A new survey of Guatemalans shows that a third of the country plans on immigrating to the United States.
The study, released Thursday by the Association for Research and Social Studies and Barometro de las Americas, found that almost 40% of Guatemalans intend to migrate, with 85% of those planning on immigrating to the United States.
The findings were published in Prensa Libre, one of Guatemala’s most widely read newspapers.
The paper said the country’s citizens “see the opportunity to advance in the United States, given that they do not succeed here.” Guatemalans are the largest group of illegal immigrants entering the United States, with over a million immigrants from the country already in America.
More than 16 million people live in Guatemala, which means well over 5 million Guatemalans plan to immigrate to the United States if the survey of 1,596 Guatemalans is accurate. Desire to immigrate could be propelled in part by almost 60% of respondents saying they have friends or relatives in the United States, with over 90% of those saying they communicate with them.
In March, Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Kevin McAleenan said border apprehensions were at a 12-year high.
Trump declared a national emergency in February to free up funding to build a wall on the southern border. The border patrol said last month it expects spending to quadruple to take care of immigrant families crossing the border illegally.
