Guatemalan President Bernardo Arévalo announced on Friday that his country will grant asylum to Nicaraguan migrants deported by the United States who do not wish to return to their country due to the political situation. In an agreement signed with the United States in February during the visit of Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Guatemala agreed to receive deportees from other countries, but none have arrived so far.
“We have accepted and made the decision that in the case of Nicaraguans, those who wish to stay in Guatemala because they cannot return to their country of origin due to the current political situation, will be granted asylum,” said Arévalo at a press conference. This is “an expression of solidarity with the Nicaraguan people within the framework of the norms established by the Guatemalan Constitution and mechanisms set forth in international asylum conventions to which we are signatories,” he added.
Hundreds of thousands of Nicaraguans are in exile, primarily in Costa Rica, the United States, and Spain, following the 2018 opposition protests that left more than 300 dead, according to the UN. Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega and his wife, Vice President Rosario Murillo, are accused of establishing a “family dictatorship” that controls all branches of government.
Arévalo emphasized that Guatemala’s Constitution states Central Americans are considered “Guatemalans by origin,” allowing them to obtain citizenship without renouncing their native nationality. He also noted that Guatemala has historically granted refugee status to people under various circumstances, such as Spanish citizens who fled after the Spanish Civil War (1936–1939).
Last September, Guatemala took in 135 political prisoners released by Nicaragua on humanitarian grounds after U.S. mediation. Of that group, about 40 Nicaraguans rejected the Spanish nationality offered by Madrid and were left in legal limbo. They are now waiting for asylum from the U.S., Canada, or Spain.
