Honduran President Xiomara Castro, pictured on February 25, 2022, announced upon taking office that banning open-pit mining was one of her priorities.
Photo by: AFP/Orlando Sierra
Honduran President Xiomara Castro has announced that her government will renew the country’s long-standing extradition treaty with the United States after reaching an agreement with the Trump administration. The decision marks a reversal from Castro’s previous stance, which sought to end the treaty in response to diplomatic tensions with Washington back in August.
“I announce that I have reached an agreement with the new American administration so that the extradition treaty will continue with the necessary safeguards for the state of Honduras,” Castro stated in a post on X. She also added that she had “ensured respect for the integrity of the Armed Forces, the institution responsible for defending sovereignty, maintaining peace, upholding the rule of the Constitution, and guaranteeing the security of our democratic electoral process.”
Anuncio que he llegado a un acuerdo con la nueva administración de los Estados Unidos para que el Tratado de Extradición continúe con las salvaguardas necesarias para el Estado de Honduras, garantizando su aplicación objetiva. En consecuencia he asegurado el respeto a la…
— Xiomara Castro de Zelaya (@XiomaraCastroZ) February 18, 2025
While the details of the new terms remain unclear, Honduran Foreign Minister Eduardo Enrique Reina confirmed that the treaty’s continuation was part of broader discussions with U.S. officials, according to The Associated Press. “We are not here to favor politicians or criminals, but, if in any way, the extradition treaty is used to destabilize the government or elections through an attack on the armed forces, that does concern us,” he said.
Castro’s administration had initially announced the termination of the treaty in August 2024 after U.S. Ambassador Laura Dogu criticized a meeting between Honduran military officials and Venezuela’s Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López, who has been sanctioned by the U.S. for alleged drug trafficking.
Castro’s latest decision also reflects a change in tone towards the Trump administration. In early 2025, she had threatened to expel U.S. military forces from Honduras if Trump proceeded with his planned mass deportations of Central American migrants. “If there is a hostile attitude of mass expulsion of our brothers, we would have to consider a change in our cooperation policies with the United States, especially in the military field,” Castro said at the time.
“Castro’s move is likely partly motivated by the need to mitigate domestic unrest and international isolation, seeking to restore public trust and to ensure continued collaboration with the U.S., which is vital for Honduras’s economic and security interests,” explained Human Rights and national security lawyer Irina Tsukerman to The Latin Times.
For Fergus Hodgson, author of The Latin American Red Pill and currently residing in Honduras, the agreement has further domestic implications, as he told The Latin Times:
“There is a key caveat that few have noticed, although one congresswoman has called it a trick. The agreement is only temporary, in place for another six moths. It comes amid the domestic campaign season, specifically the party primaries for the general elections later this year. Now is not the time for the incumbent Libre party to pick a fight with US President Donald Trump, even if Libre is diametrically opposed to him ideologically”
Hodgson, nevertheless, agrees with Tsukerman’s assessment that the prospect of international isolation had a lot to do with Honduras’ decision : “Castro is, for now, avoiding isolation from the developing new trade bloc that Trump is swiftly building in the Americas, one that excludes China.”
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Publish date : 2025-02-20 21:00:00
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