Honduran ex-president’s trial deals blow to anti-immigration rhetoric of Republicans and encourages them to accept border deal

On February 19, the trial of former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez began in Manhattan federal court. The former President of this Latin American country is accused by a New York court of running Honduras as a “drug state”.

However, five years ago, in 2019, the attitude of US officials was different – former President Donald Trump praised Hernandez for stopping drug trafficking “at a level that has never been seen before.”

Even though the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration had reasonable suspicions about Hernández’s alleged involvement in the system of trafficking in illicit substances in the United States through drug cartels, the White House at the time maintained its positive attitude toward the Honduran president.