Page 2 - aruba-today-20190727

A2 US NEWS
Saturday 27 July 2019

U.S., Guatemala sign agreement to restrict asylum cases

By ZEKE MILLER and COL- tions, to work temporarily
LEEN LONG and then return to Guate-
Associated Press mala, which will strengthen
WASHINGTON (AP) — family unity."
The Trump administration The same conditions driv-
signed an agreement with ing Salvadorans and Hon-
Guatemala Friday that will durans to flee their country
restrict asylum applications — gang violence, poverty,
to the U.S. from Central joblessness, a prolonged
America. drought that has severely
The so-called "safe third hit crop yields — are also
country" agreement would present in Guatemala.
require migrants, including Guatemala also lacks re-
Salvadorans and Hondu- sources to adequately
rans, who cross into Gua- house, educate or provide
temala on their way to the opportunity to potential
U.S. to apply for protections asylum seekers, observers
in Guatemala instead of at say.
the U.S. border. In Guatemala City, social
It could potentially ease and student organiza-
the crush of migrants over- tions spoke out against the
whelming the U.S. immigra- agreement in front of the
tion system, although many Constitutional Court, on
questions remain about the grounds that the coun-
how the agreement will be President Donald Trump, walks to acting Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kevin try is mired in poverty and
executed. McAleenan, seated right, and Guatemalan Interior Minister Enrique Degenhart in the Oval Office unemployment and has no
President Donald Trump of the White House in Washington, Friday, July 26, 2019. capacity to serve migrants.
heralded the concession Associated Press They called for a protest
as a win as he struggles agreement will put the at the southern border. ment allows the country to rally Saturday.
to live up to his campaign coyotes and smugglers out The two countries had avoid "drastic sanctions ... Advocacy groups con-
promises on immigration. of business." been negotiating such an many of them designed to demned the move Friday,
"This is a very big day," he The announcement comes agreement for months, strongly punish our econo- with Amnesty International
said. "We have long been after a court in California and Trump threatened my, such as taxes on remit- saying "any attempts to
working with Guatemala blocked Trump's most re- Wednesday to place tar- tances that our brothers force families and individu-
and now we can do it the strictive asylum effort to iffs or other consequences send daily, as well as the als fleeing their home coun-
right way." date, one that would ef- on Guatemala if it didn't imposition of tariffs on our tries to seek safety in Gua-
He claimed, "This landmark fectively end protections reach a deal. export goods and migra- temala are outrageous."
"We'll either do tariffs or tory restrictions." "The Trump administration
we'll do something. We're Earlier Friday, Morales ques- must abandon this cruel
looking at something very tioned the concept of a and illegal plan to shut
severe with respect to Gua- "safe third country." doors to families and in-
temala," Trump had said. "Where does that term ex- dividuals trying to rebuild
On Friday, Trump praised ist?" he asked reporters. "It their lives in safety," said
the Guatemalan govern- does not exist, it is a collo- Charanya Krishnaswami,
ment, saying now it has "a quial term. No agreement the group's advocacy di-
friend in the United States, exists that is called 'safe rector for the Americas.
instead of an enemy in the third country.'" Democratic Rep. Eliot En-
United States." Human rights prosecutor gel, the chairman of the
Trump added Friday that Jordán Rodas said his team House Committee on For-
the agreement would pro- was studying the legality of eign Affairs, said Trump's
tect "the rights of those the agreement and wheth- decision to sign the agree-
with legitimate claims," end er Interior Minister Enrique ment was "cruel and im-
"abuse" of the asylum sys- Degenhart had the author- moral." ''It is also illegal,"
tem and curtail the crisis on ity to sign the compact. he added. "Simply put,
the U.S. southern border. Guatemala's government Guatemala is not a safe
He said that as part of the put out a six-paragraph, country for refugees and
agreement, the U.S. would Spanish-language state- asylum seekers, as the law
increase access to the ment Friday on Twitter. It requires."
H-2A visa program for tem- does not call the agree- Homeland Security officials
porary agricultural workers ment "safe third country" said they expected the
from Guatemala. but "Cooperation Agree- agreement to be ratified in
It's not clear how the ment for the Assessment of Guatemala and would be-
agreement will take effect. Protection Requests." gin implementing it some-
Guatemala's Constitutional The Guatemalan govern- time in August.
Court has granted three ment said that in coming Acting Secretary Kevin
injunctions preventing its days its Labor Ministry "will McAleenan said it was part
government from entering start issuing work visas in the of a long-standing effort
into a deal without approv- agriculture industry, which with Guatemala to address
al of the country's congress. will allow Guatemalans to migration and combat
Guatemalan President travel legally to the United smuggling. He cautioned
Jimmy Morales said via so- States, to avoid being vic- against calling the country
cial media that the agree- tims of criminal organiza- unsafe for refugees.q