Guatemala now a buffer zone for migrants trying to reach the US
Critics of the new deal say the country has scant capacity to process asylum-seekers
01 August 2019 - 15:29
Guatemala City — Guatemala’s refugee agency meets only sporadically and operates on a bare-bones basis, adding to doubts about how the crime-wracked, impoverished Central American country will cope with a surge in asylum-seekers under a deal signed with Washington.
Under Friday’s accord, Guatemala becomes a so-called “safe third country”, turning it into a buffer zone for migrants trying to reach the US, and potentially lifting applications for asylum in Guatemala from a few hundred a year to tens of thousands...
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