Guatemalan immigration officials are seeing an increase in people leaving their country hoping to benefit from President Barack Obama’s executive order that granted amnesty to approximately 5 million illegal aliens living in America.
Following the November 20 announcement about executive action on immigration, Guatemala has seen a spike in migration from individuals thinking they will also benefit from it, Guatemala’s La Prensa Libre reported.
While in televised speeches and in press conferences Obama Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson have said that the executive action is only for those who have been in the country for more than five years and others would be placed into priority deportation list, the message appears to have already been twisted in Central America.
According to the Latin American publication, Alejandra Gordillo, the director of the Guatemalan Migrant Assistance Council, said the immigration announcement can be a motivator for human smugglers who can trick Guatemalans in to paying large sums under the impression that they would be welcomed into America with open arms.
Gordillo said that two of her department’s offices have been contacted by people who are planning on traveling to America without documents thinking they will be included in the executive action.
La Prensa Libre claims that in the past 11 months, Guatemala has already seen more than 48,000 deportations with even more expected in the coming months.
Follow Ildefonso Ortiz on Twitter @ildefonsoortiz
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