Honduras fires immigration chief for expelling Brazilian diplomat

Tegucigalpa, Jan 31 (IANS/EFE) Honduras’ new government has fired its top immigration official after a Brazilian diplomat was denied entry into the country.

“In light of the undignified treatment offered to this diplomat from Brazil, the decision was made to dismiss Nelson Willy Mejia as immigration director,” Interior Minister Africo Madrid told reporters Friday.

He said the diplomat arrived at Tegucigalpa’s Toncontin International Airport Friday on a flight from Miami, but immigration officials denied her entry and put her on a flight back to the US.

Madrid said he did not know the diplomat’s name, but in comments to EFE an immigration official identified the diplomat as Francisca Francinete de Melo and said “the foreign ministry had given the order” to not let her enter the country.

“This rash action by immigration officials in deporting this Brazilian diplomat has put our nation in a difficult situation,” Madrid said.

“The (Honduran) foreign minister (Mario Canahuati) has expressed his most sincere apologies to the Brazilian people and government and to the international community” for the incident, he added.

Madrid said Mejia was appointed by the “previous government” of de facto leader Roberto Micheletti and “his replacement will be named in the coming days”.

Brazilian Foreign Minister Celso Amorim, meanwhile, attributed the incident to an “error” and a “misunderstanding”.

“It’s a problem that’s already been solved, a vestige of the regime that (is no longer in power),” Amorim said from Davos, Switzerland, where he is taking part in the World Economic Forum, the official Agencia Brasil news service reported.

Amorim added that by the time he learned of the incident “the problem had already been solved” and he received information that the consul “will be able to enter” Honduras soon.

Micheletti’s regime severed relations with Brazil after ousted president Manuel Zelaya - who secretly returned to the country three months after his June ouster - was given refuge at the Brazilian embassy in Tegucigalpa.

–IANS/EFE