Central America
Honduras and U.S. strengthen cooperation on migrant rights and border security
Honduran President Xiomara Castro and U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem met on Wednesday in Tegucigalpa to discuss the protection of the rights of Honduran migrants and to strengthen cooperation on security and migration.
“We discussed several topics. The main point was the protection of our migrants” in the United States, said Honduran Foreign Minister Javier Bu during a press briefing alongside the president’s private secretary and son, Héctor Zelaya. No questions were allowed from the press.
Castro emphasized “the protection of the rights of migrants” residing in the U.S. and advocated for the extension of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for nearly 55,000 Hondurans, Bu said.
During the meeting, held at the Presidential House, Honduras and the U.S. signed a letter of intent for a new biometric comparison agreement and discussed new collaboration agreements on border security, Bu added.
They also signed “an agreement to review the refugee screening process,” the foreign minister emphasized, affirming that Honduras and the U.S. will continue mutual cooperation on migration security, border security, and the fight against drug trafficking.
Bu described Noem’s visit as “excellent,” highlighting the continuation of a bilateral agenda initiated with former Foreign Minister Eduardo Enrique Reina last March.
Noem, who made no statements in Tegucigalpa, began her Central American tour in Panama on Tuesday. She continued to Costa Rica and Honduras on Wednesday and will conclude her trip in Guatemala.
The foreign minister also revealed that the United States has shown “great interest” in the interoceanic train project, an ambitious infrastructure plan aimed at connecting the Pacific Ocean with the Atlantic by linking Puerto Castilla (Colón) with Amapala (Isla del Tigre) in the Gulf of Fonseca.
The Gulf of Fonseca is shared by Honduras, El Salvador, and Nicaragua.
Central America
Analyst warns of cracks in Nicaragua’s inner circle as Ortega prepares succession
The falls of former Sandinista revolution commander Bayardo Arce and retired general Álvaro Baltodano, two longtime advisers to Nicaragua’s co-president Daniel Ortega, mark a significant fracture within the inner circles of power during the transition from “Orteguismo” to “Murillismo”, according to Nicaraguan political analyst Óscar René Vargas.
Vargas, a former adviser to the Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN), told EFE this week that the arrest of these former high-ranking officials, along with other close allies of the Sandinista leader, is linked to the “dynastic succession” led by Ortega and his co-president and wife, Rosario Murillo, who are allegedly paving the way for one of their sons to take power.
“There is a rupture within the circles of power during the transition from Orteguismo to Murillismo,” Vargas said.
Vargas, who was one of the 222 political prisoners exiled to the United States in February 2023 and stripped of his Nicaraguan nationality, explained that these internal divisions reveal the growing cracks and fractures inside Nicaragua’s power structure, which he believes are directly tied to Murillo’s increasing influence and ambitions.
Central America
Guatemalan police regain control of prisons after gang riots leave one guard dead
The Guatemalan police regained control on Saturday over several prisons where criminal gangs had staged riots for several days, resulting in the death of a prison guard, the country’s Interior Minister reported.
Since Thursday, members of the Barrio 18 and Mara Salvatrucha gangs had been holding separate uprisings in the El Boquerón prison in the Santa Rosa department and Pavoncito prison, near Guatemala City, in protest against the transfer of gang leaders to other facilities.
Interior Minister Francisco Jiménez confirmed on Saturday that police have retaken control of both penitentiaries, according to the state news agency AGN.
Jiménez also stated that during the hostage situation gunfire occurred, resulting in the death of one prison officer.
In addition, six guards were released at El Boquerón and three at Pavoncito, according to the minister.
Central America
Honduran prosecutors charge three with terrorism and assassination plot against Manuel Zelaya
The Office of the Attorney General of the Republic, in coordination with the National Police and the Technical Agency for Criminal Investigation (ATIC) of Honduras, announced the arrest of three individuals accused of planning an attack against former president Manuel “Mel” Zelaya Rosales.
According to investigators, the suspects’ goal was to destabilize the current government and undermine the upcoming electoral process scheduled for November 30.
The operation was carried out simultaneously in Tegucigalpa, Comayagua, and San Pedro Sula. In Comayagua, authorities arrested Perfecto Jesús Enamorado Paz, 71, a former COPECO commissioner, while he was asleep at his home. His family claims the case is politically motivated.
In Tegucigalpa, ATIC agents and Special Forces detained Arcadio Corrales Estrada, 64, an electromechanic resident in the capital; Perfecto Jesús Enamorado Paz, 69, a merchant from Comayagua; and Antonio David Kattán, 53, a businessman from San Pedro Sula.
Authorities said they have collected audio recordings, forensic reports, and technical analyses that reveal a conspiracy. In the recordings, the suspects allegedly discussed assassinating Zelaya as a way to trigger political unrest and “put an end to the rage.”
The detainees will face charges of criminal conspiracy, terrorism, and attempted murder.
The Public Ministry stressed that investigations will continue to determine whether more individuals are involved and to ensure that the elections are held without violent interference.
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