A Conversation on U.S. - Guatemalan Relations in the Biden Era
As the Biden administration begins to update and implement U.S. immigration policies, Guatemala has emerged as a key actor. Together with Mexico, the Guatemalan government halted a group of nearly 9,000 migrants, primarily from Honduras, just as President Biden took office. President Alejandro Giammattei’s government signaled its intent to continue cooperating with the United States to curb irregular migration, while also urging swift action in Washington on immigration reform.
President Biden’s commitment to address the root causes of migration by tackling structural challenges in Central America—corruption, insecurity, and weak economic growth—is generating an intense debate among political, economic, and civil society actors across the region. As vice president, Biden gained significant experience dealing with the root causes of Central American migration. But the situation in the region may be even more challenging now than in previous years.
Guatemalan Ambassador to the United States Alfonso Quiñones and U.S. Ambassador to Guatemala William Popp regularly navigate these issues on behalf of their respective governments. Please join us on Friday, February 26 at 9:00 a.m. ET for a discussion hosted by the Wilson Center’s Latin American Program, as both ambassadors share their perspectives on early engagement between the Biden administration and Guatemalan President Giammattei’s government.
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Latin America Program
The Wilson Center’s prestigious Latin America Program provides non-partisan expertise to a broad community of decision makers in the United States and Latin America on critical policy issues facing the Hemisphere. The Program provides insightful and actionable research for policymakers, private sector leaders, journalists, and public intellectuals in the United States and Latin America. To bridge the gap between scholarship and policy action, it fosters new inquiry, sponsors high-level public and private meetings among multiple stakeholders, and explores policy options to improve outcomes for citizens throughout the Americas. Drawing on the Wilson Center’s strength as the nation’s key non-partisan policy forum, the Program serves as a trusted source of analysis and a vital point of contact between the worlds of scholarship and action. Read more