Honduran President Announces Security Assurance through New Agreement with the United States

Honduran President Announces Security Assurance through New Agreement with the United States

Tegucigalpa, Honduras: On Tuesday, Honduran President Xiomara Castro reversed her decision to cancel a longstanding extradition treaty with the United States. She stated that after reaching an agreement with the new American administration, the decision was changed, ensuring necessary security measures for Honduras.

In a post, Castro wrote, "I announce that I have reached an agreement with the new American administration to continue the extradition treaty with the necessary safeguards for Honduras."

This reversal occurred as the Trump administration had made agreements with several Central American countries to accept deported migrants from other nations. However, it was unclear whether Honduras has a specific deal for receiving migrants from other countries.

Meanwhile, Honduras' Foreign Minister Eduardo Enrique Reina said on Tuesday that the extradition treaty was the result of direct talks with the White House, where five key issues were discussed: migration, military agreements, free trade agreements, investment in trade infrastructure in Honduras, and extradition.

Reina also stated that the extradition treaty would exclude political influence and that extradition would be based solely on legal grounds. Earlier, the Castro administration had decided to cancel the treaty after the U.S. ambassador raised concerns about Honduran military officials visiting Venezuela, where they met with officials accused of drug trafficking.

Additionally, Reina mentioned that this decision was crucial to ensure the democratic integrity of Honduras' upcoming elections, in which the military will play a role in safeguarding the election process.

This marked a shift from Castro's earlier position, as she had previously indicated that she would cancel the extradition treaty because she believed it was being used to protect her family