US Troops Deployed in Guatemala to ‘Halt Migration’

On Friday, U.S. congressman Vicente Gonzalez (D) said he met with Guatemala’s ambassador to the U.S., Manuel Espina, and that the ambassador assured his government would welcome troops.

Guatemalan Defense Minister, Luis Miguel Ralda, confirmed on Monday that United States (U.S.) troops are already in the country, specifically in the Guatemala-Mexico border department of Huehuetenango.

“The troops are already here, as has happened in the last 15 years, with programs such as ’Strong Roads’ and now [with] the one that is being developed, ‘Beyond the Horizon’,” Ralda told reporters after a cabinet meeting. The number of troops or further details has not been released.

On Friday, U.S. congressman Vicente Gonzalez (D) said he met with Guatemala’s ambassador to the U.S., Manuel Espina, and that the ambassador assured his government would welcome troops. This came as Gonzalez wrote a letter on April 16 to U.S. president Donald Trump urging him to intervene.

“Guatemalan president Jimmy Morales has indicated that he would welcome the introduction of U.S. troops on Guatemala’s northern border,” Gonzalez wrote, adding that “if you want to see fewer apprehensions at the U.S.-Mexico border, I would strongly encourage you to seriously consider President Morales’ offer.”

I was pleased to sign an agreement with the Govt of Guatemala to expand our mutual security through targeting human trafficking, combatting transnational criminal orgs, and stemming the flow of irregular migration. https://t.co/bpCdSXHwbB pic.twitter.com/mRUoZtXNH3
— Acting Sec. Kevin McAleenan (@DHSMcAleenan) May 28, 2019