Latin American Leaders Preach Unity Against Trade Wars and Mass Deportations at CELAC Summit

Caracas, April 14, 2025 (venezuelanalysis.com) – A group of Latin American and Caribbean presidents took strong stances against US foreign policy in the region at the IX Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) summit in Tegucigalpa, Honduras.

The high-level event on April 9 was organized by Honduran President Xiomara Castro, who handed over CELAC’s pro-tempore presidency to her Colombian counterpart Gustavo Petro, and gathered representatives from the 33 member states.

With the Donald Trump administration adopting ramped-up economic sanctions, widespread import tariffs and a crackdown on migration, regional leaders highlighted the need for unity and for delivering collective responses.

“CELAC could accomplish a lot if we raise a single voice, together in a powerful bloc with proposals and common actions,” Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro said during the gathering on Wednesday.

Addressing his regional counterparts via conference call, Maduro called on the bloc to “reinvent itself” in order to face the present challenges and oppose renewed “imperialist domination” efforts from the US.

“Today we have an aggression against the entire world. The trade war against 180 countries marks the end of Western globalization,” he added, urging the region to oppose tariffs and sanctions levied against Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua.

The Venezuelan leader went on to reiterate his country’s proposal for CELAC to adopt a general secretariat to ensure more effective follow-up on regional initiatives.

For his part, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio “Lula” da Silva argued that the present moment “demands that we put aside our differences.” 

“History teaches that there are no winners in trade wars,” he affirmed. “The stronger our economies are, the more protected we will be against these unilateral actions.”

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum reiterated the view that “Latin America and the Caribbean demand unity and solidarity from its governments and peoples.” She urged the region’s leaders to develop joint initiatives in trade, science and technological development.

The summit’s final statement emphasized the organization’s principles, its opposition to unilateral coercive measures, and a pledge to present collective positions in international forums.

The declaration was approved by 30 of the 33 member states, with Argentina, Paraguay and Nicaragua dissenting. The Daniel Ortega government said that the final position omitted the explicit defense of Cuba, Venezuela and Palestine.

Defense of Latin American migrants

Washington’s intensified crackdown on migration likewise drew the attention of regional leaders at the high-level summit.

“We reject racism, human rights violations and the criminalization of the Latin American brothers who have had the necessity to migrate [to the US],” Sheinbaum said in her speech. The Mexican leader stressed that migration needs to be addressed by looking at its structural causes.

Venezuelan migrants have been especially targeted during Trump’s second term in office, with the White House invoking the 1798 Alien Enemies Act to crack down on Venezuelans under the purported threat of the Tren de Aragua gang.

Last week, the conservative-dominated US Supreme Court backed the Trump administration’s use of the 18th-century law, while ruling that migrants must have the opportunity to challenge gang membership allegations and deportations. The decision overturned lower court rulings that declared the use of the Alien Enemies Act illegal.

In his CELAC address, Maduro blasted the White House’s actions as “the biggest attack on migrant peoples since the Second World War.”

The Trump administration reportedly defied court orders to send 238 Venezuelan nationals to a notorious anti-terrorism prison in El Salvador under a deal with the Nayib Bukele government. Subsequent investigations have revealed that the vast majority of Venezuelan detainees have no criminal record in the US.

Venezuela welcomed two more flights carrying deported nationals last week, bringing the total of returned migrants from the US to over 2,500 since February. The latest group included 35 Venezuelans who were reportedly detained at the US’ Guantánamo Bay base.

The Caribbean nation’s authorities have stressed that only a very small fraction of returnees have criminal records in Venezuela or outstanding international arrest warrants.

Edited by Cira Pascual Marquina in Caracas.