Why is Honduras threatening to expel US troops?

The Honduras threat to reconsider military ties marks a significant moment in Latin American ties with the US, say experts.

Honduras has threatened to expel United States troops, retaliating against incoming President Donald Trump’s plans to carry out mass deportations of refugees and asylum seekers entering the US from Central America.

Trump’s plan could affect hundreds of thousands of people from Honduras, a country which hosts a significant US military base.

Here’s what’s at the heart of the dispute between the world’s biggest superpower and its smaller neighbour, why it matters and what this means for ties between the countries.

In her New Year’s message, Honduras’s President Xiomara Castro threatened to reconsider the country’s military cooperation with the US if President-elect Donald Trump follows through on mass deportations of undocumented immigrants.

Castro stated that US military facilities in Honduras, particularly Soto Cano Airbase, would “lose all reason to exist” if these deportations occurred. But she also used the opportunity to criticise the longstanding US military presence on Honduras soil more broadly.