Honduras urgently summons CELAC for migration crisis between Colombia and the United States

The president of Honduras and Pro Tempore holder of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), Xiomara Castrohe convened this Sunday to an “urgent” meeting of presidents and heads of state of the regional agency on the 30th day to discuss among others the immigration issue, after this Sunday a diplomatca crisis on Colombia and the United States is raised following the deportations of immigrants In the North American country.

“As President Pro Tempore (PPT) of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), I urgently summon a meeting of President and Heads of State, next Thursday, January 30 at 11:00 am (Honduras time, 17:00 GMT), “Castro said in a message released on the social network X .

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He added that the points of agenda to be treated are “migration, environment and Latin American and Caribbean unit.”

The call was made by Castro a few hours after a petition that in that sense made the president of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, after his rejection of the entrance to his country of airplanes with Colombian citizens deported by the United States, if they do not receive a treatment worthy.

Castro indicated that The meeting “has been scheduled in hybrid format” and that Petro “has confirmed its participation in person in Tegucigalpa.”

This call to a CELAC summit, which integrates more than thirty countries in the region, takes place after President Gustavo Pedro said Sunday that “the United States cannot treat Colombian migrants as criminals.”

“Unauthorized the entry of North American airplanes with Colombian migrants to our territory. The US must establish a decent treatment protocol to migrants before (of) that we receive them”said the Colombian president in a message in his X account.

In response, the US president, Donald Trump, ordered the imposition of 25 % tariffs on all Colombian products and said that in a week “they will rise to 50 %.”

He also announced travel restrictions and revocation of visas for Petro government officials and his party, possible economic sanctions to the country and “inspections” to Colombian citizens and goods that arrive in the United States.

Petro responded with the principle of reciprocity and ordered the Minister of Commerce, Industry and Tourism, Luis Carlos Reyes, “to raise import tariffs from the US in 25 %”, as well as search for other destinations for national products .

The massive deportations of migrants initiated by the United States in the new administration of Donald Trump have been questioned by several countries, including Honduras.

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