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Trump threatens Guatemala after its court blocks asylum deal

AP , Wednesday 31 Jul 2019
US President Donald Trump (Photo: AFP)
US President Donald Trump (Photo: AFP)
Views: 1264
Views: 1264


Trump tweeted that Guatemala has decided against signing a ``safe-third agreement'' requiring Central American migrants seeking asylum in the U.S. to instead apply for those protections in Guatemala, even though the country's government never said it had agreed to the arrangement.

Guatemala ``has decided to break the deal they had with us on signing a necessary Safe Third Agreement. We were ready to go,'' Trump complained. ``Now we are looking at the `BAN,''' he wrote, along with tariffs, fees on remittance money Guatemalans working in the U.S. send back to their country, ``or all of the above.''

Trump later painted the court ruling as a convenient excuse for the country, saying, ``In other words, they didn't want to sign it.''




``The repercussions of the Government of the United States of America toward Guatemala derive from a series of counterproductive actions by the Constitutional Court, which on repeated occasions has ruled against the content and spirit of our Constitution,'' Morales said, adding that ``most of its judges, identified as having personal political interests, have used their investment to meddle in the foreign policy of the Guatemalan state.''

Later Tuesday, Morales asked the Constitutional Court to revoke its decision. The government said in a statement that the Foreign Ministry had been directed ``to exhaust all diplomatic resources available to avoid possible sanctions that could have negative repercussions for the nation's economy.''

Trump nonetheless accused the country's leaders of having gone ``back on their word to us'' in remarks at a summit of conservative teenagers in Washington.

``They were all set to sign a safe third agreement and then today or yesterday, they announced they can't do it because they got a Supreme Court ruling. Their Supreme Court, right?'' Trump said in a dismissive tone, repeating his tariff and ``ban'' threat.

The White House did not respond to questions Tuesday about what he meant in his reference to a ``ban,'' but the United States is Guatemala's most important trade partner, with the countries swapping $10.9 billion worth of goods last year. The top U.S. exports to Guatemala include fuel minerals such as coal, petroleum and natural gas; machinery and corn. Top imports from Guatemala include bananas and plantains, clothing and coffee.



Trump also accused the country by tweet of ``forming Caravans and sending large numbers of people, some with criminal records, to the United States,'' even though there is no evidence that the Guatemalan government had anything to do with organizing the migrant caravans or ``sending'' anyone to the U.S. The caravans, a phenomenon that died out months ago after Mexico cracked down, originated in neighboring Honduras and were joined by people from Guatemala, El Salvador and elsewhere as they moved through Guatemala and then Mexico.

Trump's comments came a day after the two countries issued a friendly joint statement that made no mention of the ``safe-third'' idea. Instead, it said the two governments ``continue to make important progress on a comprehensive regional approach to addressing irregular migration patterns,'' citing joint efforts ``to reduce the flow of irregular migration and ensure the safety and protection of vulnerable populations, especially children.''


A ``safe-third agreement'' would mean that Salvadorans, Hondurans and people from elsewhere who cross into Guatemala would have to apply for asylum there instead of doing so at the U.S. border _ potentially easing the crush of migrants overwhelming the U.S. immigration system and handing Trump a concession he could herald as a win.


``This is not a country that could be seen as a safe haven,'' said Paul Angelo, fellow for Latin American studies at the Council on Foreign Relations.

Negotiations between Washington and Guatemala had been carried out behind closed doors with little information released to the public. U.S. officials had said that a ``safe third country'' was on the table, though not finalized, even as the Guatemalan government said it was not intending to make such a deal.

The same pattern has played out with Mexico, with Trump insisting that they have agreed to a secret ``third safe'' deal, even as that country has denied that.

``May it be very clear, the Executive Branch was always very aware of the measures that the U.S. Government could take if we refused to help,'' Morales said in his statement.



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