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U.S. residents ask Arevalo for consular improvements

U.S. residents ask Arevalo for consular improvements
Photo: @WHAASSTSECTY

November 12 |

President-elect, Bernardo Arévalo, held a two-day tour of Washington, United States, where he met with different sectors and U.S. officials and migrant organizations.

Improving consular services, maximizing remittances through banks and promoting electoral civic participation were some of the topics discussed of interest to the Guatemalan community in the United States. Between 25 and 30 leaders and representatives of migrant associations from Washington, Texas, New York, New Jersey, North Carolina, among others, participated.

The president-elect was accompanied on the tour by Francisco Villagrán, Guatemala’s former ambassador to various international organizations. The three issues were put on the table, but there was no in-depth discussion on how they will be addressed by the Executive Branch during the next four years.

With respect to consular attention, according to Ben Monterroso, migrant leader, it was stated that the processing of passports at the consulates should be improved. He expressed that there is difficulty in scheduling appointments, there are no passport booklets or it takes several weeks to process them. This document is necessary to carry out procedures in the North American country, even to obtain a driver’s license in some states.

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“We talked about the consulates, we are clear that we have to improve both the service and the documents, because we continue with the same pending as always, that there are no passport books, no passports or no appointments”, he indicated.

As a second point, the representatives expressed to Arevalo the interest in a way that remittances can be collected in Guatemala in a proper way. In that sense, it was said that these will be maximized through two banks, however at the moment it is not known which ones they will be.

Although there is no clarity on specific actions to comply with the request, Monterroso explained that this is necessary so that Guatemalan families can take advantage of them in a better way.

“To make sure that there is transparency in collections, all those kinds of things and to see how remittances can be maximized, not many details were discussed,” he said.

The third topic was to support the civic participation of Guatemalans abroad. Monterroso pointed out that they are aware that this function does not correspond to the Presidency, but he can lead an improvement in this sense.

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“It is not entirely up to him, but he can be a leader and make sure that what the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is responsible for is done in an appropriate manner,” Monterroso said.

In addition, he pointed out that it was made clear that they want to have more recognition, not only as Guatemalans abroad but as the different indigenous communities to which they belong,

“That it be recognized that Guatemala is no longer only in the 22 departments, we have a department called the United States,” he emphasized.

In the opinion of the migrants, they should receive special treatment like other groups that are benefited in the country.

The communication team of the elected government was asked for an opinion on the meeting, but did not respond.

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Central America

Mulino warns Trump: Darién is U.S.’s ‘other border’ in call for bilateral solutions to migration

Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino reiterated on Thursday that the Darién region is “the other border” of the United States and that President-elect Donald Trump must understand this, given his announcement to toughen U.S. immigration policy.

“And I repeat what I have said: he (Trump) must know that his other border, the U.S. border, is in Darién, and we need to begin solving this issue bilaterally or together with a group of countries that contribute people to the migratory flow,” Mulino stated during his weekly press conference.

The Panamanian leader added that the United States “needs to be more aware that this (the flow of irregular migrants through Darién) is their problem. These people are not coming to stay in Panama… they want to go to the United States for whatever reasons they may have.”

In 2023, more than 520,000 irregular migrants crossed the Darién jungle into Panama, a historic figure. This year, the flow has decreased, with more than 281,000 travelers making the journey by October 31, mostly Venezuelans (over 196,000), according to Panama’s National Migration Service.

“Panama is doing what it can,” Mulino said, emphasizing the country’s significant financial investment in security, medical care, and food for migrants. However, he noted, “As long as the crisis in Venezuela persists, all signs point to this continuing, with the human drama that it involves.”

He emphasized that Venezuelans make up the majority of those crossing the jungle, with 69% according to Panamanian statistics, followed by Colombians (6%), Ecuadorians (5%), Chinese (4%), and Haitians (4%). The rest come from over fifty countries worldwide.

On July 1, when Mulino began his five-year term, Panama and the United States signed an agreement under which the U.S. government covers the costs of repatriating migrants who entered through Darién. Under this program, which is funded with $6 million, more than 1,000 people have already been deported, mostly Colombians.

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Central America

Ten dead in Panama due to storms causing over $100 million in damages

Ten people have died in Panama due to storms that have caused over $100 million in damages from flooding and infrastructure collapse in the last ten days, President José Raúl Mulino reported on Thursday.

The most affected areas are the western provinces of Chiriquí, which borders Costa Rica, Veraguas, and the indigenous Ngäbe Buglé comarca, due to heavy rains that have been falling for more than ten days.

During his weekly press conference, Mulino initially stated that the storm had caused five deaths, but this was immediately corrected by the director of the National Civil Protection Service (Sinaproc), Omar Smith, who confirmed that the number of deaths had risen to ten.

“What worries me are the human lives, I think we had five (deaths), how many? Ten already? Imagine that,” Mulino said.

Last year, Panama experienced a drought that led to reduced traffic through the interoceanic canal, which operates on fresh water, but the situation began to normalize this year with the onset of the rainy season, which has been abundant since May.

The president announced that the government will declare a state of emergency for the affected areas, where rivers have overflowed, homes have been damaged, landslides have occurred, roads have collapsed, and crops have been lost.

“Based on the reports I’ve received, the damage is significant,” Mulino noted.

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Central America

Bukele urges Costa Rica to reform prison system amid rising crime rates

El Salvador’s President, Nayib Bukele, recommended that Costa Rica toughen its prison system, describing it as too “permissive” after visiting a Costa Rican prison with his counterpart, Rodrigo Chaves, on Tuesday at the end of an official visit.

“We believe the prison system should be less permissive, focusing more on the rights of those outside and a country’s right to security,” Bukele said after touring the La Reforma prison, located 23 km east of San José.

During Bukele’s visit to Costa Rica, the two presidents discussed different security approaches and strategies to combat organized crime. They also signed memorandums of understanding on tourism, trade, and bilateral relations.

Bukele noted the contrasts between Costa Rica’s prison system and that of El Salvador, which he reformed as part of his “war” against gangs launched in March 2022 under a state of emergency allowing arrests without warrants.

The Salvadoran president pointed out Costa Rica’s high cost per inmate, which he estimated at around $1,200 per month.

“They are spending nearly two minimum wages per inmate. It’s an injustice,” Bukele stated, adding that Costa Rica’s penal system “needs reform.”

Regarding inmate rights, Bukele suggested limiting intimate visits and TV access to prevent prisons from becoming “headquarters for crime.”

“We hope you take the necessary measures,” Bukele said about the increase in crime in Costa Rica, which has seen 757 homicides in 2024, mostly related to drug trafficking.

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