The President of Guatemala, Bernardo Arévalo de León, inaugurated a care center for deported migrants in the city of Tecún Umán, on the border with Mexico. The objective of this center is to receive compatriots returning to Guatemala with dignity. The facility, designed to accommodate 65 people simultaneously, will be operated in collaboration with the International Organization for Migration (IOM), represented during the opening by its Director General, Amy Pope.
The center will offer personal hygiene kits, medical assistance, food, psychological care, and other services to those who are returned to their communities of origin from Mexico. In 2024, Mexico deported 9,614 Guatemalans via land, mostly young adults and unaccompanied minors. This care center is one of the measures adopted by the Guatemalan government in response to the increase in mass deportations and in response to the demands of the Trump administration to address the migration crisis at the border.
Immigration authorities highlight that deportees arrive in different states of vulnerability, with the economic situation being the most critical. Those who are detained in Mexico often return to Guatemala with debts of thousands of dollars incurred with human trafficking networks, commonly known as coyotes. In February, Arévalo de León committed to Marco Rubio, the U.S. Secretary of State, to accept 30% more deportation flights and provide ground support to help migrants of other nationalities.
