GUATEMALA'S WISH LIST FOR MIGRANTS

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 GUATEMALA 003272

SIPDIS

AGRICULTURE FOR NANCY GARCIA

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: SMIG ASEC PHUM PREL CVIS SNAR EAID GT
SUBJECT: GUATEMALA'S WISH LIST FOR MIGRANTS

REF: GUATEMALA 2165


1. Summary: Guatemala's MFA sent the Embassy its latest
proposal for the U.S. Government to extend legal status to
its large population of undocumented migrants resident in the
U.S. While we have repeatedly advised the GOG that many of
these proposals are politically or legally untenable, we
believe that we should revisit the idea of a Central American
Migrants' Agreement modeled on the agreements we currently
have with Mexico. End Summary.


2. The Guatemalan Ministry of Foreign Relations (MRE) has the
lead on all migratory issues, including the coordination of
an inter-institutional group to address legal reform. Within
this purview, the MRE has developed a proposal for the U.S.
government regarding the subject of migrants residing in the
United States. President Berger holds this subject in the
highest interest and regularly broaches the subject in public
and private meetings on unrelated topics.


3. Under cover of a letter from Vice FM Marta Altolaguirre,
the MFA sent the Embassy a three-page proposal and gave a
copy to SFRC staffer Carl Meacham, who was here December
9-11. The GOG estimates the number of Guatemalan migrants in
the U.S. to be over 1.5 million, out of a national population
of fewer than 12 million. For this reason, the GOG regards
the safety and stability of these migrants to be of the
highest priority and proposes the following five point plan
to the USG:


A. Regularization of status; i.e. Legal Permanent Residency
(LPR),for Guatemalan migrants with six or more years in the
United States, two or more years of employment, and a record
of paying taxes in the United States, and to grant them the
right to bring family members to the U.S.


B. Temporary Worker status for Guatemalan migrants with fewer
than six years of residency, for renewable three-year
periods, and to allow access to health, education, and
banking services, and driver's licenses.


C. A Temporary Agricultural Worker Program, based on a
similar program that exists between Guatemala and Canada,
administered through the Guatemalan Ministry of Labor, the
International Organization for Migration, and Guatemalan
consulates.


D. Regularization of status (as in point A) for outstanding
students, considering academic achievements as an equivalent
to the employment and taxpaying history of workers.


E. Reduction of deportations.


4. Comment: We have stressed repeatedly that domestic
considerations do not allow for programs as described in
points A and D. We have noted that point B appears to track
closely with the outline of President Bush's proposal to
match willing employers with migrant workers and continue to
encourage our GOG contacts to follow the progress of this
initiative. Point C also appears to track closely with our
H-2B program, enjoyed by 3,000 Guatemalans each year.
Although our H-2B program is twenty times as large as the
Canadian program, Altolaguirre likes the government and IOM
involvement in the Canadian program, believing that it better
protects migrant rights. As to point E, we have noted on
many occasions to all of our contacts that, although
deportations occasionally make for lurid news coverage, less
than one percent of the undocumented Guatemalan population in
the United States are deported each year. Even if migration
came to a complete halt, it would take more than a century to
deport the existing population at current deportation levels.


5. Comment continued: We continue to help the GOG understand
that points A, B, D, and E are simply not possible, and point
out that many USG initiatives, such as the H-2B program,
already address some GOG concerns. The status of Guatemalans
in the U.S., however, remains an issue of great importance to
the GOG, and a no- or low-cost U.S. program would be very
welcome. In August we proposed a Central American Migrants'
Agreement (reftel),modeled on agreements with Mexico to
provide information to immigrants through existing programs
run by the Departments of Labor and Agriculture, and
publicized through consulates in the U.S. We believe that
now would be an excellent time to revisit this issue in
regard to the Central Americans and look forward to the views
of Washington addressees.
HAMILTON