Guatemala ‘too poor’ to take in America’s unwanted migrants, says president-elect

An agreement signed last month between the two countries would require migrants to apply for asylum in Guatemala rather than the US

But incoming president Alejandro Giammattei says his country is not ‘safe’ and does not have the capacity to cope with a sudden influx

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Guatemalan President-elect Alejandro Giammattei. Photo: AFP

Published: 2:29pm, 14 Aug 2019Updated: 10:22pm, 14 Aug 2019

A Guatemalan immigration agreement signed with the administration of US President Donald Trump will not work because the Central American nation does not have the resources, the country’s new president-elect says.

Alejandro Giammattei, a conservative who was chosen overwhelmingly by voters in a run-off election at the weekend, said on Tuesday that Guatemala is too poor to tend to its own people, let alone those from other countries.

The agreement signed in July by the outgoing administration of President Jimmy Morales would require migrants from other countries who cross into Guatemala to apply for asylum there rather than in the United States.

“In order to be a safe country, one has to be certified as such by an international body, and I do not think Guatemala fulfils the requirements to be a third safe country. That definition doesn’t fit us,” said Giammattei, a 63-year-old doctor.

“If we do not have the capacity for our own people, just imagine other people.”

Guatemalan migrants deported from the US wait to board a bus after arriving back in the country. Photo: AFP

Guatemalans make up one of the largest groups emigrating from Central America because of poverty, unemployment and crime. Critics say it is hard to see how the country could offer a safe haven to migrants from other nations.

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