TEGUCIGALPA, Jan 27 (NNN-MERCOPRESS) — Honduran President Xiomara Castro launched an appeal for leaders of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (Celac) to convene “urgently” to discuss the ongoing crisis sparked by US President Donald Trump’s decision to speed up deportations.
“I urgently call for a meeting of presidents and heads of state; next Thursday, January 30,” Castro posted on X. The gathering is expected to be held “in a hybrid format,” meaning some will attend in person and others will participate in a telematic fashion. The encounter has been scheduled for 5 pm GMT and should focus on “migration”, “Latin American and Caribbean unity,” and “environment.”
Colombian President Gustavo Petro, who engaged in a diplomatic tug-of-war with Trump this weekend over the treatment given to deportees, has announced he would be flying to Tegucigalpa.
“It will be an opportunity to address strategic issues for the region, such as cooperation on migration, protection of human rights,” the Colombian presidency said in a statement Sunday.
In addition, Petro recalled on X that in a matter of weeks, Colombia was to pick up the Celac’s rotating presidency from Honduras.
Last week, Presidents Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of Brazil and Claudia Scheinbaum of Mexico held a telephone conversation during which they discussed Celac’s role (which leaves out the United States and Canada) as an alternative continental organization to the Washington-based Organization of American States (OAS).
In addition, Sheinbaum announced that she would seek “unity in Latin America” in the face of Trump’s new administration. She made those remarks after talks with Castro and also with Guatemalan President Bernardo Arévalo. — NNN-MERCOPRESS
