He tried for years to join his 13-year-old daughter in the US. Now they're finally reunited -- at her deathbed

" and I say better late than never ! "

Why was he rejected?

This is but one of the thousands of tragedies occurring in the US and hundreds of thousands of tragedies occurring around the world every single day. Why OP chooses to highlight this one above all the other tragedies is cruelly obvious.

I feel for this man but wouldn’t it be a wiser course of action in the long term for the United States to try and improve the broken societies that these people are attempting to flee from.

I feel for this man but wouldn’t it be a wiser course of action in the long term for the United States to try and improve the broken societies that these people are attempting to flee from.

[quote] from their violent hometown in Honduras four years ago.

The failing Republic of Honduras should officially give up its Independence & Sovereignity and en masse apply to legally become a U.S. Dependency or 51st State.

The US military (which has been poking around in the area anyway) can then officially come over and take over. Nobody then would have to emigrate en masse, like a disjointed mass Exodus. Because then they already would be in the US, under its political rule, with according changes.

Similiar to Gibraltar, which is a British “Overseas Territory” and not fully independent, in return for armed forces protection.

You mean similar to Puerto Rico, r6?

Right, r6, because Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador and Nicaragua are going to welcome a U.S. territory next door.

R8, Argentina didn't welcome a British territory next to them either. And, sure, they keep complaining and yapping about it on and off. But it's not like they stand a chance against a much more stronger military nation. Economically weaker nations don't call the shots in this world.

Perhaps like Puerto Rico, R7. Though Puerto Rico hasn't given up full autonomy / sovereignty. But a person's basic need provision is still better in PR than in Honduras. Honduras doesn't even seem to have decent medicine welfare like e.g. Cuba:

[quote] In Honduras, approximately 129.0 women per 1,000 births die during labor. In Puerto Rico, 14.0 women do.

To be honest I think many people in Central American countries would welcome what R6 is proposing. However, I don’t think there would be much support for it.

If Honduras did become a Dependency wouldn’t that give the people the right to live and work in the United States?

I think the best thing would be to provide humanitarian and financial aid, while also increasing security and supporting strong democratic institutions throughout the Honduran government.

THREAD CLOSED

[quote] I think the best thing would be to provide humanitarian and financial aid

Good idea in principle, but very difficult to implement in practice. It didn't work much with Eastern Europe, Africa or South America. Much of the "humanitarian and financial aid" was looted (even by the relatively more democratic parties & candidates) and is now merrily stashed away in private Swiss bank accounts.

The US under the Trump administration is in no position to take over a country. Perhaps you have forgotten the fiasco in Puerto Rico, which is an actual US territory?

The US won't necessarily be under Trump next year. And, as said above, Puerto Rico is still comparatively better off than Honduras.

If the gang violence in Honduras is so bad and many citizens are fleeing - then they want as well admit that Honduras is a "failed state" and ask for someone else to take over. It doesn't have to be the US, it can be another foreign administrator. But the US makes more sense, given the relative geographic proximity.

There were some cases in history when certain nations (facing insurmountable internal problems & deadly strife) asked a foreign representative to take over, as neutral administrator, for a while. I think that happened with the northern Slavs inviting Scandinavians to become their leaders for a while.

*they can as well admit

[quote]The failing Republic of Honduras should officially give up its Independence & Sovereignity and en masse apply to legally become a U.S. Dependency or 51st State.

The US has actively supported the regime which overthrew its leader in 2009, particularly with military funding.

Shithole country with shitty people plus the Catholic church will never become industrialized. Abortion would be a better option for them if it weren't totally banned there. Truly shithole country, Honduras.

That’s true, r17. All the meddling that the United States has done throughout Central America - especially during the 1980s - has helped cause the conditions that countries like Honduras face today.

[quote]In Honduras, approximately 129.0 women per 1,000 births die during labor.

Is this accurate? That's much higher than the childbirth death rate for the US during the 1800's (25/1000).

[quote]In Honduras, approximately 129.0 women per 1,000 births die during labor.

Is this accurate? That's much higher than the childbirth death rate for the US during the 1800's (25/1000).

I'm so glad there was a happy ending to this story

Was the previous leader much better, R17? Was there less gang violence than now? Genuine questions.

Everybody knows the US gov't keeps sticking its meddlesome fingers in Central America and upending things in a half-arsed, reckless or greedy way. But a lot of it was done secretly and without any accountability or transparency whatsoever. (The US gov't just kept stoking things and poking things under the table and in the shadows.) However, if it were instead an open, transparent declaration for foreign governance & administration - that's a different ballgame entirely. That way you can't just stoke up a mess and walk away, citing that they're a separate nation - they give up sovereignty to you (becoming a direct part of your administrative jurisdiction & responsibility), you clean up the mess in return.

She should have been allowed to return to Honduras to be with her father. Elian Gonzalez was allowed to return to the prison state of Cuba to be with his father.

R20/R21, you're right, apologies, that does look way too high. But it seems they historically had the highest maternal mortality rates in Latin America, observed even in the 90s, even before the recent coup d'etat:

[quote] "One of the most pressing health problems in Honduras is maternal mortality, pushed up by a high incidence of teen and over-35 pregnancies, too-close spacing of births, high levels of malnutrition and illegal abortions. Health ministry reports indicate that the maternal mortality rate is 221 per 100,000 live births — compared to 12 per 100,000 in Germany, 36 in Uruguay and 5 in Spain, for example — one of the highest in Latin America."

And these are just the figures per "live" births, I wonder what are the additional figures per combined mortality (both mother & still-born child).