The U.S. government is preparing the repatriation of hundreds of Guatemalan children who arrived alone in the U.S. and are in the custody of U.S. authorities, sources close to the process told local media CNN on Friday.
According to these sources, President Donald Trump’s administration has identified more than 600 Guatemalan children in the custody of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) who may soon be sent back to their country of origin.
Although the government would qualify the process as repatriation, which would imply that it would be a voluntary act, rather than deportation, which entails forced removal, several people have expressed skepticism that the children, of varying ages, are capable of understanding what they are agreeing to by leaving the country.
It is unknown, however, what process the Administration plans to use to remove the children, who do not have a parent in the United States although they may have a relative who claims them.
According to data from the HHS Office of the Administration for Children and Families, the United States had 2,198 unaccompanied minors in custody in July. However, it does not disclose their nationalities.
The majority of minors crossing the U.S.-Mexico land border alone come from Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, according to the NGO Save The Children.
Repatriation also poses a challenge for the Trump Administration in light of the Flores Agreement, which has been in place for three decades. A federal court in Los Angeles (California) is currently overseeing the implementation of the pact that the U.S. Executive has sought to end.
The pact, which was signed in 1997 after years of litigation, establishes that federal authorities cannot keep undocumented minors in detention centers for more than 20 days and that their safety and well-being must be guaranteed, reported Agencia EFE.
