***Statement in English and Spanish***
Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) Peace & Security Taskforce Chair Rep. Ilhan Omar, CPC Chair Greg Casar and CPC Whip Jesús “Chuy” García issued a joint statement in response to ex-president Juan Orlando Hernández’s return to Honduras this week:
“Juan Orlando Hernández’s return to Honduras marks a new chapter in Trump’s corruption and disregard for the rule of law, after his presidential pardon allowed the convicted narcotrafficker and former authoritarian ruler to return to Honduras.
“This drug kingpin’s arrival as a free man exposes the hypocrisy of Trump’s so-called ‘war on narcoterrorism.’ The Trump Administration has used this pretext to kill hundreds of people through extrajudicial airstrikes without providing due process or evidence of wrongdoing—all while empowering narcotraffickers like Hernández.
“Trump’s handpicked, rightwing presidential candidate Nasry Asfura narrowly won the Honduran presidency in December after blatant election interference by the White House, creating conditions for impunity. But Honduras’s judiciary should not bow to any political pressure and should instead move forward in the corruption case against Hernández to provide justice for his many victims.
“We are committed to using our full oversight power in Congress to investigate Trump’s pardon of Hernández and the surrounding circumstances, including his efforts to undermine democracy and militarize the entire hemisphere. We also commit to ending longstanding U.S. complicity in Honduras’s state repression and democratic backsliding across the region.”
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The Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) is made up of nearly 100 members standing up for progressive ideals in Washington and throughout the country. Since 1991, the CPC has advocated for progressive policies that prioritize working Americans over corporate interests. The CPC champions policies including comprehensive immigration reform, good-paying jobs, fair trade, universal health care, debt-free college, climate action, and a just foreign policy. The caucus is the leading voice calling for bold and sweeping solutions to the urgent crises facing this nation, including ending America’s broken for-profit health care system, raising American wages, eliminating political corruption, supporting the labor movement, and taking action to protect the planet for generations to come.
Líderes del Caucus Progresista Instan a que el Narcotraficante Juan Orlando Hernández —Indultado por Trump— Enfrente la Justicia en Honduras
Los Representantes Ilhan Omar, presidenta del Grupo de Trabajo sobre Paz y Seguridad del Caucus Progresista del Congreso (CPC); Greg Casar, presidente del CPC; y Jesús “Chuy” García, coordinador de votación (whip) del CPC, emitieron una declaración conjunta en respuesta al regreso a Honduras del expresidente Juan Orlando Hernández esta semana:
“El regreso de Juan Orlando Hernández a Honduras marca un nuevo capítulo en la corrupción y el menosprecio de Trump por el Estado de derecho, luego de que su indulto presidencial permitiera al narcotraficante convicto, y ex gobernante autoritario volver al país.
“La llegada de este capo de la droga como hombre libre deja al descubierto la hipocresía de la llamada ‘guerra contra el narcoterrorismo’ de Trump. La administración Trump ha utilizado este pretexto para matar a cientos de personas mediante ataques aéreos extrajudiciales, sin garantizar el debido proceso ni presentar pruebas de irregularidades, todo ello mientras fortalecía a narcotraficantes como Hernández.
“Nasry Asfura, el candidato presidencial de derecha elegido personalmente por Trump, ganó por un estrecho margen la presidencia de Honduras en diciembre tras una flagrante injerencia electoral de la Casa Blanca, lo que creó condiciones propicias para la impunidad. Sin embargo, el poder judicial de Honduras no debe ceder ante presiones políticas; por el contrario, debe avanzar en el caso de corrupción contra Hernández para hacer justicia a sus numerosas víctimas.
“Nos comprometemos a ejercer plenamente nuestra facultad de supervisión en el Congreso para investigar el indulto de Trump a Hernández y las circunstancias que lo rodearon, incluidos sus intentos de socavar la democracia y militarizar todo el hemisferio. Asimismo, nos comprometemos a poner fin a la histórica complicidad de Estados Unidos en la represión estatal en Honduras y en el retroceso democrático en toda la región”.
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