Honduras Considers Shutting Down U.S. Military Base in Retaliation to Massive Deportation Proposal
The United States has had a military presence in Honduras since the 1980s.
Honduran President Xiomara Castro expressed that she would consider closing a U.S. military base if the new Trump administration enforces mass deportations of Honduran nationals.
During a televised speech, Castro urged President-elect Donald Trump to have a “constructive and friendly” dialogue instead of resorting to “unnecessary reprisals” against Honduran citizens.
Honduras is one of the countries with a significant number of citizens living illegally in the United States.
According to data from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, approximately 560,000 Hondurans, nearly 5% of the country’s population, were residing in the United States as illegal immigrants in 2022.
“If faced with a hostile attitude of massive expulsions of our fellow citizens, we may need to reconsider our cooperation policies with the United States, particularly in the military sector,” Castro stated. “They have maintained military bases in our country for decades without any payment, and in this scenario, there may no longer be a reason for these bases to exist in Honduras.”
She was specifically referring to Soto Cano Air Base, located approximately 50 miles northwest of Tegucigalpa, the capital city.
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Originally named Palmerola Air Base, this facility was established in 1982 as part of a military partnership agreement dating back to 1954. It currently accommodates over 500 U.S. military personnel and an equal number of U.S. and Honduran civilians.
The base is home to Joint Task Force-Bravo, which started as a temporary expeditionary force but has since become a permanent military presence. Apart from regional security activities, the task force engages in various humanitarian missions such as aid distribution, disaster relief, medical services, infrastructure development, and training for local law enforcement and firefighters.
Over the years, the United States has provided substantial humanitarian assistance to Honduras.
Between the fiscal years 2020 and 2023, the State Department and USAID delivered over $785 million in bilateral, regional, and humanitarian assistance to Honduras. In 2023, an additional $42.5 million from USAID was allocated to Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala, according to a 2023 statement from USAID.
Critics of Castro, including opposition leader Salvador Nasralla, who was once an ally, warned against jeopardizing the country’s relationship with its primary trading partner due to immigration issues.
In March 2023, Castro terminated diplomatic relations with Taiwan in favor of China. The Chinese communist regime, despite never governing Taiwan, considers Taiwan a rebel province and has not ruled out using force to reunite the democratic island with the authoritarian mainland.
That June, Castro signed various agreements with China during her visit to Beijing, including introducing the Belt and Road Initiative to Honduras and promoting Chinese investments in energy, infrastructure, and telecommunications.
This shift has prompted concerns in Washington. Eric Jacobstein, a deputy assistant secretary in the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs, informed Congress members that Castro’s alignment with China could pose security risks, especially if China’s state-backed telecommunications company Huawei were to establish operations near Soto Cano.
“Having Huawei and any Chinese presence near the Soto Cano base is a critical concern,” Jacobstein remarked during an October 2023 congressional hearing. “We have made it clear, both publicly and privately to our Honduran partners, that this is something we view seriously.”
