Relationship dossier
Guatemala
United States
Relationship assessment
Substantial trade and security cooperation, alongside recurring disputes over migration and democratic governance
Guatemala toward United States
+35Guatemala has cooperated with the United States on migration management and law enforcement, including through a 2019 asylum-cooperation agreement. Guatemala also participates in CAFTA-DR, which provides an enduring framework for trade with the United States. The extent and continuity of this cooperation vary across policy areas.
United States toward Guatemala
+40The United States has provided development and security assistance to Guatemala and supported bilateral trade through CAFTA-DR. It has also imposed visa restrictions on Guatemalan officials and other actors accused of undermining democracy, while cooperating with Guatemala on migration and law enforcement.
Overall relationship
+40The relationship rests on durable trade arrangements and recurring cooperation in migration, security and development, but is complicated by disputes over migration policy, corruption and democratic governance. US support for Guatemala's democratic institutions has coexisted with pressure on officials accused of undermining them.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Guatemala and the United States maintain a substantial relationship involving trade, migration management, security cooperation and development assistance. The CAFTA-DR trade agreement provides a durable economic framework, and the two governments have cooperated on migration and law enforcement. Relations also include tensions over corruption, democratic governance and migration policy; the United States has used visa restrictions against Guatemalan officials and others accused of undermining democratic processes.
Areas of tension
- US concerns about corruption and the rule of law in Guatemala
- US measures against actors accused of undermining Guatemala's democratic processes
- Disagreements and changing priorities over migration management
Key developments
The Dominican Republic–Central America–United States Free Trade Agreement entered into force for Guatemala, creating a durable framework for trade with the United States.
Guatemala and the United States signed an asylum-cooperation agreement concerning migrants seeking protection in the United States.
The United States announced visa restrictions targeting individuals accused of undermining democracy in Guatemala.
Major uncertainties
- The scope and implementation of current migration and security cooperation are unclear.
- The durability of recent US measures supporting democratic institutions in Guatemala is uncertain.