
Guatemala
Americas
Advocacy for Guatemala
What’s Happening?
Guatemalans have fled their country in large numbers since the 1980s to escape violence, impunity, corruption, poverty, lack of security and services, droughts, and hurricanes. Many are unaccompanied children. And although the United States has looked to Guatemala as a partner on protection for asylum seekers in the region, the U.S. government has not done enough to provide protection for displaced Guatemalans.
What Must Be Done?
Refugees International is advocating for increased protections for displaced Guatemalans, including an expanded Central American Minors program and new family unification pathways to the United States as well as increased support for those displaced by the impacts of climate change.
Latest Reports and Briefs

Mixed Blessing: Guatemalan Experiences under the New Central American Minors Program
March 15, 2023

Two Years after Eta and Iota: Displaced and Forgotten in Guatemala
February 17, 2023

Networks of Care for Displaced LGBTQ+ People: How the United States Can Support LGBTQ+-led Organizations in Central America and Mexico
January 27, 2022
Latest Statements and News
Latest Opinions, Q&As, and Explainers
Latest Advocacy Letters

Biden Administration: Redress ACA’s Wrongful Return of Asylum Seekers to Guatemala
July 9, 2021

Refugees International Opposes Asylum Cooperative Agreements with Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras
December 23, 2019

U.S. Policy in Mexico and Central America: Ensuring Effective Policies to Address the Crisis at the Border
September 25, 2019
Latest Events and Testimonies
Latest Perspectives and Commentaries
Featured Image: Erwin Jose Ardon was the first Central American asylum seeker sent to Guatemala under the country’s ACA agreement with the United States, pictured on November 24, 2019. Erwin opted to return to Honduras, but said he hopes to set out again for the United States where his daughter was born seven months ago. © AP Photo/ Elmer Martinez
Take Action
Support Afghans Seeking Safety
Afghans evacuated to the United States deserve permanency and security to rebuild their lives here. Congress must pass the Afghan Adjustment Act.
