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Guatemala protests against
U.S. anti-immigration initiative
The Guatemalan government lodged
a protest to the United States
against its planned
anti-immigration bill and agreed
with Mexico to fight it
together, the Guatemalan Foreign
Ministry said on Saturday.
Under the bill, a fencing of
1,200 km will be built along the
3,200 km border between the
United States and Mexico.
Military technologies will also
be used to prevent undocumented
immigration.
Illegal immigrants and those who
help them, including their
family members, will be taken as
criminals, the bill said.
The draft has been passed by the
U.S. House of Representatives
and is being considered by the
Senate.
Guatemalan Foreign Minister
Jorge Briz told reporters that
the initiative is
"discriminatory" and potentially
harmful to Guatemalans who
travel to the United States
without documents.
The Guatemalan government would
also present similar complaints
to leaders of the two U.S.
parties, Briz said.
The official added that he would
go to Mexico next week to meet
with his Mexican counterpart,
Luis Ernesto Derbez, coordinate
a campaign against the bill.
About 1.3 million Guatemalans
are living in the United States,
and 90 percent of them have no
legal documents.
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