Central America

Kristi Noem discusses border security, migration, and TPS in Honduras

U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem, met with Honduran President Xiomara Castro on Wednesday to discuss issues of migration and security, following her visit to Costa Rica where she offered support to enhance traveler and cargo screening systems.

During the meeting in Tegucigalpa, President Castro requested an extension of the Temporary Protected Status (TPS)for Honduran nationals living in the U.S., which is set to expire on July 5, according to Honduran Foreign Minister Javier Bu.

“The President advocated for an extension of TPS for our nationals in the U.S., who have been victims of natural disasters in Honduras,” Bu told reporters.

Currently, around 50,000 Hondurans benefit from TPS, a program that has provided legal temporary residence since 1999.

The leaders also signed a letter of intent for a new biometric data-sharing agreement to strengthen border and national security cooperation.

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Noem did not speak to the press in Honduras. Her visit followed a stop in Costa Rica, where she met with President Rodrigo Chaves and pledged U.S. support to help fully screen all travelers and goods entering the country.

“We’re going to help with that. Costa Rica may become the first country in the world to scan every person and product entering its territory,” Noem said during her remarks in San José.

Central America

Panama Canal traffic surges 30% in early fiscal 2025 amid recovery

The Panama Canal experienced a 30% increase in ship transits during the first eight months of fiscal year 2025 compared to the same period last year, the canal administration reported Wednesday, on the eve of the ninth anniversary of its expansion inauguration.

“The Panama Canal will commemorate on Thursday, June 26, the ninth anniversary of its expansion, marking a rise in transits and cargo tonnage during the first eight months of fiscal year 2025,” said an official statement.

Alongside the increase in transits, between October 2024 and May 2025, cargo tonnage rose by 22%, with 326 million Panama Canal/Universal Measurement System (PC/UMS) tons handled, according to the canal authority. The waterway handles about 3% of global trade.

“This growth has been made possible thanks to the recovery of the Gatún and Alajuela lake levels, which has allowed the Canal to offer safe, efficient, and reliable service to its clients,” the statement added.

A severe seasonal drought and the El Niño phenomenon caused a water crisis in the Canal between 2023 and part of 2024, forcing restrictions on the number of daily transits.

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Central America

Costa Rican President accuses Electoral Tribunal of censorship ahead of october elections

Costa Rican President Rodrigo Chaves opened a new line of conflict on Wednesday with key national institutions, this time targeting the Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE), which he accused of trying to silence him and his cabinet ahead of the October electoral campaign.

“I’m concerned that the Supreme Electoral Tribunal, which we’ve praised as the best in the world, is now doing unthinkable things. They decided to silence the government, my fellow ministers, and me. Silence and muzzle us,” said Chaves during his weekly press conference.

Chaves’ remarks follow a recent TSE resolution that extends the ban on promoting government achievements during the election period to include social media and digital platforms, not just traditional media, in an effort to ensure executive neutrality during the campaign.

Costa Rica’s constitution does not allow consecutive presidential re-election.

President Chaves questioned the impartiality of three TSE magistrates, including TSE President Eugenia Zamora, claiming that they had ties in the past with the opposition National Liberation Party (PLN).

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He compared the situation to a World Cup final between Brazil and Germany, where FIFA assigns Brazilian referees to officiate the match—suggesting bias in the electoral process.

Central America

U.S. seeks free transit for warships through Panama Canal to deepen strategic ties

The United States and Panama could further strengthen their “strategic alliance” by allowing U.S. warships free and unrestricted passage through the Panama Canal, U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem stated on Tuesday during her visit to the Central American nation, where she met with President José Raúl Mulino.

In a message posted on X and shared by the U.S. Embassy in Panama, Noem said she discussed continued cooperation on irregular migration with President Mulino and members of his cabinet.

She described Panama as a “key regional ally,” highlighting the country’s contributions to the significant reduction in illegal migration through the Darién Gap, its participation in the Repatriation Assistance Program, and its role as a model within the Biometric Data Sharing Alliance.

“Now, to further strengthen our partnership, it is essential that U.S. warships and auxiliary vessels are allowed to transit the Panama Canal freely,” Noem emphasized in her post.