Honduras President Xiomara Castro summoned her counterparts from the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) this Sunday to discuss migration amid the US offensive against irregular migration. “I urgently call for a meeting of presidents and heads of state; next Thursday, January 30,” Castro indicated on her X account.
According to the Honduran government, the CELAC meeting is expected to address “migration,” “Latin American and Caribbean unity,” and “environment” issues. The meeting “in hybrid format (virtual and in-person)” is expected at 11:00 AM local time (17:00 GMT).
According to a Honduran government statement, Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro has “confirmed his in-person participation” in Tegucigalpa. “It will be an opportunity to address strategic issues for the region, such as cooperation on migration, protection of human rights,” Colombia’s presidency said in a Sunday statement.
Petro wrote on his X account that he will go “personally” to Tegucigalpa to “help in this meeting of Latin American presidents,” adding that “in a matter of weeks” Colombia will assume CELAC’s temporary presidency, replacing Honduras. The heads of government meeting will occur following Sunday’s diplomatic tensions between Colombia and the United States over migrant deportations.
Additionally, in the same week, new US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has planned a tour of five Latin American countries to address Trump’s agenda. Rubio’s tour includes Panama, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, and the Dominican Republic. The controversy between Presidents Trump and Petro began after the Colombian leader blocked military flights carrying deported migrants from entering Bogota.
The flight blockade led Trump to order an initial 25% increase in tariffs on imports from Colombia, to which Petro responded that he would impose measures in equal proportion on imported products from the United States.
