Wednesday, July 22, 2026

Honduras's Supreme Court confirmed that it had lifted the red alert and arrest warrants against former President Juan Orlando Hernández, who is set to return to the country Sunday and appear in court Monday in the Pandora II case, with defense motions to be decided only once the hearing opens.

A May law passed unanimously by Congress lets returning Honduran migrants import up to $150,000 in household goods and $100,000 in work equipment duty-free within 12 months of their return.

Honduras is deploying traffic patrols on the CA-5 highway near Amarateca to crack down on drunk driving, speeding, and other violations, and plans to extend the effort to high-risk roads nationwide.

Honduras will close its consulate general in Shanghai on July 31, moving consular services to the embassy in Beijing as part of a cost-cutting and efficiency review of its diplomatic network.

More than 70 rural, indigenous, and Garífuna organizations blocked roads and held demonstrations nationwide on July 20, demanding that the government repeal three decrees that criminalize land claims, broaden the definition of terrorism, and shield farm and energy-sector land from legal challenges, including agrarian reform.

After a constitutional ruling annulled the proceedings against him and restored his presumption of innocence, former judge Marco Vallecillo formally petitioned the Supreme Court to reinstate him, with his defense arguing that no valid dismissal order exists in his personnel file.

The Central Bank of Honduras auctioned $112.1 million in a foreign-exchange sale on July 21, setting a weighted average exchange rate of L26.7744 per dollar for July 22.

The Housing Ministry unveiled a 10-year subsidy plan offering grants of up to L82,500 (about $3,300) and lower monthly payments to help low-income families qualify for mortgages and afford payments on social housing.

Interest rates on business loans have eased across commerce, industry, and services, tracking softer deposit rates, according to Central Bank data.

Economist Julio Raudales says the Central Bank of Honduras's 5–6% inflation target is reachable if monetary policy stays disciplined and no external shocks hit, though he warns that balancing price control against growth remains a key challenge.

Honduras's central bank raised its forecast for family remittances to 7% growth in 2026, to $13.16 billion, and kept its 3–4% economic growth outlook, though inflation and currency depreciation continue to squeeze household purchasing power.

The president of the Cortés Chamber of Commerce warns that crime and weak rule of law are keeping foreign and domestic firms from investing, expanding, and creating jobs in Honduras.

After a first phase in which mobile medical units treated nearly 17,000 patients, Honduras's Health Ministry is sending the clinics to Tambla, La Libertad, and La Lima to bring free care to underserved communities.

Also reported by: Secretaría de Salud

Environment Minister Juan Carlos Ramos is urging Congress to pass a solid-waste law that has cleared first debate, saying it would unlock international funding for sanitary landfills and improve trash collection across Honduras's 298 municipalities.

Congress unanimously approved a measure requiring the emergency agency Copeco, the Agriculture Ministry, and the municipal association Amhon to report within two weeks on drought conditions in 75 municipalities of the Dry Corridor, where El Niño has cut rainfall by half.

Honduras is spending 62 million lempiras (roughly $2.5 million) to help 75 municipalities hit by El Niño-driven drought, with 38 facing the highest food-security risks and getting priority support for water, food, health care, and irrigation.

The National Police confirmed that nearly 800 officers will be deployed inside and outside the Estadio Nacional Chelato Uclés for Thursday's inaugural Honduras Supercup match between Olimpia and Motagua, with five security cordons planned.

Experts warn that between 45,000 and 50,000 Hondurans could be deported from the United States by year-end, more than double the 2025 pace and possibly above 2018–2019 levels, driven by tougher US enforcement.

Honduras took in 23,420 deported citizens from January through June 2026—roughly five an hour—straining families and communities that need jobs and access to basic services.

A San Pedro Sula court sentenced José Nectaly Mejía Castellanos to 22 years in prison and a permanent ban from public office for criminal association, illegal firearms possession, and drug trafficking.

National Police arrested two men in Dulce Nombre de Culmí, Olancho, on suspicion of trafficking cocaine after finding 10 and 5 small bags of white powder on them during a raid.

A judge ordered Mauro Neptalí Sosa López held in pretrial detention on suspicion of sexually assaulting a child under 13; an initial hearing is set for July 23.

Honduras's audit office has opened an investigation into Yuscarán Mayor Johny Carrasco after videos showed him drinking and smoking inside municipal facilities, a possible breach of the Public Servant Ethics Code that could bring penalties ranging from suspension to removal from office.

Also reported by: La Prensa, TuNota (Canal 5 / TSI), Once Noticias, HCH

Congressman Antonio Rivera Callejas says Congress will vote to give the CNE electoral board three to five more months to seat its third full member, letting it reach quorum with a substitute member in the meantime.

After days of protests, El Progreso's municipal government canceled a planned near-300% increase in the vehicle tax, reverting to 2025 rates effective July 21, and will credit overpayments made between July 1 and 19 toward other municipal fees.

Honduras's labor federations say they will immediately push for a minimum-wage adjustment if inflation reaches 7%, invoking a safeguard clause in the current wage agreement and citing rising fuel and food costs that are eroding workers' purchasing power.

After seven weeks of fuel price drops totaling 15–20 lempiras per gallon, Honduras's petroleum distributors say food and service prices have not fallen in step, though the government's consumer protection office reports that 16 basic-basket items did drop in Tegucigalpa markets.

Lawmakers are reviewing a sweeping overhaul of Honduras's securities law that would let Hondurans channel savings and remittances into investments rather than consumption, an approach already common in Costa Rica, Panama, and the Dominican Republic.

A 10% US tariff on Honduran imports expires July 24, and while an economist says he hopes the United States will lift the duties to strengthen trade ties, he warns that the Trump administration may pursue new protectionist measures that could raise consumer prices.

Economist Ismael Zepeda says the Central Bank will struggle to rein in inflation through monetary policy given international conflicts driving up fuel costs and a planned third-quarter electricity rate hike, though the bank aims to soak up excess money supply and cut monetary emissions by 11%.

COHEP will host a webinar on July 29 at 9:00 a.m. on commercial opportunities in Mesoamerica, aimed at helping Honduran private-sector companies explore regional competitive advantages and economic integration.

Housing Secretary Francis Argeñal says most Honduran homes are built informally and without technical oversight, leaving them structurally vulnerable to earthquakes, and the government is working to promote earthquake-resistant building standards.

Honduras's state electricity company will cut power in various areas on July 22 from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. for distribution-network maintenance meant to improve reliability and reduce future disruptions.

Honduras has committed to paving 13 kilometers of road from Route 43 to the center of San Ignacio, a project officials say will give residents a safer, more efficient route.

Tegucigalpa faces severe water shortages, with reservoir levels at risk of dropping to 15–20% capacity if the rains do not pick up by late August, forcing many families to ration supplies and rely on water trucks as authorities warn of health risks from prolonged storage.

A shallow 3.1-magnitude earthquake struck 64 kilometers north of Tegucigalpa on July 21 at 12:35 a.m., with no reported injuries or damage.

Honduras's emergency agency raised drought alerts across 237 of the country's 298 municipalities as El Niño cuts rainfall, placing 75 municipalities in the dry corridor under indefinite yellow alert.

Also reported by: Radio América, Infobae – Honduras, Radio América Honduras

More than 30,000 sacks of food worth 4,000 lempiras (about $154) per household are being distributed across 12 municipalities in Honduras's dry corridor to 15,229 families who lost crops to drought.

Also reported by: Infobae – Honduras

Honduras's national sports authority is negotiating its first cooperation agreement with Brazil to strengthen athlete training, coaching, and federation development by drawing on Brazil's sporting expertise.

Honduran winger Luis Palma provided an assist and played a key role in Lech Poznan's 4–1 win over AGF Aarhus in the second qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League.

Congress's Migration Commission set up a technical working group with government agencies and civil-society organizations to strengthen legislation on human rights and migration.

Vilma Palacios, a Honduran nurse trained in the United States, was arrested by ICE in June and deported after six months in detention; she has now secured a position in Canada's public health system.

Prosecutors secured formal charges and a pretrial detention order against a suspect accused of torturing and killing three men in the Cimarrón district of Francisco Morazán on May 11; the victims' bodies were found burned after an apparent drug deal gone wrong.

Police arrested a 22-year-old man in La Lima, Cortés, on an outstanding drug-trafficking warrant issued in July 2024.

A court in Puerto Lempira ordered Stedman Reyes Valle held in pretrial detention on suspicion of illegal weapons possession and drug trafficking.

Criminal groups are extorting schools and teachers across Honduras, forcing private schools to close or relocate and displacing more than 550 educators in 2026, while the Education Ministry demands written complaints before it will act.