Overview
- U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen and Peter Welch led a resolution, joined by ten Democratic colleagues, denouncing President Trump's pardon of Juan Orlando Hernández.
- Hernández was released from U.S. custody on December 1 after a full presidential pardon, according to the Federal Bureau of Prisons.
- A U.S. jury convicted Hernández in 2024 of conspiring to import cocaine and related firearms offenses, leading to a 45-year sentence tied to more than 400 tons of U.S.-bound cocaine and bribes that included $1 million from Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán.
- The pardon followed Trump's public endorsement of National Party candidate Nasry “Tito” Asfura during Honduras's razor‑thin presidential contest, a sequence that observers say raised concerns about influencing the vote.
- Honduras remains polarized over Hernández's legacy, and the Honduran attorney general has indicated he could face domestic charges if he returns, with an open investigation reportedly underway.