History of Guatemalan migrants in the United States

Last updated

Guatemalan migrants are the 10th largest migrant group in the United States of America., [1] and the 3rd largest immigrant group from Central America. [2] The 2015 American Community Survey estimates the Guatemalan American migrant population at 1,300,000, which is roughly 3% of the US foreign born population, and 0.4% of the total population of the United States. [3] Of this group, the majority live in California, New York, Florida, and Texas. Roughly one quarter of Guatemalan Migrants reside in Anaheim County, California alone. [2] A majority of these migrants are men; according to 2015 American Community Survey, roughly 57% of all Guatemalan Migrants are male. [4] They also tend to be younger, with 86% falling between the ages of 18 and 65. In comparison, approximately 60% of the native born population and 80% of the foreign born population are in the same age range. [2] Of the 650,000 (62.5%) Guatemalan migrants in the labor market, approximately one third are employed in the service sector. [5]

Contents

Figure 1. Guatemalan Foreign-Born Population in the United States, 1960-1990 Guatemalan Foreign Born Migration Trends.svg
Figure 1. Guatemalan Foreign-Born Population in the United States, 1960-1990

Guatemalan migration predominantly began in the 1960s. This decade is historically important to migration, being that the U.S. had just transitioned into its expansionary period. The U.S. had enacted the Hart-Cellar Act in 1965 which established a new 20,000 migrant limit per-country with preference to family reunification. In 1990 the United States amended the Immigration Act, raising the number of admitted legal permanent residents from 500,000 to 700,000. This also meant that U.S. would no longer discriminate against countries of origin in regards to granting visas. In Figure 1, we see a steady increase in the Guatemalan foreign-born stock population in the U.S. between the decades of 1960–1990. This increase is understandable given the current progressive immigration law in the U.S. at the time and the fact that during 1960 and 1996 the Guatemalan Civil War was erupting.

Guatemalan Civil War

The intensification of the Guatemalan Civil War during the 1970s and 1980s led to an influx of tens of thousands of Guatemalan refugees into the United States via Mexico, via both legal and illegal means. Guatemalan refugees became an important political and economic influence on seeking an end to the civil war, which finally came about in 1996. They also organized to change policies of the Mexican government in dealing with Guatemalan immigrants' legal status, their experience in Mexico, and difficulties of Guatemalans in Mexico immigrating to the US.

During the Guatemalan civil war, there was massive destruction of rural villages and farmlands. In the 1996 peace accords, there was a free exchange of civilian land to favor the rise of corporate agribusinesses with the drop of prices of local agricultural products. This heavily affected farm workers and inhabitants of the countryside and they had to immigrate into the US through Mexican territory.

The civil war impacted many of the indigenous people and the trajectory of what led people to migrate out of Guatemala. [7]

The peak statistic of Figure 1 is the foreign-born stock migrant increase from 1980 to 1990. This marks the largest Guatemalan migration. Migrant numbers go from 63,073 in 1980 to 225,739 in 1990. This is likely the result of political, social, and economic unrest caused by the Guatemalan Civil War raging during this period. This change over time may be a combination of the Immigration Act of 1990, along with the civil war circumstances taking place in Guatemala, causing many migrants to flee the country.

After September 11, 2001, Mexican officials made new laws through an initiative limiting immigration visas and other repressive measures on the southern Mexican border through Plan Sur, a binational treaty with the Guatemalan government.


Driving forces for Migration

Many Central Americans like Hondurans, Salvadorians, and Guatemalans are trying to reach the United States for political asylum. The current driving forces leading to migration are crime, poverty and political corruption. Crime is a big issue for those living in Guatemala; statistically 84% to 87% of violence is attributed to gang violence and drug trafficking. [8] Firearms are very easy to obtain in that country of Guatemala. In Central America, 73% of homicides are attributed to guns, which is 32% higher compared to a worldwide percentage of 41%. [8] The other attribute leading to these migrations is poverty. Guatemala has a population of about 16.5 million people. From that 16.5 million, 59.3% of people live below the poverty line which is about 9,817,500 people, while 23% live in extreme poverty which is about 3,795,000 from the 89.3% of people. [9] Climate change has been one of the largest contributing factor that has led to the dismantling of the Guatemalan economy. The Guatemalan economy especially that of the western highlands is based on its coffee industry which has been altered by climate change and “coffee rust” fungus, [10] the crippling of the economy further cripples the families in these already impoverished communities which have relied on the coffee industry for generations, which has dropped 6% since last year. [11] Since 2014 95% of Guatemalans have been affected by droughts. These droughts reduced the agricultural production in both commercial as well as subsistence farming. [12] Both leading to the distributing statistic of poverty and child malnutrition. Long history of civil war, genocide, and US intervention has all left its imprint on the current political environment of the country. [13]

Migration today

The graph below shows that a majority of the granted citizenship for Guatemalans in 2016 was due in large part from family members. [14] The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services website says if you are a United States citizen, you are eligible to petition a family member to receive a Green Card (permanent residence). The petition can be for immediate family members only, such as a child, spouse or parent. [15] Here we can see that a total of 6,295 out of 13,002 individuals came based on immediate relatives of U.S. citizens. That is 48.5% of the granted total, making it one of the highest percentages for a specific broad class.

LAWFUL PERMANENT RESIDENT STATUS BY BROAD CLASS OF ADMISSION FISCAL YEAR 2016
Country of BirthFamily sponsoredEmployment basedImmediate relatives of U.S. citizensDiversityRefugees and asyleesOtherTotal
Guatemala2,4381,5306,295131,1621,56413,002
Percent18.7%11.7%48.5%0.1%9.0%12.0%100%

Source: U.S. Department of Homeland Security [14]

Caravana De Migrantes 2017-2018

In October 2017 a caravan of Central Americans started their 1,200 mile journey to the U.S. border. [11] The journey started in Honduras, sweeping through Guatemala and pushing through the Guatemalan and Mexican border and eventually the Mexican and U.S. border. Many are seeking political asylum status as refugees. Many people in the caravan were treated by the red cross for dehydration, blisters and other maladies. [16] In total Mexico received 14,596 claims in 2017 for political asylum. In October 2018, Mexico received 1,699 requests for refugee status including children. [17] At the U.S. border 42,757 Guatemalans traveling in families were either apprehended or otherwise stopped at the border. [11] The U.S. is legally obligated  to consider the cases of asylum seekers. The credible fear and reasonable fear screening processes are available to asylum seekers in expedited removal processes. Some of the people while waiting for the application to be filled can live in the U.S. while others may be detained. [18] This is the risk of those migrating.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Human migration</span> Movement of people for their benefit

Human migration is the movement of people from one place to another, with intentions of settling, permanently or temporarily, at a new location. The movement often occurs over long distances and from one country to another, but internal migration is the dominant form of human migration globally.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Afghan refugees</span> Nationals of Afghanistan who left their country as a result of major wars or persecution

Afghan refugees are citizens of Afghanistan who were forced to flee from their country as a result the continuous wars that the country has suffered since the Afghan-Soviet war, the Afghan civil war, the Afghanistan war (2001–2021) or either political or religious persecution. The 1978 Saur Revolution, followed by the 1979 Soviet invasion, marked the first major wave of internal displacement and international migration to neighboring Iran and Pakistan; smaller numbers also went to India or to countries of the former Soviet Union. Between 1979 and 1992, more than 20% of Afghanistan's population fled the country as refugees. Following the Soviet withdrawal in 1989, many returned to Afghanistan, however many Afghans were again forced to flee during the civil war in the 90s. Over 6 million Afghan refugees were residing in Iran and Pakistan by 2000. Most refugees returned to Afghanistan following the 2001 United States invasion and overthrow of the Taliban regime. Between 2002 and 2012, 5.7 million refugees returned to Afghanistan, increasing the country's population by 25%.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Immigration to Mexico</span>

Immigration to Mexico has been important in shaping the country's demographics. Since the early 16th century, with the arrival of the Spanish, Mexico has received immigrants from Europe, Africa, the Americas, and Asia. Today, millions of their descendants still live in Mexico and can be found working in different professions and industries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Illegal immigration to the United States</span> Immigration to the United States in violation of US law

Illegal immigration, or unauthorized immigration, occurs when foreign nationals, known as aliens, violate US immigration laws by entering the United States unlawfully, or by lawfully entering but then remaining after the expiration of their visas, parole or temporary protected status.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Guatemalan Americans</span> Americans of Guatemalan birth or descent

Guatemalan Americans are Americans of full or partial Guatemalan descent. The Guatemalan American population at the 2010 Census was 1,044,209. Guatemalans are the sixth largest Hispanic group in the United States and the second largest Central American population after Salvadorans. Half of the Guatemalan population is situated in two parts of the country, the Northeast and Southern California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of immigration to the United States</span>

The history of immigration to the United States details the movement of people to the United States from the colonial era to the present day. Throughout U.S. history, the country experienced successive waves of immigration, particularly from Europe and later on from Asia and Latin America. Colonial-era immigrants often repaid the cost of transoceanic transportation by becoming indentured servants in which the new employer paid the ship's captain. In the late 19th century, immigration from China and Japan was restricted. In the 1920s, restrictive immigration quotas were imposed but political refugees had special status. Numerical restrictions ended in 1965. In recent years, the largest numbers of immigrants to the United States have come from Asia and Central America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Guatemala–United States relations</span> Bilateral relations

There is a U.S. Embassy in Guatemala located in Guatemala City. According to the United States Department of State, relations between the United States and Guatemala have traditionally been close, although sometimes they are tense regarding human, civil, and military rights.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emigration from Mexico</span> Mexicans moving abroad

Emigration from Mexico is the movement of people from Mexico to other countries. The top destination by far is the United States, by a factor of over 150 to 1 compared to the second most popular destination, Canada.

Human trafficking is the trade of humans, most commonly for the purpose of forced labour, sexual slavery, or commercial sexual exploitation for the trafficker or others. Mexico is a large source, transit, and destination country for victims of human trafficking.

This article delineates the issue of immigration in different countries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2014 American immigration crisis</span> Surge in immigration along U.S. southern border

The 2014 American immigration crisis was a surge in unaccompanied children and women from the Northern Triangle of Central America (NTCA) seeking entrance to the United States in 2014. According to U.S. law, an unaccompanied alien child refers to a person under 18 years of age, who has no lawful immigration status in the U.S., and who does not have a legal guardian to provide physical custody and care.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Migrant crisis</span> Situation resulting from flows of immigrants to a country

Migrant crisis is the intense difficulty, trouble, or danger situation in the receiving state due to the movements of large groups of immigrants escaping from the conditions which negatively affected their situation at the country of origin (departure). The "crisis" situation is not the refugee numbers but the system's failure to respond in an orderly way to the government's legal obligations. Some notable crises are; European migrant crisis, English Channel migrant crisis and World War II evacuation and expulsion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maya Americans</span> Americans of Maya descent

Maya Americans are Americans of Indigenous Maya descent. Most Maya Americans originate from western Guatemala and Chiapas.

A refugee crisis can refer to difficulties and dangerous situations in the reception of large groups of forcibly displaced persons. These could be either internally displaced, refugees, asylum seekers or any other huge groups of migrants.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reception of unaccompanied minors from the Northern Triangle</span>

The Northern American Triangle refers to the Central American countries of El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Central American migrant caravans</span> Migrant caravan through Mexico

Central American migrant caravans, also known as the Viacrucis del migrante, are migrant caravans that travel from Central America to the Mexico–United States border to demand asylum in the United States. The largest and best known of these were organized by Pueblo Sin Fronteras that set off during Holy Week in early 2017 and 2018 from the Northern Triangle of Central America (NTCA), but such caravans of migrants began arriving several years earlier, and other unrelated caravans continued to arrive into late 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northern Triangle of Central America</span> Three-country region

The Northern Triangle of Central America (NTCA) is a term used in the United States to refer collectively to the three Central American countries of Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador. The term is used with respect to the countries' economic integration, and their shared challenges, including widespread poverty, violence, and corruption, which have prompted many to become refugees fleeing the three nations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Immigration policy in Texas</span>

The state of Texas has a long history of immigration and immigration policy. The region that is now Texas was originally home to several Native American tribes. The first European immigrants arrived in the 1600s when the land was colonized by the French and the Spanish. Financial incentives created by the Mexican government brought many immigrants to Mexican Texas in the 1820s, mostly from slaveholding areas in the southern United States. This continued as significant illegal immigration to Mexico after 1830, when American migrants were banned.

Hispanic immigrants living in the United States have been found to have higher levels of exposure to trauma and lower mental health service utilization than the general population. Those who met the criteria for asylum and experience trauma before migrating are vulnerable to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. Higher levels of trauma-related symptoms are associated with increased post-migration living difficulties. Despite the need for mental health services for Hispanic immigrants living in the United States, cultural and structural barriers make accessing treatment challenging.

References

  1. "Largest U.S. Immigrant Groups over Time, 1960-Present". migrationpolicy.org. 2013-10-02. Retrieved 2018-03-01.
  2. 1 2 3 "Central American Immigrants in the United States". migrationpolicy.org. 2017-04-04. Retrieved 2018-03-01.
  3. "2011-2015 American Community Survey Selected Population Tables". U.S. Census Bureau. 2015. Archived from the original on 2020-02-14. Retrieved 2018-03-01.
  4. "2010 Census Summary File 2: Sex By Age". U.S. Census Bureau. 2015. Archived from the original on 2020-02-14. Retrieved 2018-03-01.
  5. "2011-2015 American Community Survey Selected Population Tables". U.S. Census Bureau. 2015. Archived from the original on 2020-02-14. Retrieved 2018-03-01.
  6. Yax, Population Division, Laura K. "Historical Census Statistics on the Foreign-Born Population of the United States: 1850 to 1990". www.census.gov. Retrieved 2018-03-01.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  7. Marcy, Jessica, and Amelia Tyson. "Broken Land." Revista Harvard Review of Latin America, 26 May 2022, revista.drclas.harvard.edu/brokenland/.
  8. 1 2 "Homicides in Guatemala: Analyzing the Data". InSight Crime. 2017-04-20. Retrieved 2018-12-08.
  9. "UNICEF Guatemala - Overview - Overview". www.unicef.org. Retrieved 2018-12-08.
  10. Miroff & Sieff (September 2018). "Hunger, not violence, fuels Guatemalan migration surge, U.S. says". The Washington Post.
  11. 1 2 3 Nixon, Ron; Luce, Photographs By Kirsten (2018-10-07). "U.S. Campaign Against Migration Goes Unheard, or Unheeded, in Guatemala". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2018-12-08.
  12. "Changing climate forces desperate Guatemalans to migrate". Environment. 2018-10-23. Archived from the original on October 31, 2018. Retrieved 2018-12-08.
  13. Oct 2018, Emily Yates-Doerr / 25 (2018-10-25). "Why Are So Many Guatemalans Migrating to the U.S.?". SAPIENS. Retrieved 2018-12-08.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  14. 1 2 "Yearbook 2016". Department of Homeland Security. 2017-05-16. Retrieved 2018-03-01.
  15. "Green Card for Immediate Relatives of U.S. Citizen". USCIS. Retrieved 2018-03-01.
  16. "Red Cross assisting people traveling in mass caravan across Central America". International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. Retrieved 2018-12-08.
  17. "Second migrant caravan in Guatemala heads toward Mexico". Reuters. 2018-10-24. Retrieved 2018-12-08.
  18. "Asylum in the United States". American Immigration Council. 2014-08-27. Retrieved 2018-12-08.