Bully with threats

Human rights groups, activists and former officials in Guatemala have expressed fierce opposition to a controversial migration deal signed by the country's government and the United States.

The agreement was struck on Friday, days after US President Donald Trump threatened to slap sanctions on the Central American country if it did not enter into a so-called "safe third country" agreement that would have required it to host more asylum seekers.

Opponents to the agreement decried the country's inability to address the needs of its citizens as a reason why Guatemala - a country that has seen thousands of its citizens attempt to reach the US fleeing poverty, violence and poor economic conditions - would be unable to take asylum seekers.

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The agreement, however, must still be approved by Guatemala's Congress, which is currently in recess until August. It is unclear if it will receive the backing it requires.

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While the US side has referred to the deal as a "third safe country" agreement, the government of Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales has refrained from calling it as such. The Morales administration issued a statement saying the deal would apply to citizens from Honduras and El Salvador.

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As a result of insecurity and poverty, thousands of Guatemalans have attempted migrating to the US in recent years.

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According to the Guatemalan Health Ministry, cases of malnutrition increased by 36 percent in 2019. Yet many cases go unreported, groups that work in the country say.

Poverty has also risen in recent years, with nearly 60 percent of the population living in poverty, according to World Bank figures.

[...]

Claudia Samayoa, the founder and director of Udefegua, a human rights group in Guatemala, called the agreement "illegal", saying Guatemala did not meet the conditions required for a "third safety country" under international law.

"The Guatemalan state cannot guarantee security, or economic security, or even social security for its citizens," she told Al Jazeera.

  alJazeera

I don't get it, myself. How can Guatemala take in asylum seekers when so many of its citizens are seeking asylum from there?

"Guatemala has very clear responsibility," said Enrique Degenhart, the Guatemalan interior minister who signed the agreement at the White House.

"It is clear that changes must be made and the way to do it is to work with our best ally."

Trump is threatening sanctions on a country already in dire straits simply for not doing his bidding.  If we are your best ally, you are in serious trouble, my friend.

...but hey, do what you want...you will anyway.

UPDATE: