Álvaro Montenegro

El 2 de febrero, el secretario de Estado de Estados Unidos, Antony Blinken, anunció que el gobierno de Joe Biden suspendería los Acuerdos de Cooperación de Asilo bilaterales con el gobierno de Guatemala y otros países en la región. Con la implementación del enfoque propuesto por el presidente Biden, Estados Unidos podría ser un aliado regional confiable, pues trabajaría con los gobiernos, las organizaciones internacionales, la sociedad civil y el sector privado para establecer una estrategia adecuada para atender las causas fundamentales de la migración en la región, combatir la corrupción y la impunidad y abordar los factores climáticos que influyen en la migración.…  Seguir leyendo »

On Feb. 2, Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced that the Biden administration would suspend bilateral Asylum Cooperative Agreements with the government of Guatemala and others in the region. In implementing the approach laid out by President Biden, the United States could be a reliable regional partner, working with governments, international organizations, civil society and the private sector to establish a comprehensive strategy to address the root causes of migration in the region, fight against corruption and impunity, and address climate drivers of migration.

The announcement comes on the heels of months of unrest in Guatemala. In November, Guatemala’s Congress approved an emergency budget that axed pandemic assistance programs, and slashed hunger relief, while earmarking additional resources for congressional perks like meal allowances for its members.…  Seguir leyendo »

Aug. 11’s elections in Guatemala may have thrown a wrench into the Trump administration’s plans to convert Guatemala into a beachhead against migration from Central America. This is partly because President-elect Alejandro Giammattei is wavering over the “safe third country” agreement negotiated with the current president, Jimmy Morales, though he has fallen short of rejecting it outright. The new government is also poised to generate intensified migration of Guatemalans fleeing poverty, gang and organized criminal violence, and political persecution.

Undoubtedly catching the Trump administration off guard, Mr. Giammattei has publicly conceded what everyone already knows. Guatemala does not meet the qualifications of a safe third country, a designation grounded in international law that implies that prospective refugees apply for asylum in the first country they pass through that can guarantee their rights and provide them basic services.…  Seguir leyendo »