The plan by the US to deport millions of undocumented immigrants from Central America together with issues of regional security were the primary items on the agenda for discussion on Wednesday, for the visit to Guatemala by John Kelly, the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security. This is according to his counterpart in Guatemala.
Francisco Rivas, the Interior Minister of Guatemala, says that the issues were discussed between him and Kelly, who arrived late on Tuesday, following private talks between the US official and Jimmy Morales, the President of Guatemala. There was no press conference by the officials and, while the office provided some images of the meeting, journalists were not allowed to take photographs of the encounter between Kelly and Morales. The meeting revolved largely around the discussion of immigration and crime enterprises, such as violent gangs and drug cartels operating in Central America.
A press conference on immigration in relation to the region’s northern nations such as Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador, is currently being arranged, according to the Guatemalan minister. There is no word yet on whether this will take place in the US or Mexico.
Countries in Central America have been unsettled by the calls from US President Donald Trump to cut down on immigration to the US and deport many of the estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants currently residing in the country, many of whom are from Central American nations.