Guatemalan President Refutes US Safe Third Country Agreement Claims

In a recent development, Guatemalan President Bernardo Arévalo has denied signing an agreement with the United States to accept asylum seekers from other countries. This statement came after comments made by US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem during her visit to Guatemala.

During their meeting, while a joint security agreement was signed allowing US Customs officers to train local agents, discrepancies arose over the nature of an additional agreement. Noem suggested a 'safe third country agreement' was signed, similar to one with Honduras.

President Arévalo, however, clarified that no new immigration accords were struck, highlighting Guatemala's ongoing agreement with the US from February. He emphasized that Guatemala is only a transit point for returning deportees but remains open to granting asylum to Nicaraguans facing political strife.

(With inputs from agencies.)