Trump Admin's Honduran Ally Cozier with MS-13 Than Your Aunt's Best Friend
While mainstream outlets occasionally glimpse the murky intersections of US foreign policy and organized crime (kudos to The Intercept for lifting the rock), they often miss the historical rot. When the Trump White House vouched for Asfura, it wasn't an isolated incident of bad judgment; it was following a well-worn playbook where 'stability' for US interests trumps 'justice' for Hondurans.
Remember the 2009 coup against Manuel Zelaya, which the Obama-Clinton State Department ultimately legitimised? That destabilized Honduras, paving the way for the very conditions that allowed gangs and corrupt politicians to flourish. The US continued to pour funding into a government that enabled widespread corruption and human rights abuses, creating the 'migrant crisis' they now rail against.
So, when MS-13 'endorses' a candidate simultaneously backed by the US—allegedly through 'political contributions' or 'security guarantees' to gang leaders in exchange for votes—it's not a paradox. It’s America's legacy in Central America coming home to roost. How many times will we prop up strongmen, only to lament the ensuing chaos?