TEHRAN, Jul 27 - U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday said he accepted to remove economic sanctions threats against Guatemala after the country said it would take new steps to lower U.S. asylum claims from migrants from Honduras and El Salvador.
TEHRAN, Young Journalists Club (YJC) - The Trump administration has grappled with a surge of mainly Central American migrants claiming asylum at the United States’ southern border with Mexico, an influx that has made it difficult for Trump to restrict immigration as he promised when he was elected.
Many of his initiatives have been blocked by court orders, and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) said the group would likely challenge the Guatemala agreement in court.
Nearly 200,000 people travelling in families from El Salvador and Honduras have been apprehended at the U.S. border since October, with most passing through Guatemala and Mexico along the way.
Mexico agreed last month to deploy troops to try to stanch the flow after Trump threatened to impose tariffs on exports.
Trump had pushed for Guatemala to sign a so-called safe third country agreement to require asylum seekers passing through on their way to the United States to first pursue safe haven in Guatemala.
When an initial agreement fell through last week, Trump had threatened to impose tariffs, ban travelers and hit remittances with fees.
On Friday, he watched as acting Homeland Security Secretary Kevin McAleenan signed an agreement with Guatemala’s minister of government, Enrique Antonio Degenhart, in the Oval Office.
Source: Reuters
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