By Annie Correal
The president of Honduras has threatened to expel the U.S. military from a base constructed many years ago in the Central American nation if President-elect Donald Trump implements mass deportations of undocumented immigrants residing in the United States.
This warning from President Xiomara Castro of Honduras was broadcasted on television and radio last Wednesday, marking the first tangible objection from a regional leader against Trump’s strategy to return millions of Latin American nationals living in the U.S.
The threat coincided with Castro and Mexico’s president, Claudia Sheinbaum, announcing a meeting of foreign ministers scheduled for later this month to discuss the deportation situation.
“In light of a hostile stance promoting mass expulsions of our compatriots, we would need to contemplate altering our cooperation policies with the United States, particularly regarding military collaboration,” Castro remarked.
“For decades without compensating a single cent,” she continued, “they operate military bases in our land, which would no longer justify their existence in Honduras in this context.”
Following this, Honduras’ foreign minister, Enrique Reina, mentioned in a radio interview that the president has the authority to terminate, without Congress’s consent, a longstanding agreement with the United States that allowed the establishment of the Soto Cano air base and the operation of America’s primary military task force in Central America from that location.
Such a shift could pose significant risks for the small nation, which relies on the United States as its main trading ally and a key source of humanitarian support.
Will Freeman, a fellow in Latin American studies at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York, commented on the Honduran president’s declaration: “I’m somewhat surprised by its audacity.”
In response to Castro’s announcement, Brian Hughes, a spokesperson for the Trump transition team, stated: “The Trump administration anticipates working with our Latin American allies to guarantee the security of our southern border and to facilitate the repatriation of illegal immigrants to their homeland.”
Trump had promised swift deportations for those unlawfully residing in the U.S. upon taking office, yet his transition team has not revealed any specific plans, leaving countries in Latin America uncertain even as they try to prepare. Trump also pledged to impose a 25% tariff on Mexico and Canada if they failed to halt the influx of migrants and fentanyl into the United States.
Most Latin American nations, including Mexico, have made efforts to maintain favorable relations with Trump, even while highlighting the contributions their citizens make to the American economy, regardless of their legal status.
This week, Sheinbaum reaffirmed: “We will continue to illustrate how Mexican individuals in the U.S. significantly contribute to the American economy. If there were no Mexicans in the U.S., American tables would lack food.”
Additionally, governments have been working to reassure their nationals in the United States that they are preparing for potential mass expulsions. Honduras announced it would set up mobile consulates, while Mexico developed an online tool for its citizens to notify consulate officials if they face imminent detention risk.
On Friday, in a noticeable shift from her earlier objective of reaching an agreement with Trump to avert such migrations, Sheinbaum mentioned that Mexico might accommodate deportees from other nations, all while indicating her government’s opposition to mass deportations.
“We will request the United States to repatriate migrants not from Mexico to their home countries to the best of their ability. If not, we are open to collaborating through various mechanisms,” Sheinbaum stated.
“When these deportations truly take place, there will be a time to engage in dialogue with the U.S. government,” she added. “But we are ready to receive them; we will ensure they are received properly and have a plan in place.”
Regional governments count on remittances from immigrants in the U.S., which contribute as much as 25% to Honduras’ economy. An estimated 500,000 Hondurans — around 5% of the population — were believed to be living illegally in the United States in 2022, according to Pew Research Center.
Since the 1980s, the Soto Cano air base, owned by the Honduran government and located in Comayagua, approximately 50 miles from the capital, Tegucigalpa, has been utilized by a U.S. task force. It was initially constructed by the United States in the 1980s to combat the communist threats in the region.
Soto Cano accommodates over 1,000 U.S. military and civilian personnel, as stated by a spokesperson for the task force there, Joint Task Force Bravo, on Friday.
“We are present at the invitation of the Honduran government on Honduran soil,” the spokesperson, Capt. Hillary Gibson, stated.
Though the task force has engaged in counternarcotics initiatives, Gibson noted it has refocused on disaster relief and delivering humanitarian assistance recently.
The U.S. Embassy in Honduras did not provide an immediate comment after the request.
The U.S. military continues to be stationed at bases in other regional countries, such as El Salvador, although these have a smaller number of U.S. military personnel compared to Soto Cano.
While many Hondurans celebrated Castro’s comments, some elected officials distanced themselves from the president. Notably, several congressional members emphasized the need for ongoing communication with the Trump administration and pointed out that forcing the U.S. military out from the base would not prevent Trump from conducting mass deportations.
Reina asserted on Thursday that Honduras aimed to maintain cordial relations with the United States. Nevertheless, he supported the president’s remarks, noting that “if mass deportations which infringe on migrants’ rights materialize,” the nation’s leaders have “the right to reconsider” their relationship with the U.S.
Freeman expressed surprise at the government’s stance, highlighting that while Castro had recently adopted a distinctly confrontational public posture toward the United States — including efforts to abolish a long-term extradition treaty — she had been known to “act amiably” with the U.S. ambassador behind the scenes, seeking American backing.
He also found it unexpected that Castro would issue such a warning before Trump officially took office, especially regarding comments made by Trump’s designated secretary of state, Marco Rubio, a Republican senator from Florida.
Rubio had cautioned that under Castro’s leadership, Honduras risked becoming “the next Venezuela,” Freeman noted, as the crisis under Nicolás Maduro’s authoritarian regime has triggered widespread migration.
“I believe this will sour the already fragile relationship with the Trump administration,” Freeman remarked. “Central American nations, particularly in the north, find themselves in a position where they cannot leverage much with the U.S. concerning migration policy.”
“Conversely,” he added, “Mexico presents a distinctly different scenario.”
The United States lacks full diplomatic relations with certain regional nations, including Venezuela and Cuba, both facing stringent U.S. sanctions. Consequently, these countries are likely to reject large numbers of deportation flights.
Following Castro’s remarks, Honduras’ foreign minister took to social media to announce the meeting of foreign ministers to deliberate on mass deportations, a session he reported was initiated by the leaders of Honduras and Mexico. The post showcased a photograph of Castro and Sheinbaum holding hands.
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
