IRTF News

On November 30, Hondurans go to the polls on November 30 to elect their next president. But the elections are happening against the backdrop of escalating U.S. interference in the region. U.S. officials in the White House, State Department and Congress have been nurturing a propaganda campaign by the Honduran right wing press and organizations against the progressive forces in the country reminiscent of Cold War propaganda.

Inside Honduras, there have been attempts to undermine the democratic process.

The National Electoral Council (CNE), headed by three coucilors (each representing one of the major political parties) is highly politicized. Conflicts within the Council have caused concerns for the election.  During the March 2025 primary elections, some  polling stations in the two largest cities were left without any ballots,  while others received the materials many hours late. There were accusations made that the military had not done its job of ensuring that election materials were delivered. There were also accusations that one of the CNE councilors contracted a private transportation company to deliver ballot boxes, but some deliveries were not made. The conservative pro-2009 coup press then used the crisis to undermine public confidence in the electoral infrastructure and institutions.

Honduras heads into its November 30 elections after a turbulent decade marked by the post-coup era and the COVID-19 crisis. Under President Xiomara Castro and her LIBRE party, some economic and social indicators have begun to recover: poverty has fallen from its pandemic peak, inequality continues a slow decline, underemployment is at a decade low, and both public and private investment have grown. External public debt has stabilized, and the country remains fiscally sound under an IMF program. Still, Honduras remains Central America’s poorest country, with low per-capita growth and persistent structural vulnerability. Voters will choose among LIBRE’s Rixi Moncada, opposition candidate Salvador Nasralla, and National Party contender Nasry Asfura as the country seeks to consolidate fragile gains and confront ongoing poverty, inequality, and economic exposure.

U.S. Catholic bishops have launched “You Are Not Alone,” a nationwide migrant-accompaniment initiative aimed at supporting people facing deportation amid rising fears under Trump’s mass-deportation policies. Announced by Bishop Mark Seitz, the effort expands pastoral care, emergency support, and public witness while reaffirming the Church’s stance on the dignity and protection of migrants.

Honduras holds presidential and legislative elections on November 30, with Libre Party candidate Rixi Moncada—former finance and defense minister—running to succeed outgoing president Xiomara Castro. The country’s entrenched economic elites and traditional parties, long resistant to leftist governments, are accused of plotting to manipulate the vote. Leaked recordings suggest a plan by National Party figures and a military officer to disrupt vote transmission, declare conservative candidate Salvador Nasralla the winner, and push the U.S. Embassy not to recognize a Libre victory. Libre warns of an “electoral coup” and mobilizes supporters to safeguard results. The stakes are heightened by U.S. geopolitical interests, Castro’s break with U.S. positions, and Libre’s social gains since 2022. Polls show a close race, and observers expect intense pressure and foreign interference to shape the outcome.

Immigrant detention is rapidly expanding under Trump, with plans to pour $45 billion into ICE and push detention capacity past 100,000 beds. Facilities like Broadview near Chicago and the “Alligator Alcatraz” site in Florida exemplify worsening conditions, abuses, and extrajudicial practices. In response, organizers nationwide—from Chicago to Michigan, Washington, and Florida—are mobilizing rapid-response networks, exposing abuses, supporting detained people, and building long-term strategies such as bond funds and targeted political pressure. Despite escalating repression, movements emphasize that sustained, organized resistance can outlast state cruelty.

A new Human Rights First report exposes record-breaking ICE deportation and detention-transfer flights under the Trump administration—reaching 77 countries and often carried out with harsh, dehumanizing practices. The data reveals a vast, largely hidden global deportation system, made visible only through painstaking investigative tracking.

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ vote and new national campaign to support migrants are the group’s first responses to the Trump administration’s crackdown.

In a rare group statement, America’s Catholic bishops voted nearly unanimously Wednesday to condemn the Trump administration’s crackdown on undocumented immigrants as an attack on “God-given human dignity,” and advocated for “meaningful reform of our nation’s immigration laws.”

“We oppose the indiscriminate mass deportation of people. We pray for an end to dehumanizing rhetoric and violence, whether directed at immigrants or at law enforcement,” read the message from the U.S.

Conference of Catholic Bishops. After the vote (216-5, with three abstentions), the bishops stood and applauded. The last such “Special Message” was delivered 12 years ago.

The new message listed the types of suffering the church leaders say many undocumented migrants experience, including “arbitrarily” losing their legal status, being subject to poor detention conditions, and being afraid to take children to school or go to church. “We feel compelled now in this environment to raise our voices in defense of God-given human dignity,” the bishops wrote.