In a statement issued Jan. 28, the Foreign Ministry of Honduras, which is currently the President Pro-tem of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) announced the cancellation of CELAC’s emergency meeting of heads of state and government that was scheduled for Jan. 30. It was planned as a hybrid meeting, requested by Colombian President Gustavo Petro after his confrontation with Donald Trump earlier in the week over the forcible U.S. deportation of Colombian undocumented citizens on U.S. military aircraft. Posted to Honduran President Xiomara Castro’s X account, the statement only cited the “lack of consensus” among member nations as the reason for the cancellation, but provided no further details.
With U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio embarking on a five-nation tour of Central America on Feb. 1, beginning with Panama, U.S. pressure around the immigration question and China’s involvement in the region–the U.S. claims Beijing “controls” the Panama Canal—is fierce (see separate slug).