The Briefing Room

General Category => Immigration/Border => Topic started by: TomSea on June 12, 2019, 08:21:06 pm

Title: State Department silent on harm to Guatemala and U.S. interests
Post by: TomSea on June 12, 2019, 08:21:06 pm

Quote

State Department silent on harm to Guatemala and U.S. interests
Steve Hecht

ANALYSIS/OPINION:

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has deployed personnel to Guatemala to stop human smuggling and better understand the root causes of irregular migration. They need not go so far. A 15-minute drive to the Department of State would put DHS at the core of the problem.

Acting DHS Secretary Kevin McAleenan recently cited a study saying almost a quarter of Guatemalans, about 4 million people, plan to migrate to the United States. The secretary visited Guatemala the week of May 27 and finalized an agreement with its government. DHS will provide “law enforcement training and collaboration,” and its agents will deploy to Guatemala’s border with Mexico.

Guatemala “is a geographic ‘chokepoint’ for migration from the south up through Mexico,” according to Mr. McAleenan. I am aware of this as an American living in Guatemala for 46 years, only a short drive from where caravans pass en route to the United States via Mexico.

Read more at: https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2019/jun/11/state-department-silent-on-harm-to-guatemala-and-u/ (https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2019/jun/11/state-department-silent-on-harm-to-guatemala-and-u/)

Analysis but it sounds healthy.