Guatemala opens centers to request legal migration to the US

A program announced by the United States and Guatemala to discourage irregular migration from Central America began on Monday with the launch of a web page that will receive applications for refuge, family reunification and visas from those who want to reach the United States.

The program, called Safe Mobility, on the website https://mobilidadsegura.org It will be administered by the US government, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the UN Refugee Agency (Acnur), according to the Guatemalan Foreign Ministry.

“You have to fill out a form, you have to enter data; then an appointment will be scheduled in which people will be personally explained if they are eligible to opt for any of the existing mechanisms to migrate to the United States”, explained the Secretary of Communication of the Guatemalan presidency, Kevin Lopez.

For his part, the US ambassador to Guatemala, William Popp, said that it is “a virtual platform so that Guatemalans, Salvadorans, Hondurans, Nicaraguans can access through a virtual channel to find opportunities for legal channels for safe migration, also ordered, between family reunification, work visa opportunities and also to apply for opportunities for the refugee program.”

Although it was announced that the platform would be available to schedule appointments from 10:00 a.m. on Monday, this was not the case, and only in the afternoon were those interested able to start their efforts.

The Care Centers for Migrants and Refugees (Capmir) are located in the Guatemalan Air Force, Petén, Quetzaltenango, San Marcos, Quiché and Huehuetenango.

With the opening of these centers in origin, financed by the US, Washington tries to establish migratory actions in countries that, like Guatemala, are used as transit by migrants in their flight from poverty and violence in the region.

According to the website, all citizens covered by the Central American Free Mobility Agreement (CA-4), that is, citizens of Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador and Nicaragua who are in their countries, can register.

However, “not everyone who requests an evaluation will qualify for or benefit from the program,” the site explains.

Interested parties must be 18 years old, have a valid email, a valid phone number or an international data plan. In addition, they will be asked for a stable internet connection, digital photographs of the applicant and their family members, as well as a scanned copy or photographs of their identity documents such as passport and identity card, as long as they are available.

The information is completely free. The pilot plan will work for six months.

The White House announced the start of the work of these offices also in Colombia as of June 19, a week after Guatemala.

[Con información de Eugenia Sagastume de VOA en Guatemala y The Associated Press]

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