Guatemala braced for more deportations under Trump, report says: ‘We know it’s coming’

Guatemala can accept more deported foreigners of the United States by the incoming Trump administration in an effort to strengthen ties with the US, according to a report.

Officials who spoke to Reuters said Guatemala is willing to receive deported citizens from other Central American countries, including Nicaragua, Venezuela and Haiti, which have strained relations with the US and have not accepted deportees in the past.

“There has to be a regional response,” a Guatemalan official told Reuters. “And we want to be part of the solution.”

The expectation is that Trump will keep his campaign promise to begin the largest mass deportation of illegal immigrants in U.S. history, and Guatemala wants to stand by the president throughout the process. According to Reuters, officials are preparing for deportations to increase in the fall, reasoning that it will take time for the Trump administration to ramp up its operations.

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“We’re not ready for it, but we know it’s coming,” a second Guatemalan government official told the outlet.

Guatemala currently receives 14 deportation flights per week under President Biden’s administration.

Trump’s transition team did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

Trump’s team has reportedly reached out to other countries in Central and South America to gauge their appetite for accepting deportations from the US. Several governments, including Mexico and the Bahamas, have said they do not want to take in foreigners from third countries.

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By 2022, more than 40% of illegal immigrants living in the US came from Mexico, totaling 4.8 million out of 11 million, according to a report by the US Department of Homeland Security. After Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras, which together represented more than a fifth of the total.

According to Reuters, Guatemala has been proactive in courting the incoming Trump administration, in relation to neighbors El Salvador and Honduras. Members of Trump’s transition team have met with Guatemalan officials, including Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., before he was named secretary of state, along with several staffers at the conservative think tank Heritage Foundation specialized in immigration and border security. , drug trafficking and politics towards China.

Guatemala would prioritize Guatemalans for reintegration, the second official said, adding that each country should take responsibility for its citizens, but also highlighted a regional pact between Honduras, Guatemala, Nicaragua and El Salvador that would allow free movement

The hope is that US deportees will put skills learned in the states to work in the private sector in Guatemala.

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“These are people who have worked in construction, in the service sector, in various sectors, and many speak English. We want to take advantage of that,” said the official.

Officials who spoke to Reuters also noted that further deportations could put pressure on Guatemala’s economy.

Remittances, or money sent home by workers in Guatemala in the US, they account for around 20% of the country’s GDP.

In 2023, remittances accounted for 24% of El Salvador’s gross domestic product and almost 30% of Honduras’ GDP.

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Officials told Reuters they were not immediately concerned about the economic impact of a decline in remittances, but shared concerns about Trump’s proposed tariff hikes or increased taxes on remittances.

“We don’t have a financial plan yet, there are too many unknowns,” the second official said.

Reuters contributed to this report.