Central America Opposes US Wall
Guatemalan society is now demanding creation of a common Central American front against a US plan to build a border wall and label immigration a crime.

"I think it is necessary to forge a common front, even within the US, to reject this outrageous law," San Marcos Bishop Alvaro Ramazzini told Prensa Latina.

His view was echoed by Mario Polanco, from the Mutual Support Group, who urged Mexico and Central America to unite against the US legislation aimed to stem immigration.

The US congressionally approved Law on Border Protection, Anti-terrorism and Illegal Immigration Control turns 11 million undocumented Latin Americans into criminals, according to political analysts.

The law also regards as criminals those people and organizations that help immigrants. It speeds up deportation procedures and calls for the construction of a 621-mile wall on the border with Mexico.

Aparicio Perez, from the National Farmer Organizations Coordinating Committee, described the adoption of these measures as a deplorable violation of human rights.

These regulations will have severe consequences for Guatemala because 60 percent of the more than 1.10 million Guatemalans in the US lack legal documents and this year alone, immigrants sent three billion dollars in remittances, contributing to support a third of the population.

Many sectors see it paradoxical that, on the one hand, the US government signs a Free Trade Agreement with Central America and, on the other hand, closes its borders to its immigrants.

"The United States is demanding free trade, but strongly opposes free movement. It imposes economic policies that adversely affect the country, while objecting that Guatemalans emigrate for jobs," said Paulina Culum from the Farm Platform.

Guatemalan Foreign Minister Jorge Briz announced he will be attending a meeting of foreign ministers on January 9 in Mexico to create a Central American bloc against the anti-immigrant law.