Processing centers in Guatemala began processing applications: foreign minister

WASHINGTON—

The processing centers for migrants in Guatemala began to process the applications of those who managed to enter internet platformGuatemalan Foreign Minister Mario Búcaro said Thursday.

The calls safe mobility offices in Guatemala they began to accept appointments as of June 12, however, soon after they did not allow more records.

Some applications were presented and “are in the process of analysis,” Búcaro said in statements to the press during the General Assembly of the Organization of American States (OAS), in Washington.

The US government anticipated that the processing centers were a strategy to tackle irregular migration. Migrants will be evaluated for legal alternatives to emigrate not only in the US but also in Spain and Canada.

Among the options to which migrants will be referred is the US Refugee Resettlement Program or humanitarian parole for Venezuelans, Cubans, Nicaraguans or Haitians, as well as work visas for the US, Canada and Spain.

Migrants will not be able to apply for asylum in these centers, which are in a six-month “pilot phase.”

“The US will determine the dates and spaces to be able to open the page again,” said Búcaro.

According to the Guatemalan foreign minister, his country’s priority is to provide the necessary spaces to accept migrants who arrive at its border “once they are virtually summoned after they have applied to this program.”

Guatemala will be in charge of opening the office spaces with the support of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the Agency of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). “They are not centers, they are specific offices to receive paperwork and work is being done on that basis,” he clarified.

“It will be the US Department of State who informs the applicants through the IOM and UNHCR of the times and steps that must be followed,” he added.

In Guatemala, it was established that nationals of that country could access the processing centers, in addition to people from El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua who are present in the country.

The US will also open offices in Costa Rica and Colombia. In Costa Rica they will be limited to nationals Nicaraguans and Venezuelans who “prove to be physically present” in the country as of June 12. While in Colombia only citizens of Cuba, Haiti and Venezuela would be eligible, the US government reported.

Online registration is not open in any of these countries.

Foreign Minister defends electoral process in Guatemala

Given the controversies that have surrounded the elections that will be held in Guatemala next Sunday, Minister Búcaro assured that they will be “more than transparent”.

The denial of the registration of candidates for the elections has been one of the points of controversy.

The election “is being monitored by the whole world. We have delegations and special observation missions from the OAS, from the European Union, transparency is more than clear,” Búcaro added.

In the elections, there will be votes for the presidency, vice presidency, mayoralties, deputies to congress and other local seats.

In an interview with the voice of america, The US ambassador to the OAS, Francisco Mora, assured that they are “closely monitoring” the process in Guatemala.

“We are committed to that election and to democracy, we are also concerned about the process of disqualifying some candidates. It is important that democracy and elections are free, transparent and that they include all those who want to participate,” Mora pointed out.

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