Earlier this week, Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto and Guatemalan president Otto Perez Molina held a joint press conference to formally announce a new program that will allow Guatemalan citizens to legally travel through Mexico in their effort to enter the United States illegally. Guatemala is one of three sending countries accounting for most of the illegal aliens coming across the U.S.-Mexico border during the ongoing surge. The agreement grants Guatemalans 72 hours of legal status while they make their journey to the U.S.
The "Southern Border Program to Improve Passage" will increase the number of border checkpoints along the Mexico-Guatemala border, provide medical care, and offer Guatemalans a Regional Visitor's Card. The card grants Guatemalans enough time to make the trek to Mexico's northern border.
The program will also offer protection and financial assistance for unaccompanied minors who attempt to make the journey.
For more information, see the Examiner and El Universal.
