Honduras Immigration News

José Eliezer Martínez, a Honduran with Special Immigrant Juvenile Status and deferred action, was deported in April after authorities allegedly pressured him to accept removal despite his legal protections; he was ordered back to the U.S. on August 5 but remains in Border Patrol custody in Texas with his case unresolved.

Honduras's Foreign Ministry published a practical guide for Hondurans affected by the expiration of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) in the United States, covering legal options, document preservation, work authorization alternatives, and warnings against immigration fraud.

A law exempting returned Honduran migrants from import duties on household goods, work tools, and vehicles is set to begin on August 28 after awaiting regulations.

Between 2022 and 2025, approximately 24,000 Chinese citizens entered Honduras without authorization, with the National Migration Institute unable to track how many remain in the country or continued northward; the surge followed Honduras's establishment of diplomatic relations with China in March 2023 and a 2023 migration amnesty.

A US immigration appeals ruling means Hondurans with TPS, DACA, or pending asylum who leave the US — even with an authorized travel permit — could face a three- to ten-year bar on re-entry if they accumulated over 180 days of unlawful presence, advocates warn.

Dulce Ponce, 17, died on August 8 from injuries sustained in a Louisiana car accident six days earlier, while her mother, Karina Oyuela, remains in ICE detention in Texas and has requested release or deportation to Honduras to attend her daughter's funeral.

Brayan Sánchez, a Honduran truck driver deported to the Central African Republic by the US in July along with four Cubans and an Ecuadorian, cannot legally return to the United States or Honduras; the Conadeh human-rights ombudsman is urging the government to issue him a passport and explore third-country resettlement options that guarantee safety and dignity.

Thirty-seven Mexican nationals, most with over a decade in the U.S., were deported by ICE and flown to San Pedro Sula instead of Mexico as part of the Trump administration's policy of routing deportees to third countries, forcing them to navigate additional migration procedures.

The US Department of Homeland Security announced that Temporary Protected Status for Hondurans and 12 other nations has ended, warning beneficiaries to depart voluntarily or face deportation.

Brayan Sánchez, a Honduran deported by the United States to the Central African Republic, and a group of Cuban and Ecuadorian deportees are appealing to Florida lawmakers for help returning, while Sánchez's wife says the Honduran government has offered little support and calls their situation an abuse against immigrants.

Gerson Turcios, 23, who arrived in Rhinebeck, New York at 17 and built a life there, faces deportation after an old removal order surfaced following his arrest; neighbors, celebrities, and lawyers have launched a campaign to fund his legal defense and challenge the order in court.

Congress approved reforms to streamline repatriation by establishing a single coordinating office where Hondurans can handle customs, immigration, and vehicle-registration procedures in one process rather than visiting multiple agencies.

Authorities have lost track of 13 Chinese nationals who entered Honduras between 2022 and 2025, prompting concern over immigration oversight and the whereabouts of the migrants.

Mario Argenis Rodríguez Redondo, 36, was arrested by U.S. immigration agents on July 18 in Austin, Texas while holding his autistic daughter; he was transferred to San Antonio and faces deportation proceedings.

José Eliezer Martínez Andino, a 21-year-old Honduran with special immigrant juvenile status and work authorization, was returned to the United States by federal court order after being wrongfully deported in April, but remains in custody in Texas while authorities resolve his immigration case.

Tens of thousands of Honduran deportees face collection efforts after the US plans to hire a private contractor to locate and notify them of unpaid civil immigration fines — part of an estimated $423 million owed by roughly 66,387 people across Honduras, Mexico, and Guatemala.

A Honduran man and five others from Cuba and Ecuador were deported without prior notice to the Central African Republic, and are now appealing to Florida lawmakers for help from Bangui, saying their rights were violated.

Erick Ruiz López, deported to Honduras after a routine traffic stop in Houston on June 17, is suing the Houston Police Department for allegedly detaining him unlawfully for over two hours past the traffic infraction, enabling his transfer to ICE.

Honduras has recorded 29,444 deportations through July 31, with about 27,000 from the United States, and migration lawyer Illich Cornejo warns the annual total could reach 40,000–50,000 due to tougher U.S. immigration policies.

The National Migration Institute resolved a system update that briefly halted passport issuance and renewal services at its San Pedro Sula office on August 4, and normal operations have resumed.

Brayan Omar Sánchez, a 26-year-old from Juticalpa who says he had a pending habeas corpus case blocking his deportation, reports being shackled and flown without notice to the Central African Republic, where he now lives in a hotel with no water or electricity and suffers health problems from the unfamiliar climate.

Honduras's migration authority is deploying extra staff and extending hours at key border crossings from July 31 to August 9 to handle an expected 20,000–25,000 Salvadoran visitors during El Salvador's August holidays.

Brayan Omar Sánchez Servellón, a Honduran man held in immigration detention in Texas, was reportedly deported to Senegal, where he told family members he suffered abuse during the transfer, though neither U.S. nor Honduran authorities have confirmed the case.

Honduras's Labor Ministry clarified that citizens over 21 with no formal education or work experience can apply for temporary positions in Spain, the United States, and Canada through the PTTE program, though employers make final hiring decisions based on job-specific qualifications.

A study by Plan Internacional found that hundreds of Honduran children have abandoned hopes of reaching the United States and now live in Mexican camps, where fear of authorities, discrimination, and exposure to violence have left them trapped in prolonged displacement.

Congress secretary Carlos Ledezma introduced a bill to strengthen the law protecting Honduran migrants returning from any country, extending tax-exempt benefits to returnees and their relatives up to the fourth degree of kinship.

Arlin A. Bustillo, 34, was arrested in an abandoned St. Louis hospital in July 2025 carrying a machete, stolen pistol, and sawed-off .22-caliber rifle, and pleaded guilty to illegal firearm possession and fraudulent immigration documents; a federal judge sentenced him to 46 months in prison before deportation to Honduras.

The Honduran Labor Ministry announced temporary job openings in Spain, Canada, and the United States for Honduran citizens meeting requirements including a clean criminal and migration record, with positions in agriculture, hospitality, logistics, and other sectors.

A community advocate reported that more than 25,000 Hondurans are in ICE custody and that those with Temporary Protected Status are now being sought at their homes, criticizing the Honduran government's response to migrant hardship in the United States.

Brayan Omar Sánchez from Olancho says ICE deported him to the Central African Republic in May despite having an active asylum claim based on death threats in Honduras, and he now seeks help from a hotel where he faces severe restrictions.