American troops, when stationed abroad, spend a lot of money. They buy local merchandise, they eat at local dining establishments, and believe you me, in nations where it’s a thing, they drink in local watering holes. Locals may approve or disapprove of the presence of American service members, but they will surely take their money.

So when the President of Honduras, Xiomara Castro, warns that the incoming Trump administration’s deportation plans could cause her to order American troops out of Honduras, that warning rings a little hollow.

The president of Honduras has threatened to force the U.S. military out of the country if President-elect Donald Trump carries out his forthcoming mass deportation.

Honduran President Xiomara Castro warned in a television broadcast message this week that she could decide to have the United States haul out its service members from the Central American country if Trump tries to deport Hondurans with criminal histories back to their home country.

“Faced with a hostile attitude of mass expulsion of our brothers, we would have to consider a change in our policies of cooperation with the United States, especially in the military arena,” Castro said during the Wednesday broadcast.

The U.S., Castro said, maintains military bases in Honduras “without paying a cent for decades,” though the country receives significant foreign aid from the U.S.

Take note of that last sentence quoted here: “…though the country receives significant foreign aid from the U.S.,” as I’ll be revisiting that.