The Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) suspended the meeting scheduled for January 30 to address the migration crisis caused by Donald Trump's deportations, according to Honduran Xiomara Castro, who holds the pro-tempore presidency of the organization. The cancellation was due to a lack of consensus among member countries.
Sources from the Honduran government confirmed that Argentina, El Salvador, Ecuador, Costa Rica, and Panama opposed holding the meeting, with the latter country being pressured by the United States to regain control of the Canal, which generated criticism within CELAC, except for the case of Milei.
The collapse of the summit represented a setback for Colombian Gustavo Petro, who is preparing to assume the presidency of CELAC and seeks to form a strategic alliance with Sheinbaum. This situation will fuel the discussion on reforming the consensus criterion for the approval of resolutions in future meetings and for issuing joint statements.
The failure to convene the meeting on January 30 led to the call for an urgent meeting, amidst tensions between Petro and Trump. Argentina unsuccessfully tried to reach a consensus, while El Salvador, under Bukele's leadership, seeks greater autonomy by negotiating directly with the White House, bypassing regional coordination.
A meeting of National Coordinators of CELAC is expected to take place on February 6 to address these issues, following the Secretary of State's tour of Central America. Some countries and leaders, such as Milei, Noboa from Ecuador, and certain Central American nations, prefer not to strain relations with Washington, as evidenced by Costa Rica and Panama considering Marco Rubio's visit in a more diplomatic context for negotiations.
