Forty-five African illegal immigrants were arrested Thursday in Guatemala, adding to over 1,500 illegals from the continent that have been arrested in the country so far in 2016. Just 13 African migrants were arrested by Guatemala in all of 2015, meaning there have been more than 115 times more migrants arrested so far this year than in all of 2015.
The 45 illegal immigrants were arrested in the southern party of Guatemala City and the National Civil Police did not specify the countries the immigrants originated from, El Mundo reports. Central America has been inundated with illegal African immigrants making their way to the United States in 2016. In the first seven months of 2016, Mexico detained more African migrants than they had in the previous four years combined.
Haitian and African migrants seeking for asylum in the United States, line up outside a Mexican Migration office, on October 3, 2016, in Tijuana, northwestern Mexico. / AFP / GUILLERMO ARIAS (Photo credit should read GUILLERMO ARIAS/AFP/Getty Images)
Costa Rica’s Foreign Minister has said these African migrants are enticed by America’s open-border polices.