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Guatemala

Polyethylene bags are used to protect bananas from pests and blight on a plantation in Costa Rica.

The shadow of the United Fruit Company still reaches across the globe today

Business, Economics and Jobs

About a hundred years ago, the Boston-based banana company, United Fruit, reigned supreme in Central America. It didn’t just own banana plantations, but also railroads and telephone lines. The company even dictated national policies and overthrew governments. For his podcast “Under the Shadow,” about US involvement in Central America, Michael Fox traveled to Guatemala, where he looked at the legacy of United Fruit and its impact on the global fruit industry today.

Bernardo Arévalo ran on an anti-corruption campaign to become president.

‘We want to eradicate corruption’: Guatemala’s new president makes promises that stir hope — and impatience

Politics
Guatemala's president-elect, Bernardo Arévalo leaves at the end of a press conference in the Plaza of Human Rights in Guatemala City, Thursday, Nov. 16, 2023.

Guatemala’s newly elected president faces legal challenges

Politics
At a playground in San Francisco, Deisy Ramírez reflects on how she found safety here after fleeing captivity in Guatemala

For immigrants fleeing gender-based violence, it’s a long road to asylum in the US

Women & Gender
A box containing stacks of cash with a 50 note stack from New Zealand on top

Hundreds arrested in massive global crime sting

Top of The World
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Harris at the podium in Guatemala on a diplomatic visit

Addressing migration requires long-term commitment, says analyst on Harris visit to Guatemala

Biden administration

About $13 billion are squandered as a result of corruption in Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras, says Adriana Beltran, an analyst with The Washington Office on Latin America.

Deportees cross the tarmac after arriving on an immigration flight from the US at La Aurora international airport in Guatemala City, Guatemala, on Sept. 2, 2016.

Guatemalans deported from US shunned at home over coronavirus fears

Immigration

At least 115 people returned to Guatemala by the US have tested positive for the coronavirus upon arrival. Deportees are being shunned, threatened or chased away by neighbors who fear they are bringing back the virus with them.

A female protester raises her fist as she takes part in a march to protest against the decision of Guatemala President Jimmy Morales to end the mandate of the UN-backed anti-graft commission, the CICIG, in Guatemala City, Guatemala, January 12, 2019.

Guatemala shut down its anti-corruption commission. Now its people worry about impunity.

Justice

President Jimmy Morales, who is under investigation, shut down Guatemala’s popular anti-corruption commission. Now the country is embroiled in a battle over its legacy.

A man stands next to a white board.

Growth of Oakland’s Guatemalan community sparks interest in Mam

Global Nation Education

In Oakland, Calif., there’s a growing number of Guatemalan migrants and asylum seekers. Some speak an Indigenous language — Mam. One class offered at a community college helps English and Spanish speakers learn the language.

a man holds up his right hand in front of a wall of fingerpaint-hands

Guatemala’s shortcomings raise doubts about US migration deal

Migration

Under Friday’s accord, Guatemala becomes a so-called “safe third country,” turning it into a buffer zone for migrants trying to reach the United States, and potentially lifting applications for asylum in Guatemala from a few hundred a year to tens of thousands. Guatemala, however, isn’t necessarily “safe.”

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