Guatemala Acknowledges ‘Sovereign Right’ for U.S. Troops on Border

Top government officials in Guatemala voiced support for President Trump’s recent order to mobilize National Guard troops to the U.S.-Mexico Border–citing the nation’s sovereign right to do so.

“Obviously the United States has their sovereignty and the right to make a decision that corresponds to their country,” Guatemalan Chancellor Sandra Jovel, the country’s top diplomat, is quoted in a story published by La Vanguardia, where she also talks about the work her colleagues are doing to improve the ongoing immigration situation. “We also have an obligation to protect our people.”

The presidential spokesman for Guatemala, Heinz Heimann, considered the move normal and said that the U.S. has a right as a nation to guard its borders.

“We ourselves are doing the same in redeploying the military from the streets to the border,” the politician is quoted saying.

The statements by the Guatemalan officials come one day after President Trump said he would be deploying military forces to the southern border. The decision faced criticism from various news outlets and some politicians in Mexico who appear to forget that Mexican soldiers and Navy infantrymen have been deployed for years to that country’s northern border. On Wednesday, Breitbart Texas outlined a sample of seven instances where military elements fought cartels and seized weapons along the Texas border in recent years.

Trump’s announcement and order come after Mexico experienced years of escalating cartel violence that continues to worsen despite various governments’ efforts to claim otherwise. As Breitbart Texas reported, the Mexican government continues to claim that security conditions are improving.

Ildefonso Ortiz is an award-winning journalist with Breitbart Texas. He co-founded the Cartel Chronicles project with Brandon Darby and Stephen K. Bannon.  You can follow him on Twitter and on Facebook. He can be contacted at Iortiz@breitbart.com.

Brandon Darby is managing director and editor-in-chief of Breitbart Texas. He co-founded the Cartel Chronicles project with Ildefonso Ortiz and Stephen K. Bannon. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. He can be contacted at bdarby@breitbart.com.