DHS INKS DEAL WITH GUATEMALA TO COMBAT IMMIGRATION CRISIS
DHS INKS DEAL WITH GUATEMALA TO COMBAT IMMIGRATION CRISIS
7:08 PM 05/28/2019 | US
Jason Hopkins | Immigration and politics reporter
U.S. and Guatemalan officials signed an agreement Tuesday that aims to stem the flow of illegal migrants leaving the Central American country en masse.
Acting Homeland Security Secretary Kevin McAleenan signed a Memorandum of Cooperation (MOC) on Tuesday alongside his counterparts in the Guatemalan government. The MOC calls on Guatemala to better enforce its borders, reducing the number U.S.-bound immigrants who leave the country illegally.
In return, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has agreed to more cooperation with Guatemala regarding drug and human trafficking issues.
“I am proud to sign this agreement with Minister Enrique Antonio Degenhart,” McAleenan stated Tuesday.
“Through our continued collaboration and partnership, the U.S. and Guatemala are formalizing a number of initiatives to improve the lives and security of our respective citizens by combating human trafficking and the smuggling of illegal goods, helping to limit ‘push’ factors that encourage dangerous irregular migration to the U.S., perpetuating the ongoing crisis at our border.”
The agreement will target the operation of transnational criminal organizations. Much of their involvement in human and drug smuggling contributes to illegal immigration.
The MOC signing kicked off McAleenan’s four-day trip in the Northern Triangle, where he will meet with leaders in the region to find solutions to the immigration crisis. The acting secretary is expected to finish his trip by Thursday.
The Northern Triangle nations of Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, have been the epicenter of the U.S. border emergency.
McAleenan revealed earlier in May that over 1% of the population of Honduras and Guatemala has left for the U.S. since September 2018. Many of the people remaining in these impoverished countries still wish to leave.
A survey in Guatemala found nearly 40% of respondents wanted to emigrate, with a vast majority of those choosing the U.S. as their destination.
Tens of thousands of illegal immigrants reach the U.S.-Mexico border every month. April marked the second consecutive month where migrant encounters with Border Patrol topped 100,000.
Migrant apprehensions have continually risen since January.
A large bulk of the migrants are family units and unaccompanied minors from the Northern Triangle, wreaking havoc on a U.S. system designed to handle only adult Mexican nationals.
DHS leaders have begged Congress for more money to fund border operations, and for changes to immigration laws that would better reflect the demographics of the current immigrants.
(RELATED: Border Patrol Creating A New Position To Stymie The Immigration Crisis)
“Family units have reached a record level: 59% so far this month of our total crossings on the border,” McAleenan told lawmakers earlier in May about the crisis. “That is a direct response to the vulnerability in our legal framework.”
https://dailycaller.com/2019/05/28/d...eal-guatemala/
WHITE HOUSE DEPLOYING DHS AGENTS TO GUATEMALA-MEXICO BORDER: OFFICIALS
2:36 PM 06/01/2019 | US
Jason Hopkins
The Trump administration is sending Homeland Security agents and other law enforcement officers to the Guatemala-Mexico border, part of the White House’s ongoing efforts to reduce illegal immigration to the United States, officials familiar with the plan said.
Dozens of Department of Homeland Security (DHS) agents and investigators will work alongside Guatemalan law enforcement to fight drug-trafficking and better prohibit the flow of illegal migration from the country, according to a report from The Washington Post. The U.S. agents will work as advisers for local Guatemalan forces.
The plan, which has not yet been formally announced, will reportedly involve a number of Homeland Security Investigations agents and intelligence analysts, several agents from Enforcement and Removal Operations, and other law enforcement personnel. A senior DHS source for CNN said the entire plan will last for two years.
News of the deployment comes after DHS Acting Secretary Kevin McAleenan signed a memorandum with the Guatemalan government that calls on both countries to work together to fight crime and reduce unauthorized immigration.
“I am proud to sign this agreement with Minister Enrique Antonio Degenhart,” McAleenan said on Tuesday. “Through our continued collaboration and partnership, the U.S. and Guatemala are formalizing a number of initiatives to improve the lives and security of our respective citizens by combating human trafficking and the smuggling of illegal goods, helping to limit ‘push’ factors that encourage dangerous irregular migration to the U.S., perpetuating the ongoing crisis at our border.”
The U.S. government has agreed to help Guatemala fight local crime. In return, the Latin American country has agreed to beef up its own border security.
The acting DHS secretary recently ended a four-day trip in the Northern Triangle, a region in Central America that is the major source of illegal immigration into the U.S. The goal of McAleenan’s trip was to find collaborative solutions with Central American leaders to hedge the crisis.
The deal with Guatemala has already appeared to bear fruit. Nine leaders of a major human smuggling operation were arrested Wednesday, thanks to a joint effort by DHS Investigation agents and Guatemalan authorities. The bust dealt a devastating blow to a cartel that transported around 800 migrants a year into the U.S. and boasted $10 million in assets.
DHS says dismantling criminal operations in Guatemala, which sits in a strategic location next to Mexico, can help dramatically help reduce illegal immigration from Central America.
President Donald Trump on Thursday announced his administration would be instituting a tariff against all Mexican goods until their government does more to stop the flow of migration through its country. The tariffs, which will begin at 5% on June 10, are due to increase by increments of 5% every month and could reach a maximum of 25% by October.
https://dailycaller.com/2019/06/01/d...mexico-border/
