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US-Guatemala Asylum Deal Advances Despite No Cooperation with UN Refugee
Agency

Ramon Taylor

   WASHINGTON - A "cooperative" asylum agreement between the United States
   and Guatemala may be near, despite no such cooperation between the U.S.
   State Department and the U.N. refugee agency (UNHCR).

   On Thursday, Reuters reported that Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales
   mightsign a "safe third country agreement" with U.S. President Donald
   Trump on Monday, when the two are scheduled to meet in Washington.

   A State Department official with knowledge of ongoing discussions, who
   spoke to VOA on the condition of anonymity, confirmed that Monday was
   the target date, but added, "We still seem far from [an] agreement."

   Marta Larra, a spokeswomanfor Guatemala's Ministry of Foreign Affairs,
   told VOA the bilateral meetings wouldcover "security, migration and the
   economy," but did not indicate that Guatemala was prepared to sign a
   deal. [1]Negotiations have been ongoing in Guatemala City since
   mid-June.

   What the agreement would do

   A safe third country agreement, if signed by both countries, would
   block most asylum seekers from seeking refuge in the United States if
   they pass through Guatemala first. A geographic barrier between Mexico
   to the north, and El Salvador and Honduras to the south, Guatemala is a
   common pathway for global asylum seekers traveling from Central and
   South America toward the U.S.

References

   1. https://www.voanews.com/americas/us-guatemala-close-deal-block-central-american-asylum-seekers

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