WASHINGTON _ President Donald Trump's threat to Honduras on Tuesday over migrants he claims are headed to the United States marks an about-face after his administration has sought close ties with the Central American nation, and illustrates how his impulsive tweets can send confusing signals to allies.
Trump has been lashing out in recent days against a "Caravan of People from Honduras" coming across "our 'Weak Laws' border" with Mexico, as he put it in his latest tweet. In the new broadside, he not only threatened Mexico _ warning again of implications for ongoing trade negotiations _ but also warned he might cut foreign aid to Honduras.
The Associated Press reported on Tuesday that the caravan of about 1,100 migrants was now resting in southern Mexico and seeking advice on obtaining visas in Mexico, mostly on humanitarian grounds. Most of those involved in the symbolic march were not expected to proceed to the United States.
Trump's blast against Honduras over the migration issue comes as his administration has sought an especially warm relationship with Honduras' far-right government. Honduras was among only eight countries that sided with the U.S. in December when the United Nations voted overwhelmingly to condemn Trump's decision to move the U.S. Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
The decision earned Honduras a high profile visit from U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley as recently as late February. During the visit, Haley tried to soften a prior threat Trump made to the country's foreign aid over the issue of drug trafficking.
