Guatemala Agreement United States

On July 26, 2019, the United States and Guatemala reached an agreement that would allow asylum seekers from other countries to apply for protections in Guatemala instead of the United States. This agreement, known as the “Guatemala Agreement,” was one of several agreements the United States has made with Central American countries to curb the flow of migrants seeking asylum in the United States.

Under the terms of the agreement, the United States can send asylum seekers who have passed through Guatemala to apply for protections in that country. In return, the United States will provide assistance to Guatemala, including financial aid, training for officials, and technical assistance to improve their asylum system.

The Guatemala Agreement has been highly controversial, with many human rights groups and immigration advocates expressing concerns about the safety of asylum seekers who will now have to apply for protections in Guatemala. Guatemala has one of the highest rates of violence and poverty in the region, and its asylum system is largely under-resourced and overwhelmed.

Critics of the agreement also argue that it violates international law, which holds that asylum seekers should have the right to apply for protections in the country of their choosing. Others see the agreement as a way for the United States to offload its asylum processing responsibilities onto a smaller and less-equipped country.

Supporters of the agreement, including the Trump administration and Guatemalan officials, argue that it will help to address the crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border by providing a deterrent to migrants who are seeking to use the asylum system as a means of entering the United States. They also argue that it will help to spread the burden of processing asylum claims across the region, instead of leaving it solely on the United States.

Despite the controversy surrounding the Guatemala Agreement, it remains in effect, and the United States has been sending asylum seekers to apply for protections in Guatemala since November 2019. The agreement has also sparked similar negotiations with other countries in the region, including El Salvador and Honduras.

As the situation at the U.S.-Mexico border continues to evolve and immigration policy remains a highly contentious issue, it is likely that the Guatemala Agreement will remain a subject of debate and scrutiny. Regardless of one`s stance on the agreement, however, its impact on the lives of asylum seekers and the wider implications for U.S. immigration policy cannot be ignored.