The Guatemalan government, through the Migration Institute, has taken measures to receive families fleeing Ukraine due to Russia’s attacks.
By Diálogo Américas – Juan Delgado
Apr 14, 2022
On April 3, five Ukrainian citizens arrived in Guatemala, bringing the total number of Ukrainians arriving in the Central América country to more than 30, the Guatemalan Migration Institute reported.
On March 24, two families from Ukraine arrived in Guatemala, and on March 14, seven members of four Ukrainian families arrived at La Aurora International Airport as refugees. The Ukrainian exiles left Warsaw, Poland, bound for Amsterdam, Netherlands; then flew to Panamá and finally arrived in Guatemala, where their entry was arranged for humanitarian reasons, reported Guatemalan newspaper Prensa Libre.
“The Guatemalan Migration Institute will continue to provide the corresponding support and accompaniment to these people. Coordination is being made with the Ukrainian Consulate in Guatemala and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs,” the agency said.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees reports on its website that, as of March 31, more than 4 million people have fled Ukraine following the Russian invasion. Citizens continue to evacuate cities under attack, and several Latin American countries have been willing to receive them, reported Peruvian newspaper La República.
Argentina
On March 3, the Argentine government said that it was “contemplating the possibility” of offering asylum to Ukrainians fleeing the war. “Argentina has always been an open land to embrace those who have to take refuge for political reasons; in this case, due to a war,” said Presidential Spokeswoman Gabriela Cerruti.
México
Mexican newspaper El Financiero reported that from January 1 to March 28, the National Institute of Migration counted the entry into Mexico of 9,903 Ukrainian exiles, to whom the government offered refuge.
Chile
Chile welcomed the first refugee couple on February 25. They are a married couple who had been in the country since December 2021 and decided to seek refuge in the country when the war broke out.
Uruguay
Uruguayan President Luis Lacalle Pou said on March 9 that he was ready for his country to receive Ukrainian refugees. “Uruguay has historically had open arms in that regard.”
Venezuela
In contrast, “Venezuela is ready to continue receiving Russian ‘tourists’ through the Moscow-Porlamar charter [flight] operations,” Alí E. Padrón, president of the Venezuelan Tourism Institute, wrote on Twitter on March 3. “Venezuela is with Putin, is with Russia” said via YouTube Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro.
…
Read More: Diálogo Américas – Guatemala welcomes Ukrainians fleeing Russian invasion
…