Honduran president says country can’t handle migrant backlog

WASHINGTON – Honduras President Juan Orlando Hernández is warning that up to 70,000 foreigners could be stuck in the Central American country as a result of a recent crackdown on illegal immigration by the United States and Mexico.

The president said Monday: “For us that is a high risk topic. We could not handle a situation like that.”

Hernández made the comment after meeting with Acting U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kevin McAleenan in Washington.

Questions have recently surfaced over whether Honduras would be interested in a deal similar to the one signed by the Trump administration and Guatemala last month. That deal requires migrants from other countries who cross into Guatemala to apply for asylum there rather than in the U.S.