Deportations Hit Guatemalan Economy

Guatemala, Mar 31 (Prensa Latina) Guatemala stopped receiving about 100 million dollars last year for deportation of over 113,000 Guatemalans from Mexico to the US, according to a report published here on Monday.

The document from the International Organization for Migration (IOM) says Mexican authorities have repatriated 90,000 Guatemalan and the US over 23,000 in 2007.

Unsent remittances by those citizens to their families caused difficulties for the latter to buy food and other products, said IOM's administrative and operation official Victor Lozano.

According to estimates, one third of the 13 million Guatemalans live thanks to the funds sent by their relatives from abroad.

For the official from that UN entity the most worrying is the lack of programs in Guatemala aimed at reintegrating repatriate and makes them abandon the idea of going back to the north.

IOM official also regretted the unequal transference of human resources since between 25,000 and 30,000 highly qualified professionals in engineering, architecture or medicine, are working in other areas in United States.

That means that another nation enjoys our training costs, said Lozano to the daily news 21st Century.

Migrant Rights' Organizations warned that the number of fellow citizens repatriated from United States could reach 40,000 this year, facing intensification of policies against people without identification papers.

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PL-27