1. ADVANCES AND NEW ACTIONS RELATING TO CONSULAR MATTERS November 2014

2. SEARCHING FOR MISSING GUATEMALANS
A specialized office has been established to provide appropriate assistance to relatives of missing Guatemalans that submit a request for a search. The office will start operating on December 1, Competent staff and an appropriate physical space are available at the office to provide assistance to the families of missing persons.

3. UNIT OF THE PUBLIC PROSECUTOR´S OFFICE AT THE MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS
As of April 4, 2014, a unit of the Public Prosecutor’s Office has been established in the facilities of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to provide assistance to migrants, potential victims of crimes and their families. Accompaniment is provided to persons wishing to file a report, for cases of international extortion and missing Guatemalans where no certainty exists that they have left the country.

4. EXPANDING MOBILE CONSULATES
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has expanded the services provided by Mobile Consulates to Guatemalans in the United Arab Emirates, Jordan and Canada, and a total number of 186 Guatemalan nationals have been served.
Plans are under way to establish a Mobile Consulate in Spain to enable Guatemalan nationals to continue with the procedures to regularize their migration and work status.

5. AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE REPUBLIC OF GUATEMALA AND BELIZE ON
SUMMARY DEPORTATION
Both States are negotiating several agreements, among which the Agreement on Summary Deportation should be highlighted. The objective of the agreement is to regularize and expedite deportation procedures for Guatemalan and Belizean nationals.
This will benefit Guatemalans that are intercepted in Belizean territory and can be deported immediately since, in accordance with Belizean legislation, the irregular stay of foreign nationals in Belizean territory is typified as a crime, with a sentence of 6 months imprisonment or payment of a fine.

6. ACTIONS TO BE IMPLEMENTED FOR EXECUTIVE ORDERS ISSUED BY THE GOVERNMENT OF THE UNITED STATES
Derived from the announcement made by Barack Obama, President of the United States, on Thursday, November 20, 2014 in regard to the Executive Order for irregular migrants in the US, President Otto Pérez Molina met with authorities from the Ministry of the Interior, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and National Registry of Persons – RENAP – to assess the current institutional capacities, with the aim of developing a joint plan to assist and guide Guatemalan nationals in the US through the Guatemalan Consular Network.

7. EXPANDING THE CONSULAR NETWORK OF GUATEMALA
The Ministry of Foreign affairs will open a Consulate of Guatemala in Tucson, Arizona, USA on December 6, In addition, plans are under way to open the following consular missions:
United States Mexico
San Bernardino, CA (Phase I) Monterrey, Nuevo León (Phase I)
Del Rio, TX Mérida, Yucatán
St. Paul, MN (Phase II) Villa Hermosa, Tabasco (Phase II)
Omaha, NE San Luis Potosí, San Luis Potosí
Kansas City, MO
Seattle, WA (Phase III) Canada
Oklahoma, OK Vancouver, BC (Phase I)
Raleigh, NC Toronto, ON (Phase II)
Columbus, OH (Phase IV)
Philadelphia, PA
New Orleans, LA

8. STRENGTHENING CONSULAR MISSIONS
As of November 1, 2014 assistance and protection has been strengthened at Guatemalan Consulates in Mexico (Acayucan, Veracruz) and the US (Tucson, Arizona and McAllen, Texas) through the hiring of psychologists that will provide counselling to unaccompanied migrant boys, girls and adolescents.

9. FAMILIES RETURNED FROM THE UNITED STATES BY AIR JULY 18 – NOVEMBER 20, 2014
The Government of Guatemala has charged the Secretariat of Social Works of the First Lady – SOSEP – with the inter-institutional coordination for the reception of families returning from the US by air, with the objective of providing specialized and differentiated reception services. The services include psychosocial assistance, consular assistance and referral of cases to existing social programmes. In addition, the remodelling of the reception area and the systematization of the reception processes are scheduled for the first quarter of 2015, through the establishment of an inter-institutional protocol.

10. FAMILIES RETURNED FROM THE UNITED STATES BY AIR JULY 18 – NOVEMBER 20, 2014
Department
Family Unit
Girl
Boy
Source: Directorate of Consular Affairs
July 18 – November 20, 2014

11. EXPANDING THE REGIONAL DELEGATIONS OF THE MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS
With the objective of strengthening the services provided by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the opening of three new regional delegations is scheduled, in the departments of Petén, San Marcos and Zacapa. In addition, efforts are under way to establish a reception centre in Ayutla, Tecún Umán, San Marcos for Guatemalans returned from Mexico by land.

12. THANK YOU