Guatemala and El Salvador Agree to Accept More Deportees from the U.S.

GUATEMALA CITY – Guatemalan President Bernardo Arévalo announced that his country will take in more deportees from the United States, marking the second such agreement signed during a Central American trip by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio. This deal, aimed at addressing immigration enforcement, mirrors a broader agreement struck by El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele earlier.

Guatemala’s Increased Efforts

Under the agreement, Guatemala will increase the number of weekly deportation flights by 40%, accommodating both its own nationals and deportees from other countries. This comes with U.S. funding for transporting deportees back to their home nations.

Previously, Guatemala was handling 7-8 flights per week of its citizens being sent back from the U.S. – a practice that has continued even under the Biden administration. During Donald Trump’s presidency, the country also saw migrants repatriated via U.S. military planes.

El Salvador’s Broader Offer

El Salvador, in an even more extensive agreement, will welcome American citizens and legal residents imprisoned for violent crimes alongside deportees from any nationality.

Trump and Rubio acknowledged the potential legal complexities surrounding the deportation of U.S. citizens to foreign countries for imprisonment. Trump stated, “I’m just saying if we had a legal right to do it, I would do it in a heartbeat,” while Rubio, while calling the offer very generous, emphasized the need to consider constitutional constraints.

Rubio’s Central American Tour

Immigration has been the central focus of Rubio’s maiden international trip as Secretary of State, encompassing a five-country tour through Panama, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Guatemala, and the Dominican Republic. Addressing deportees who cannot be easily repatriated has been a key point of discussion.

The U.S. already possesses a well-developed infrastructure for deporting individuals to several Central American nations, making them an ideal location for these agreements. For instance, countries like Venezuela, which has sent many migrants to the U.S. recently, find it challenging to receive deportees due to domestic instability.

Future Cooperation

Guatemala plans to enhance its capacity to welcome both Guatemalans and migrants from other nations for eventual repatriation. While the details of the arrangement need to be finalized, it represents a significant form of cooperation.

“The permanent answer to immigration is to bring development so no one has to leave the country,” affirmed Arévalo. To this end, a delegation from within Guatemala, including representatives from private sectors, will visit Washington D.C. in the coming weeks.

Additionally, Arévalo announced the creation of a dedicated border security force to monitor Guatemala’s borders with Honduras and El Salvador. Composed of both soldiers and police, the force will help combat various forms of transnational crime.

USAID and the Trump Administration

Despite these cooperative efforts, the trip has been overshadowed by the Trump administration’s downsizing of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), reducing its workforce almost entirely on short notice.

Rubio met with staff at the U.S. embassy in Guatemala to offer reassurance, a meeting that was closed to the press – an unusual practice, given USAID’s significant presence in both Guatemala and El Salvador.

During his visit, Rubio also visited a local migration facility to learn about the processing of deportees for reintegrating into their communities. He emphasized that these programs are aligned with U.S. foreign policy and in the national interest.

Addressing Fentanyl and Crime

The visit also included discussions on counternarcotics efforts, like the interception of fentanyl precursor shipments in recent months.

As a result of Trump’s freeze on foreign assistance, excluding programs seen in the U.S. national interest, Rubio granted waivers for these initiatives, ensuring they would continue under his tenure.

Rubio’s Broader Goals

Beyond Guatemala, Rubio engaged in discussions with the Mexican Foreign Secretary Juan Ramón de la Fuente to deliberate on securing the U.S.-Mexico border, thwarting fentanyl and organized crime, and curbing illegal immigration.

These agreements highlight the complex interplay between nations in addressing the ongoing issue of immigration and demonstrate potential solutions to illegal deportations.