PRESIDENT BUSH'S REPLY TO PRESIDENT BERGER ON

C O N F I D E N T I A L GUATEMALA 002390 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/16/2009 TAGS: CVIS SMIG KCRM SNAR ASEC PBTS GT SUBJECT: PRESIDENT BUSH'S REPLY TO PRESIDENT BERGER ON DEPORTATIONS REF: STATE 199611 Classified By: Ambassador John Hamilton for reasons 1.5 (b) & (d). ¶1. (U) The Ambassador is seeking an appointment with President Berger to carry out ref instructions. In the interim, the Ambassador took advantage of a previously scheduled meeting September 16 to provide Guatemalan FM Briz an advance brief, given that he and President Berger are leaving September 18 for the UNGA. ¶2. (C) In the thorough discussion of migration issues that followed, Briz accepted the statistics showing that deportations had actually decreased from the previous year, that the U.S. was not singling out Guatemalan citizens for deportation, and that U.S. immigration policy was not unreasonable. HAMILTON