–
After days of secrecy about President Alejandro Giammattei’s trip to Washington, this Monday the Secretariat of Social Communication of the Presidency (SCSP) announced that the three-day tour would have the same number of activities, including a religious one. Hours later, in another statement, he added that “he will again request Temporary Protected Status” (TPS) for Guatemalan migrants.
According to official data from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Minex), 2.9 million Guatemalans are estimated to reside in the US, so after several attempts to petition for TPS to be approved, Giammattei will make a new request.
Currently, Honduras and El Salvador already have this benefit, Guatemala being the only one of the Northern Triangle countries that lacks it.
The Minister of Foreign Relations, Mario Búcaro, appears for a summons in the Congress of the Republic to deal with the issue of the situation of migrants.
📸: Anaité Alvarez/LH pic.twitter.com/CXAUdjiZkb
– La Hora Newspaper (@lahoragt) June 22, 2022
GIAMMATTEI WILL ASK FOR TPS AGAIN
Kevin López Oliva, head of the SCSP, announced that they had started the president’s work tour in the United States.
He added that they had arrived at the Department of National Security for a meeting with Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, with whom they would address issues of regular migration, the fight against drug trafficking and the creation of walls of prosperity.
In addition, they will once again petition the United States government for TPS for compatriots who are in that country.
PRESIDENCY PRONOUNCED LAST WEEK ON TPS
The SCSP announced on Thursday, June 23, that both the president and Foreign Minister Mario Búcaro have exposed the need for TPS for Guatemala on different occasions.
“The Government of President Alejandro Giammattei reiterates its commitment to request, reiterate, insist and persist that Guatemala be eligible for this Temporary Protected Status,” he added.
Likewise, it currently has the support of 80 US legislators who recognize the importance of this status for all Guatemalans living in that country, so “this effort by the Guatemalan government has not rested and will not rest.”
AN UNATTAINABLE TPS FOR GUATEMALA
Fernando Castro Molina, a consultant on migration issues, commented that the TPS has been required by the country’s authorities since 2010 and the US has not granted it to Guatemala.
He mentioned that despite the fact that the country has been affected “seriously by Stan, Mitch, Eta, Iota, the eruption of Volcán de Fuego”, all the petitions framed in established requirements, both in the Democratic and Republican administrations, were not resolved.
He explained that it entails the importance of greater compliance with requirements for the country, which, if not met, will not favor the granting of TPS.
#LaHoraDeActualizarnos During a new broadcast of his program “In consultation with Dr. Giammattei”, this was assured by the president. 👇 https://t.co/ujDtpRx5ad
– La Hora Newspaper (@lahoragt) June 27, 2022
He clarified that by “presenting a new petition to the current administration of Joe Biden, nothing is lost and, on the contrary, there will be the record of one more petition, accumulated or that could be favorable, it will depend on Biden.”
THE DELEGATION ACCOMPANYING GIAMMATTEI IN WASHINGTON
The SCSP announced that the delegation that accompanies Giammattei on his visit to Washington is made up of Foreign Minister Búcaro, López Oliva, and the Guatemalan ambassador accredited in Washington, Alfonso Quiñónez.
–
