Guatemala City, CNN) – A chartered deportation flight from the United States landed in Guatemala City, bringing home dozens of adult migrants who had been living in the US without permission. The plane, which took off from Louisiana, was met with a warm welcome from Guatemalan Vice President Karin Herrera and other officials, who greeted the returnees at a reception center.
The migrants, who had been detained in the US, were given temporary identification papers and escorted by police, but many were released with the understanding that they would be monitored. Some of the returnees had lived in the US for years, working and paying taxes, while others were sent home after being caught up in crimes and detained.
Sara Tot-Botoz, a 43-year-old woman who had lived in Alabama for 10 years, was one of the many migrants who were relieved to be back in Guatemala. She had been working in construction, roofing, and car repair, and had even had children and grandchildren. She was overjoyed to be reunited with her daughter, who she hadn’t seen since she was 15.
Fidel Ambrocio, 35, was another of the returnees. He had lived in the US for 19 years, working as a construction worker in Montgomery, Alabama. He was angry about being deported, feeling that he was not a criminal and was victimized by the US system.
Despite their struggles, many of the returnees were optimistic about their future in Guatemala. Tot-Botoz, for example, wanted to return to her indigenous community and never leave again, while Ambrocio hoped to try to return to the US legally, possibly in two or four years. Others, however, were unsure about their future, with one man expressing a desire to bring his family to Guatemala if he could.
The repatriation of the migrants was just one of many such flights that have taken place over the years, with some 70% of Guatemalans repatriated to the country. Guatemalan authorities are committed to the integrity and basic rights of their citizens, Vice President Herrera said, adding that the use of military planes, such as the one used in this flight, was a new development.
