Guatemalan migrants considered an export commodity
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Over the weekend: Guatemalan migrants considered an export commodity
01 Nov 2010
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF FORMER BORDER PATROL OFFICERS
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La Hora (Guatemala City, Guatemala) 10/30/10
Migration: the view from Guatemala
“The journey of the migrant turns out to be the principal type of export, since the remittances that come into the country provide much greater funds than any other traditional export product,” noted Vincio Cerezo, ex-president of Guatemala. According to the Center for Central American Studies, the number of Guatemalans in the US grew by 700% in the last few years. The 225,000 Guatemalans residing in the US in 1999 has now grown past 1.6 million in 2010. This is similar to the situations in the other Central American countries. According to Cerezo, the migratory problems should be considered beyond the human and social aspects since migrants can be considered a fundamental source of economic development for the country.