Staff Reports
The latest political spectacle emerging from Latin America features Xiomara Castro, the far-left President of Honduras, who seems to have a particular fondness for convening emergency meetings whenever conservative policies make waves. Castro has summoned an urgent meeting of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) to discuss President Trump’s newly intensified crackdown on illegal immigration. One has to wonder if she has any real grasp on the word “emergency,” considering the emergency she calls for stems from someone actually trying to enforce the law.
CELAC, for those who blissfully enjoy avoiding acronyms, is a 33-nation cabal created under the auspices of Hugo Chávez, the late socialist dictator of Venezuela. It’s essentially the “we’re not the OAS because we don’t want Uncle Sam watching over us” club. Castro, who holds the chair of CELAC, plans to gather this week to hash out migration, climate buzzwords, and whatever faux unification strategy they can come up with while much of the region grapples with its penchant for authoritarianism.
The Trump effect. They're all falling in line. President Trump is working hard to make America better.
Honduras Calls Emergency Leftist Meeting to Address Trump Deportationshttps://t.co/u6C2EZLPAV
— Scott4Trump (@Scott_4Trump) January 28, 2025
The gathering will see Colombian President Gustavo Petro, a fellow traveler in the far-left circus, attend after throwing a minor tantrum over a plane full of his own deported citizens. This diplomatic kibosh came about when Petro initially refused entry to Colombian immigrants, arguing that the U.S. treats them like criminals. It’s a wonder he didn’t send a strongly worded letter instead—a real powerhouse move in international relations. Now, fueled by a desire to unite against the perceived “crimes” of the Trump administration, these leaders will no doubt kick off their affair with some impassioned rhetoric.
Castro’s invite to Petro could serve as a collision course for the two nations’ conflicting ideologies, considering that Honduras is trying to play both sides—defending its migrants, yet threatening to close U.S. military bases if deportations ramp up. Should they cancel the bases? Perhaps Castro is aiming to showcase how a pressure cooker of mixed messages can be the new approach to diplomacy in the region. After all, nothing says “I care about my people” like empty threats while her own citizens are just trying to find stable work abroad.
A recent meeting among Central and South American ministers also made headlines, where they issued a disjointed 14-point statement criticizing Trump’s approach to immigration—though, amusingly, they avoided naming him or his policies directly. Perhaps they were all too busy trying to think of politically correct phrases to appease the masses while addressing the “structural causes of migration.” One might speculate that they should try looking into their own chaotic governance as a starting point.
The upcoming CELAC meeting is poised to be a showcase for Castro’s attempt at providing “dignified treatment” for migrants—though she’s probably more concerned about shielding those migrant votes back home than actually offering real solutions. What this illustrates is that while left-wing leaders in Central America gather under the banner of unity, they seem to miss the point that promoting lawfulness in the face of illegal immigration isn’t a “threat” to their sovereignty; it’s a promise for a more orderly and prosperous region.
