Honduras president says country can’t handle 70,000 migrant backlog returning from U.S., Mexico

Honduras President Juan Orlando Hernandez is warning that up to 70,000 foreigners could be stuck in the Central American country as a result of a recent crackdown on illegal immigration by the United States and Mexico.

The president said Monday: “For us that is a high risk topic. We could not handle a situation like that.”

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READ MORE: Mexico says it will help create 20K jobs in Honduras to curb migration to U.S.

Hernandez made the comment after meeting with Acting U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kevin McAleenan in Washington.

Questions have recently surfaced over whether Honduras would be interested in a deal similar to the one signed by the Trump administration and Guatemala last month. That deal requires migrants from other countries who cross into Guatemala to apply for asylum there rather than in the U.S.