President Trump said Friday that Guatemala is signing an agreement to reduce asylum cases in the U.S. from Central America.
The “safe third country” agreement would require migrants who travel through Guatemala on their way to the U.S. to apply for protections in Guatemala instead of at the U.S. border.
“We’ve long been working with Guatemala and now we can do it the right way,” Trump said in the Oval Office with Guatemala’s Interior Minister Enrique Degenhart.
Trump said the deal would put “coyotes and smugglers out of business” and would ensure safety for legitimate asylum-seekers, as well as stop asylum fraud.
Less than a week ago Trump threatened economic sanctions on Guatemala for backing away from a similar agreement. Trump said he would be signing similar agreements with other countries soon.
The U.S. currently only has one “safe third country” agreement. It signed the deal with Canada in 2004.
