Guatemalan President Bernardo Arevalo met with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Guatemala City on Wednesday where they signed a deal for Guatemala to accept migrants deported from the US, while Rubio commended Guatemala for its support for Taiwan and said the US would do all it can to facilitate greater Taiwanese investment in Guatemala.
Under the migrant agreement announced by Arevalo, the deportees would be returned to their home countries at US expense. It is the second deportation deal that Rubio has reached during a Central America trip that has been focused mainly on immigration.
Arevalo said his country — a major source of migration — would accept both “returning nationals, and foreigners” who would be sent on to their respective countries.
Photo: AFP
The approach is a stark contrast to Colombia, whose leftist leader demanded “dignified” treatment for deportees and sent planes to repatriate migrants after refusing US military flights with shackled people on board — sparking a brief tariff tussle with Trump.
Arevalo, who has been undermined by an elite that has connections to US conservatives, promised to allow a 40 percent increase in flights repatriating Guatemalans and others from third countries, addressing a key priority for US President Donald Trump.
“We’re not just neighbors. We’re allies — we’re friends — and I think that will be evidenced by the work that we’ve done here,” Rubio told a joint news conference with Arevalo.
He also said the US Army Corps of Engineers would visit Guatemala to help develop plans for a more modern port.
Rubio and Arevalo said they also discussed the value of democracy over a dinner on Tuesday in Guatemala City’s old town.
“I would like to commend you for your commitment to democracy and to institutions,” Rubio said.
Rubio, a longtime hawk on China, said the US would “do all we can to facilitate more Taiwanese investment in the economy of Guatemala.”
“We thank you very much for your support and the relationship that you already have with Taiwan, another democracy,” he said.
“It’s not easy in a world where there is a lot of pressure to change that recognition and to break those ties, but you have always stood firm, and we look for opportunities for that only — not only to be a diplomatic relationship, but for it also to be an economic relationship with investments and opportunities,” he added.
In Taipei yesterday, President William Lai (賴清德) on X expressed gratitude to Arevalo and Rubio for their support for Taiwan.
“Sincere thanks to President Bernardo Arevalo & Secretary of tate Marco Rubio for expressing firm support for the relationship shared by #Taiwan, #Guatemala, & the #US. Our continued joint efforts to bolster trade & investment pave the way for greater prosperity and stronger economic ties,” he wrote.
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