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Guatemalan prosecutor looks to strip 5 electoral magistrates of immunity over fraud claims

Guatemala’s prosecutor for electoral crimes has asked the Supreme Court of Justice to strip five magistrates of the country’s top electoral authority of their immunity so they can be investigated on fraud allegations made by the loser of the Aug. 20 presidential election.

It is the latest example of elections that observers declared to be free and fair being dragged into the courts, even as President-elect Bernardo Arévalo begins the official transition with outgoing President Alejandro Giammattei.

The National Unity of Hope party of former first lady Sandra Torres filed a fraud complaint after the election. The party’s lawyer Carlos López said 164 precinct tallies duplicated votes. The party wants the magistrates of the Supreme Electoral Tribunal investigated for allegedly not carrying out their duties.

GUATEMALAN PRESIDENT GIAMMATTEI CALLS FOR PEACEFUL TRANSITION OF POWER TO LEFTIST SUCCESSOR

Later Tuesday, the Supreme Electoral Tribunal gave Arévalo and his running mate Karin Herrera the credentials formally making them president-elect and vice president-elect.

Guatemalan President-elect Bernardo Arévalo poses with the presidential election winners certificate, Guatemala City, Tuesday, Sept. 5, 2023. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)

“During recent weeks we have been subjected to an exhaustive analysis between the validation of the electoral process and the challenges that still remain,” said the tribunal’s President Irma Palencia. She called on people to respect the rule of law, separation of powers and civil rights of all Guatemalans.

Arévalo praised the magistrates as a bulwark against attempts to disrupt the election and a “central defense of the country’s democratic values.”

GUATEMALA’S PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION TAKES DRASTIC TURN AS UNEXPECTED WINNER IS CERTIFIED, PROMPTING LEGAL FIGHTS

“The people already decided, the people already voted and the people won,” said Herrera. “That is what has to be respected.”

On Monday, Arévalo and Giammattei had their first transition meeting with Organization of American States Secretary General Luis Almagro present. Giammattei made his most direct comments since the election, saying “Dr. Arévalo will be the next president for the Seed party that won the elections.”

Arévalo previously had accused forces in Giammattei’s government of attempting a coup d’etat to keep him from taking power. The leader of the Organization of American States’ electoral observation mission had said legal efforts since the election appeared to be aimed at keeping Arévalo from assuming the presidency.

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Over the weekend, the Supreme Electoral Tribunal blocked the suspension of Arévalo’s Seed Movement party, which had come at the request of prosecutors. They allege that there was wrongdoing in the collection of the required signatures years earlier to register the party, something Arévalo himself had reported to authorities before the election.

Losing Guatemalan presidential candidate files voter fraud complaint

The party of former first lady Sandra Torres, who lost Guatemala’s presidential elections this week, filed a complaint Friday alleging fraud in the way the votes were counted.

Torres, a candidate who came to exemplify the political establishment in a country that’s grown tired of endemic corruption, has remained silent since her Sunday loss.

GUATEMALAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE WINS IN LANDSLIDE BUT POLITICAL ELITE COULD PREVENT HIM FROM TAKING OFFICE

She has refused to accept the results announced by the Supreme Electoral Tribunal, which recognized progressive Bernardo Arévalo, of the Semilla Movement party, as the winner of one of the most tumultuous elections in the Central American nation’s recent history.

Sandra Torres, presidential candidate with the UNE party, votes in the run-off presidential election in Guatemala City, Sunday, Aug. 20, 2023.  (AP Photo/Santiago Billy)

Carlos López, a lawyer for Torres’ National Unity of Hope party, filed the complaint on behalf of the party, citing irregularities in the vote counting and saying they amounted to fraud.

GUATEMALAN AUTHORITIES RAID LEFTIST PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE’S PARTY OFFICES

In comments to reporters, López alleged that there had been duplicate vote tallies that called into question the country’s vote-counting system. He also said that his party’s monitors were not given copies of documents tallying the votes. He presented no initial evidence to journalists to back up his claims, nor did he say if his judicial complaint contained evidence.

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Arévalo’s victory has left much of the country’s political establishment reeling, and earlier attempts to disqualify his candidacy have raised international alarms over the state of Guatemala’s democracy.

Soccer player dies from killer croc encounter while trying to cool off in river

A Costa Rican soccer player died last week when he went swimming to cool off in a river and found it swarming with crocodiles. 

“With deep sorrow we make public the death of our player Jesus Lopez Ortiz (Chucho), may God rest his soul,” local team Deportivo Rio Cañas wrote on Facebook. “Rest in peace, Chucho, we share your family’s pain.”

Gruesome video shows the killer croc swimming through the water with 29-year-old Ortiz in its mouth. Onlookers shout and point, some of them screaming in horror as they realize the crocodile has someone in its mouth. 

Footage posted online also showed locals shooting at the crocodile in an effort to save Ortiz. They ultimately succeeded in killing the animal, a protected species in Costa Rica. 

FLORIDA WOMAN BITTEN BY SHARK OFF GULF COAST RECEIVES 14 STITCHES: ‘SWAM THE FASTEST I EVER SWAM’

Alberto Lopez Ortiz, 29, was killed by a crocodile in a horrifying attack. (Jam Press)

The crocodile dragged Ortiz underwater, making clear that he was not alive, but police could not say if he died from his injuries or from drowning, Global News reported. 

ABANDONED 200-POUND WALRUS CALF BOTTLE-FED, CUDDLED AT ALASKA WILDLIFE CENTER IN FIGHT TO STAY ALIVE

The crocodile swims under a bridge, dragging the body of Jesus Alberto Lopez Ortiz, as people watch in horror. (Jam Press)

The team put out a statement asking that no one upload video of the incident and that if any such video had been posted that the user take it down out of respect to Ortiz’s family. 

MONTANA FIANCE SHOOTS, KILLS LARGE BLACK BEAR FOUND IN COUPLE’S LIVING ROOM ‘5 FEET AWAY’

Jesus Alberto Lopez Ortiz is pulled from the river. (Jam Press)

“There are children, a mother, a father, brothers and wife who deserve respect,” the team wrote. A funeral procession for Ortiz drew “thousands” who flooded the streets, the team said.

Ortiz leaves behind two children, ages 8 and 3, and his wife, the New York Post reported. 

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP 

He played for Deportivo Rio Cañas, an amateur local team in Carrillo, roughly 17 miles from the capital city of San Jose. 

“We will remember you in the many facets of your sporting life as a coach, football player and also as a family father. You will always live in our hearts Chucho, fly high friend,” his team wrote. 

Peter Aitken is a Fox News Digital reporter with a focus on national and global news. 

Migrant numbers crossing Darién Gap set new record, despite US efforts

The number of migrants crossings through a key, and highly dangerous, migration route surged in the first half of 2023, setting a new record and outpacing 2022, despite the efforts of the U.S. and other governments to slow the surge.

The number of migrants who traveled through the Darien Gap — a massive jungle that serves as a pathway through Central America and towards the U.S. — is close to 250,000 already in 2023, The Associated Press reported, citing Panamanian officials.

That is higher than the total for all of 2022, and a record pace of migration through the gap, the outlet reported.

GOP REP. GIMENEZ SHOWS MIGRANT TRAFFIC MOVING THROUGH PANAMA, HEADING TO US BORDER

While Republicans have blamed the Biden administration for the record surge in numbers at the U.S.-Mexico border between 2021 and 2023, the administration has pointed to a hemisphere-wide migration movement and called for an international response — including the signing of a declaration at a summit in Los Angeles last year.

Ecuadorian migrants climb down a muddy hillside trail in the wild and dangerous jungle in Darién Gap, Colombia, on Nov. 20, 2022.

One of those agreements was announced in April, when the U.S., Panama and Colombia announced a 60-day campaign to try and curb the flow of migrants moving north through the Gap.

“Recognizing our shared interest and responsibility to prevent the risk to human life, disrupt transnational criminal organizations and preserve the vital rainforest, the governments of Panama, Colombia and the United States intend to carry out a two-month coordinated campaign to address the serious humanitarian situation in the Darién,” the statement said.

The campaign aimed to end the illicit movement of people, open new “lawful and flexible pathways” for migrants and launch a plan to “reduce poverty, improve public service delivery, create jobs and promote economic and sustainable opportunities in border communities in northern Colombia and southern Panama, through international partnerships across financial institutions, civil society and the private sector.”

While it is unclear whether that strategy has had an effect on the numbers at all, The Associated Press cited U.N. estimates that as many as 400,000 migrants may cross through the gap by the end of the year.

PENCE’S POLITICAL ADVOCACY GROUP CALLS FOR CONGRESS TO DECLARE AN INVASION AT SOUTHERN BORDER 

Meanwhile, a congressional delegation visited the area last month and showed footage to Fox News Digital of migrants moving to the border, flooding to a nearby village in their thousands. Republicans claimed that they are being drawn to the border by the Biden administration’s policies.

“People are coming out of the jungle into this village, overflooding this village, and then they move on their way. They’re coming to the United States because the door is open and that’s why we’re here,” Rep. Carlos Gimenez, R-Fla., said.

He later showed a stop-off aid center that is run with help from the U.N., U.S. and Panama, which he said was better organized than the village.

REJECTION OF BIDEN ASYLUM RULE AFTER COURT CHALLENGE RAISES FEARS OF FRESH BORDER SURGE 

“This is a stop-off before they continue their journey to the north, and finally when they get to the border with Costa Rica, they are released and they make their way up through Costa Rica, Central America and then into the United States,” he said.

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The Biden administration has pointed to a sharp drop in numbers at the border itself in June after new policies were implemented that coincided with the end of Title 42 on May 11.

However, there are reports that the numbers increased again in July, and the administration was dealt a blow last week when a federal judge blocked its cornerstone rule that limited asylum claims for illegal immigrants after a legal challenge by left-wing activists.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Adam Shaw is a politics reporter for Fox News Digital, primarily covering immigration and border security.

He can be reached at adam.shaw2@fox.com or on Twitter.

Guatemala President Alejandro Giammattei: What we know

Vice President Kamala Harris is set to depart Sunday for Guatemala, with plans to meet President Alejandro Giammattei amid growing concerns about the migrant crisis at the U.S. southern border.

Harris is the point person to handle the migrant crisis, but she has not yet held a press conference or visited the border with Mexico – some 75 days after President Biden tapped her for the role. 

This week, she will visit Mexico and Guatemala, but she could face a tense meeting with Guatemala’s president.

Giammattei has had a tumultuous career in politics: He served as director of the Guatemalan Penitentiary System starting in 2006, but several conflicts and accusations that he orchestrated prisoner executions led to his own brief incarceration in 2010, Reuters reported.

Guatemala’s President-elect Alejandro Giammattei gives an interview in Guatemala City, Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2019. Giammattei said Tuesday that Guatemala will not be able to hold up its side of an immigration agreement with the United States by serving as a “safe third country” for asylum seekers. (AP Photo/Oliver de Ros)
(AP)

He made three prior runs at the top office, failing in 2007, 2011 and 2015, according to The Global Americans, before finally winning in 2019. He assumed office on Jan. 14, 2020. 

Guatemala faced a political crisis in November 2020 when Giammattei set out a budget that favored privately funded infrastructure improvements over helping with pressing domestic issues, such as poverty and child care. Protests led to the burning of Congress and demands for Giammattei to resign. 

KAMALA HARRIS’ MEXICO, GAUTEMALA VISIT: EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW

Giammattei has shown support for the U.S. approach to migration in recent months, but he has made a number of critical statements as well, signaling a complicated relationship ahead between the nations.

Chief among Giammattei’s complaints has been “confusing” messaging from the Biden administration on immigration, which the Guatemalan president blames for fueling the crisis at the border.

Vice President Kamala Harris meets virtually with Guatemala’s President Alejandro Giammattei, seen on screen at left, Monday, April 26, 2021, from her ceremonial office at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the White House complex in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
(AP)

“I believe that in the first few weeks of the Biden administration, messages were confusing,” Giammattei told MSNBC on April 13. “They were compassionate messages that were understood by people in our country, especially the coyotes, to tell families, ‘We’ll take the children.’”

“And children can go, and once children are there, they will call their parents.”

REP. BRADY ON BORDER CRISIS: HARRIS IN DENIAL; INFLUX OF MIGRANT KIDS MAKING FOSTER CARE SYSTEM STRAINED

Giammattei said he has seen coyotes – the smugglers who ferry migrants into the U.S. for a fee – carry out “horrible acts” and criticized the U.S. for not properly responding to the surge of migrants, according to The New York Post.

In the run-up to Harris’ visit this week, Giammattei criticized Special Prosecutor against Impunity Juan Francisco Sandoval for “left-wing politicization” of the fight against corruption in his country – an approach the U.S. has supported, according to Reuters.

Protesters gather outside Congress in Guatemala City, Saturday, Nov. 21, 2020. Hundreds of protesters were protesting in various parts of the country Saturday against Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei and members of Congress for the approval of the 2021 budget that reduced funds for education, health and the fight for human rights. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)
(AP)

“Everybody has a right to their own ideology,” Giammattei said. “The problem is when you transfer that ideology to your actions, and worse when you are in charge of justice.”

Giammattei accused Sandoval of selectively administering justice to suit his agenda. However, U.S. Ambassador to Guatemala William Popp last week said Washington was working to “robustly” support Sandoval.

BIDEN ADMINISTRATION QUIETLY TASKS 6 GROUPS TO PICK ASYLUM-SEEKERS TO ALLOW INTO US

Harris has spoken to Giammattei over the phone and virtually in the past few months, with Harris pledging an additional $310 million to humanitarian relief and food insecurity in Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador.

In response, Guatemala has agreed to increase border security, Politico reported.

Giammattei also planned to open “migrant resource centers” to provide education and assistance in following legal pathways for migration. The first center will appear in Guatemala City, and is meant to be up and running by the time Harris touches down in Guatemala.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP  

These more positive steps occur in contrast to a move by Giammattei to seemingly “pre-empt” talks with Harris after he said Thursday that Guatemala would receive a half-million doses of COVID-19 vaccines from the U.S., seizing on Biden’s promise to share some 80 million doses with struggling nations around the world, USA Today reported. 

Guatemala President Alejandro Giammattei: What we know

Vice President Kamala Harris is set to depart Sunday for Guatemala, with plans to meet President Alejandro Giammattei amid growing concerns about the migrant crisis at the U.S. southern border.

Harris is the point person to handle the migrant crisis, but she has not yet held a press conference or visited the border with Mexico – some 75 days after President Biden tapped her for the role. 

This week, she will visit Mexico and Guatemala, but she could face a tense meeting with Guatemala’s president.

Giammattei has had a tumultuous career in politics: He served as director of the Guatemalan Penitentiary System starting in 2006, but several conflicts and accusations that he orchestrated prisoner executions led to his own brief incarceration in 2010, Reuters reported.

Guatemala’s President-elect Alejandro Giammattei gives an interview in Guatemala City, Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2019. Giammattei said Tuesday that Guatemala will not be able to hold up its side of an immigration agreement with the United States by serving as a “safe third country” for asylum seekers. (AP Photo/Oliver de Ros)
(AP)

He made three prior runs at the top office, failing in 2007, 2011 and 2015, according to The Global Americans, before finally winning in 2019. He assumed office on Jan. 14, 2020. 

Guatemala faced a political crisis in November 2020 when Giammattei set out a budget that favored privately funded infrastructure improvements over helping with pressing domestic issues, such as poverty and child care. Protests led to the burning of Congress and demands for Giammattei to resign. 

KAMALA HARRIS’ MEXICO, GAUTEMALA VISIT: EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW

Giammattei has shown support for the U.S. approach to migration in recent months, but he has made a number of critical statements as well, signaling a complicated relationship ahead between the nations.

Chief among Giammattei’s complaints has been “confusing” messaging from the Biden administration on immigration, which the Guatemalan president blames for fueling the crisis at the border.

Vice President Kamala Harris meets virtually with Guatemala’s President Alejandro Giammattei, seen on screen at left, Monday, April 26, 2021, from her ceremonial office at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the White House complex in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
(AP)

“I believe that in the first few weeks of the Biden administration, messages were confusing,” Giammattei told MSNBC on April 13. “They were compassionate messages that were understood by people in our country, especially the coyotes, to tell families, ‘We’ll take the children.’”

“And children can go, and once children are there, they will call their parents.”

REP. BRADY ON BORDER CRISIS: HARRIS IN DENIAL; INFLUX OF MIGRANT KIDS MAKING FOSTER CARE SYSTEM STRAINED

Giammattei said he has seen coyotes – the smugglers who ferry migrants into the U.S. for a fee – carry out “horrible acts” and criticized the U.S. for not properly responding to the surge of migrants, according to The New York Post.

In the run-up to Harris’ visit this week, Giammattei criticized Special Prosecutor against Impunity Juan Francisco Sandoval for “left-wing politicization” of the fight against corruption in his country – an approach the U.S. has supported, according to Reuters.

Protesters gather outside Congress in Guatemala City, Saturday, Nov. 21, 2020. Hundreds of protesters were protesting in various parts of the country Saturday against Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei and members of Congress for the approval of the 2021 budget that reduced funds for education, health and the fight for human rights. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)
(AP)

“Everybody has a right to their own ideology,” Giammattei said. “The problem is when you transfer that ideology to your actions, and worse when you are in charge of justice.”

Giammattei accused Sandoval of selectively administering justice to suit his agenda. However, U.S. Ambassador to Guatemala William Popp last week said Washington was working to “robustly” support Sandoval.

BIDEN ADMINISTRATION QUIETLY TASKS 6 GROUPS TO PICK ASYLUM-SEEKERS TO ALLOW INTO US

Harris has spoken to Giammattei over the phone and virtually in the past few months, with Harris pledging an additional $310 million to humanitarian relief and food insecurity in Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador.

In response, Guatemala has agreed to increase border security, Politico reported.

Giammattei also planned to open “migrant resource centers” to provide education and assistance in following legal pathways for migration. The first center will appear in Guatemala City, and is meant to be up and running by the time Harris touches down in Guatemala.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP  

These more positive steps occur in contrast to a move by Giammattei to seemingly “pre-empt” talks with Harris after he said Thursday that Guatemala would receive a half-million doses of COVID-19 vaccines from the U.S., seizing on Biden’s promise to share some 80 million doses with struggling nations around the world, USA Today reported. 

Guatemala President Alejandro Giammattei: What we know

Vice President Kamala Harris is set to depart Sunday for Guatemala, with plans to meet President Alejandro Giammattei amid growing concerns about the migrant crisis at the U.S. southern border.

Harris is the point person to handle the migrant crisis, but she has not yet held a press conference or visited the border with Mexico – some 75 days after President Biden tapped her for the role. 

This week, she will visit Mexico and Guatemala, but she could face a tense meeting with Guatemala’s president.

Giammattei has had a tumultuous career in politics: He served as director of the Guatemalan Penitentiary System starting in 2006, but several conflicts and accusations that he orchestrated prisoner executions led to his own brief incarceration in 2010, Reuters reported.

Guatemala’s President-elect Alejandro Giammattei gives an interview in Guatemala City, Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2019. Giammattei said Tuesday that Guatemala will not be able to hold up its side of an immigration agreement with the United States by serving as a “safe third country” for asylum seekers. (AP Photo/Oliver de Ros)
(AP)

He made three prior runs at the top office, failing in 2007, 2011 and 2015, according to The Global Americans, before finally winning in 2019. He assumed office on Jan. 14, 2020. 

Guatemala faced a political crisis in November 2020 when Giammattei set out a budget that favored privately funded infrastructure improvements over helping with pressing domestic issues, such as poverty and child care. Protests led to the burning of Congress and demands for Giammattei to resign. 

KAMALA HARRIS’ MEXICO, GAUTEMALA VISIT: EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW

Giammattei has shown support for the U.S. approach to migration in recent months, but he has made a number of critical statements as well, signaling a complicated relationship ahead between the nations.

Chief among Giammattei’s complaints has been “confusing” messaging from the Biden administration on immigration, which the Guatemalan president blames for fueling the crisis at the border.

Vice President Kamala Harris meets virtually with Guatemala’s President Alejandro Giammattei, seen on screen at left, Monday, April 26, 2021, from her ceremonial office at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the White House complex in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
(AP)

“I believe that in the first few weeks of the Biden administration, messages were confusing,” Giammattei told MSNBC on April 13. “They were compassionate messages that were understood by people in our country, especially the coyotes, to tell families, ‘We’ll take the children.’”

“And children can go, and once children are there, they will call their parents.”

REP. BRADY ON BORDER CRISIS: HARRIS IN DENIAL; INFLUX OF MIGRANT KIDS MAKING FOSTER CARE SYSTEM STRAINED

Giammattei said he has seen coyotes – the smugglers who ferry migrants into the U.S. for a fee – carry out “horrible acts” and criticized the U.S. for not properly responding to the surge of migrants, according to The New York Post.

In the run-up to Harris’ visit this week, Giammattei criticized Special Prosecutor against Impunity Juan Francisco Sandoval for “left-wing politicization” of the fight against corruption in his country – an approach the U.S. has supported, according to Reuters.

Protesters gather outside Congress in Guatemala City, Saturday, Nov. 21, 2020. Hundreds of protesters were protesting in various parts of the country Saturday against Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei and members of Congress for the approval of the 2021 budget that reduced funds for education, health and the fight for human rights. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)
(AP)

“Everybody has a right to their own ideology,” Giammattei said. “The problem is when you transfer that ideology to your actions, and worse when you are in charge of justice.”

Giammattei accused Sandoval of selectively administering justice to suit his agenda. However, U.S. Ambassador to Guatemala William Popp last week said Washington was working to “robustly” support Sandoval.

BIDEN ADMINISTRATION QUIETLY TASKS 6 GROUPS TO PICK ASYLUM-SEEKERS TO ALLOW INTO US

Harris has spoken to Giammattei over the phone and virtually in the past few months, with Harris pledging an additional $310 million to humanitarian relief and food insecurity in Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador.

In response, Guatemala has agreed to increase border security, Politico reported.

Giammattei also planned to open “migrant resource centers” to provide education and assistance in following legal pathways for migration. The first center will appear in Guatemala City, and is meant to be up and running by the time Harris touches down in Guatemala.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP  

These more positive steps occur in contrast to a move by Giammattei to seemingly “pre-empt” talks with Harris after he said Thursday that Guatemala would receive a half-million doses of COVID-19 vaccines from the U.S., seizing on Biden’s promise to share some 80 million doses with struggling nations around the world, USA Today reported. 

Guatemala President Alejandro Giammattei: What we know

Vice President Kamala Harris is set to depart Sunday for Guatemala, with plans to meet President Alejandro Giammattei amid growing concerns about the migrant crisis at the U.S. southern border.

Harris is the point person to handle the migrant crisis, but she has not yet held a press conference or visited the border with Mexico – some 75 days after President Biden tapped her for the role. 

This week, she will visit Mexico and Guatemala, but she could face a tense meeting with Guatemala’s president.

Giammattei has had a tumultuous career in politics: He served as director of the Guatemalan Penitentiary System starting in 2006, but several conflicts and accusations that he orchestrated prisoner executions led to his own brief incarceration in 2010, Reuters reported.

Guatemala’s President-elect Alejandro Giammattei gives an interview in Guatemala City, Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2019. Giammattei said Tuesday that Guatemala will not be able to hold up its side of an immigration agreement with the United States by serving as a “safe third country” for asylum seekers. (AP Photo/Oliver de Ros)
(AP)

He made three prior runs at the top office, failing in 2007, 2011 and 2015, according to The Global Americans, before finally winning in 2019. He assumed office on Jan. 14, 2020. 

Guatemala faced a political crisis in November 2020 when Giammattei set out a budget that favored privately funded infrastructure improvements over helping with pressing domestic issues, such as poverty and child care. Protests led to the burning of Congress and demands for Giammattei to resign. 

KAMALA HARRIS’ MEXICO, GAUTEMALA VISIT: EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW

Giammattei has shown support for the U.S. approach to migration in recent months, but he has made a number of critical statements as well, signaling a complicated relationship ahead between the nations.

Chief among Giammattei’s complaints has been “confusing” messaging from the Biden administration on immigration, which the Guatemalan president blames for fueling the crisis at the border.

Vice President Kamala Harris meets virtually with Guatemala’s President Alejandro Giammattei, seen on screen at left, Monday, April 26, 2021, from her ceremonial office at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the White House complex in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
(AP)

“I believe that in the first few weeks of the Biden administration, messages were confusing,” Giammattei told MSNBC on April 13. “They were compassionate messages that were understood by people in our country, especially the coyotes, to tell families, ‘We’ll take the children.’”

“And children can go, and once children are there, they will call their parents.”

REP. BRADY ON BORDER CRISIS: HARRIS IN DENIAL; INFLUX OF MIGRANT KIDS MAKING FOSTER CARE SYSTEM STRAINED

Giammattei said he has seen coyotes – the smugglers who ferry migrants into the U.S. for a fee – carry out “horrible acts” and criticized the U.S. for not properly responding to the surge of migrants, according to The New York Post.

In the run-up to Harris’ visit this week, Giammattei criticized Special Prosecutor against Impunity Juan Francisco Sandoval for “left-wing politicization” of the fight against corruption in his country – an approach the U.S. has supported, according to Reuters.

Protesters gather outside Congress in Guatemala City, Saturday, Nov. 21, 2020. Hundreds of protesters were protesting in various parts of the country Saturday against Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei and members of Congress for the approval of the 2021 budget that reduced funds for education, health and the fight for human rights. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)
(AP)

“Everybody has a right to their own ideology,” Giammattei said. “The problem is when you transfer that ideology to your actions, and worse when you are in charge of justice.”

Giammattei accused Sandoval of selectively administering justice to suit his agenda. However, U.S. Ambassador to Guatemala William Popp last week said Washington was working to “robustly” support Sandoval.

BIDEN ADMINISTRATION QUIETLY TASKS 6 GROUPS TO PICK ASYLUM-SEEKERS TO ALLOW INTO US

Harris has spoken to Giammattei over the phone and virtually in the past few months, with Harris pledging an additional $310 million to humanitarian relief and food insecurity in Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador.

In response, Guatemala has agreed to increase border security, Politico reported.

Giammattei also planned to open “migrant resource centers” to provide education and assistance in following legal pathways for migration. The first center will appear in Guatemala City, and is meant to be up and running by the time Harris touches down in Guatemala.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP  

These more positive steps occur in contrast to a move by Giammattei to seemingly “pre-empt” talks with Harris after he said Thursday that Guatemala would receive a half-million doses of COVID-19 vaccines from the U.S., seizing on Biden’s promise to share some 80 million doses with struggling nations around the world, USA Today reported. 

Guatemala President Alejandro Giammattei: What we know

Vice President Kamala Harris is set to depart Sunday for Guatemala, with plans to meet President Alejandro Giammattei amid growing concerns about the migrant crisis at the U.S. southern border.

Harris is the point person to handle the migrant crisis, but she has not yet held a press conference or visited the border with Mexico – some 75 days after President Biden tapped her for the role. 

This week, she will visit Mexico and Guatemala, but she could face a tense meeting with Guatemala’s president.

Giammattei has had a tumultuous career in politics: He served as director of the Guatemalan Penitentiary System starting in 2006, but several conflicts and accusations that he orchestrated prisoner executions led to his own brief incarceration in 2010, Reuters reported.

Guatemala’s President-elect Alejandro Giammattei gives an interview in Guatemala City, Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2019. Giammattei said Tuesday that Guatemala will not be able to hold up its side of an immigration agreement with the United States by serving as a “safe third country” for asylum seekers. (AP Photo/Oliver de Ros)
(AP)

He made three prior runs at the top office, failing in 2007, 2011 and 2015, according to The Global Americans, before finally winning in 2019. He assumed office on Jan. 14, 2020. 

Guatemala faced a political crisis in November 2020 when Giammattei set out a budget that favored privately funded infrastructure improvements over helping with pressing domestic issues, such as poverty and child care. Protests led to the burning of Congress and demands for Giammattei to resign. 

KAMALA HARRIS’ MEXICO, GAUTEMALA VISIT: EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW

Giammattei has shown support for the U.S. approach to migration in recent months, but he has made a number of critical statements as well, signaling a complicated relationship ahead between the nations.

Chief among Giammattei’s complaints has been “confusing” messaging from the Biden administration on immigration, which the Guatemalan president blames for fueling the crisis at the border.

Vice President Kamala Harris meets virtually with Guatemala’s President Alejandro Giammattei, seen on screen at left, Monday, April 26, 2021, from her ceremonial office at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the White House complex in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
(AP)

“I believe that in the first few weeks of the Biden administration, messages were confusing,” Giammattei told MSNBC on April 13. “They were compassionate messages that were understood by people in our country, especially the coyotes, to tell families, ‘We’ll take the children.’”

“And children can go, and once children are there, they will call their parents.”

REP. BRADY ON BORDER CRISIS: HARRIS IN DENIAL; INFLUX OF MIGRANT KIDS MAKING FOSTER CARE SYSTEM STRAINED

Giammattei said he has seen coyotes – the smugglers who ferry migrants into the U.S. for a fee – carry out “horrible acts” and criticized the U.S. for not properly responding to the surge of migrants, according to The New York Post.

In the run-up to Harris’ visit this week, Giammattei criticized Special Prosecutor against Impunity Juan Francisco Sandoval for “left-wing politicization” of the fight against corruption in his country – an approach the U.S. has supported, according to Reuters.

Protesters gather outside Congress in Guatemala City, Saturday, Nov. 21, 2020. Hundreds of protesters were protesting in various parts of the country Saturday against Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei and members of Congress for the approval of the 2021 budget that reduced funds for education, health and the fight for human rights. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)
(AP)

“Everybody has a right to their own ideology,” Giammattei said. “The problem is when you transfer that ideology to your actions, and worse when you are in charge of justice.”

Giammattei accused Sandoval of selectively administering justice to suit his agenda. However, U.S. Ambassador to Guatemala William Popp last week said Washington was working to “robustly” support Sandoval.

BIDEN ADMINISTRATION QUIETLY TASKS 6 GROUPS TO PICK ASYLUM-SEEKERS TO ALLOW INTO US

Harris has spoken to Giammattei over the phone and virtually in the past few months, with Harris pledging an additional $310 million to humanitarian relief and food insecurity in Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador.

In response, Guatemala has agreed to increase border security, Politico reported.

Giammattei also planned to open “migrant resource centers” to provide education and assistance in following legal pathways for migration. The first center will appear in Guatemala City, and is meant to be up and running by the time Harris touches down in Guatemala.

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These more positive steps occur in contrast to a move by Giammattei to seemingly “pre-empt” talks with Harris after he said Thursday that Guatemala would receive a half-million doses of COVID-19 vaccines from the U.S., seizing on Biden’s promise to share some 80 million doses with struggling nations around the world, USA Today reported. 

Guatemala President Alejandro Giammattei: What we know

Vice President Kamala Harris is set to depart Sunday for Guatemala, with plans to meet President Alejandro Giammattei amid growing concerns about the migrant crisis at the U.S. southern border.

Harris is the point person to handle the migrant crisis, but she has not yet held a press conference or visited the border with Mexico – some 75 days after President Biden tapped her for the role. 

This week, she will visit Mexico and Guatemala, but she could face a tense meeting with Guatemala’s president.

Giammattei has had a tumultuous career in politics: He served as director of the Guatemalan Penitentiary System starting in 2006, but several conflicts and accusations that he orchestrated prisoner executions led to his own brief incarceration in 2010, Reuters reported.

Guatemala’s President-elect Alejandro Giammattei gives an interview in Guatemala City, Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2019. Giammattei said Tuesday that Guatemala will not be able to hold up its side of an immigration agreement with the United States by serving as a “safe third country” for asylum seekers. (AP Photo/Oliver de Ros)
(AP)

He made three prior runs at the top office, failing in 2007, 2011 and 2015, according to The Global Americans, before finally winning in 2019. He assumed office on Jan. 14, 2020. 

Guatemala faced a political crisis in November 2020 when Giammattei set out a budget that favored privately funded infrastructure improvements over helping with pressing domestic issues, such as poverty and child care. Protests led to the burning of Congress and demands for Giammattei to resign. 

KAMALA HARRIS’ MEXICO, GAUTEMALA VISIT: EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW

Giammattei has shown support for the U.S. approach to migration in recent months, but he has made a number of critical statements as well, signaling a complicated relationship ahead between the nations.

Chief among Giammattei’s complaints has been “confusing” messaging from the Biden administration on immigration, which the Guatemalan president blames for fueling the crisis at the border.

Vice President Kamala Harris meets virtually with Guatemala’s President Alejandro Giammattei, seen on screen at left, Monday, April 26, 2021, from her ceremonial office at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the White House complex in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
(AP)

“I believe that in the first few weeks of the Biden administration, messages were confusing,” Giammattei told MSNBC on April 13. “They were compassionate messages that were understood by people in our country, especially the coyotes, to tell families, ‘We’ll take the children.’”

“And children can go, and once children are there, they will call their parents.”

REP. BRADY ON BORDER CRISIS: HARRIS IN DENIAL; INFLUX OF MIGRANT KIDS MAKING FOSTER CARE SYSTEM STRAINED

Giammattei said he has seen coyotes – the smugglers who ferry migrants into the U.S. for a fee – carry out “horrible acts” and criticized the U.S. for not properly responding to the surge of migrants, according to The New York Post.

In the run-up to Harris’ visit this week, Giammattei criticized Special Prosecutor against Impunity Juan Francisco Sandoval for “left-wing politicization” of the fight against corruption in his country – an approach the U.S. has supported, according to Reuters.

Protesters gather outside Congress in Guatemala City, Saturday, Nov. 21, 2020. Hundreds of protesters were protesting in various parts of the country Saturday against Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei and members of Congress for the approval of the 2021 budget that reduced funds for education, health and the fight for human rights. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)
(AP)

“Everybody has a right to their own ideology,” Giammattei said. “The problem is when you transfer that ideology to your actions, and worse when you are in charge of justice.”

Giammattei accused Sandoval of selectively administering justice to suit his agenda. However, U.S. Ambassador to Guatemala William Popp last week said Washington was working to “robustly” support Sandoval.

BIDEN ADMINISTRATION QUIETLY TASKS 6 GROUPS TO PICK ASYLUM-SEEKERS TO ALLOW INTO US

Harris has spoken to Giammattei over the phone and virtually in the past few months, with Harris pledging an additional $310 million to humanitarian relief and food insecurity in Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador.

In response, Guatemala has agreed to increase border security, Politico reported.

Giammattei also planned to open “migrant resource centers” to provide education and assistance in following legal pathways for migration. The first center will appear in Guatemala City, and is meant to be up and running by the time Harris touches down in Guatemala.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP  

These more positive steps occur in contrast to a move by Giammattei to seemingly “pre-empt” talks with Harris after he said Thursday that Guatemala would receive a half-million doses of COVID-19 vaccines from the U.S., seizing on Biden’s promise to share some 80 million doses with struggling nations around the world, USA Today reported.