US embassy cable - 04GUATEMALA3272

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