has around 250,000 of its citizens on deportation lists in the U.S., and vice-minister Tony García stated that Honduras is not prepared to receive such a large number of returnees.
The Honduran president, who recently canceled a treaty of extradition with the U.S. citing fears of a potential coup, plans to address the migration issue by convening a meeting of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) in January alongside Mexican president-elect Claudia Sheinbaum.
"This is a friendly call, not a threat," Castro emphasized, expressing hope for "a constructive dialogue with the new administration of democratically elected U.S. President, Donald Trump."
The U.S. currently operates the Palmerola base in Comayagua, Honduras, built in the 1980s to combat communist movements. The base, along with others like Soto Cano Air Base, has been vital for U.S.-Honduras security cooperation.
Trump’s campaign promises included completing a U.S.-Mexico border wall and deporting millions of undocumented immigrants, crackdowns that could significantly impact Central American countries like Honduras.