Salvadoran migrant sent from U.S. to Guatemala under asylum deal

The first Salvadoran citizen was reportedly sent to Guatemala from the U.S. under an agreement for the country to take in more asylum-seekers from other Central American nations.

The person arrived on a plane from Arizona on Tuesday, along with 84 Guatemalan nationals and two Honduran nationals, Guatemala’s migration institute spokeswoman Alejandra Mena told Reuters. 

She reportedly did not say whether the people from Honduras and El Salvador would seek asylum in Guatemala. 

The agreement reached this summer requires migrants traveling through Guatemala to apply for asylum there before continuing toward the U.S. 

The Trump administration this year reached similar deals with the governments of El Salvador and Honduras this year. 

Under the agreements, migrants who had the chance to seek protection in these countries will be returned from the U.S. border to seek protection or asylum there, a senior Department of Homeland Security (DHS) official told reporters in September. 

According to Reuters, the first migrant sent to Guatemala under its agreement arrived last month. That person is a Honduran national. 

The agreements are among several Trump administration moves aimed at curbing immigration.