Guatemalan president asks U.S. to temporarily protect migrants affected by volcano eruptions

Jimmy Morales.
(Image credit: Johan Ordonez/AFP/Getty Images)

Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales announced Monday that he has asked the United States for temporary protected status for migrants affected by the recent volcano eruptions that have left hundreds of Guatemalans dead, injured, or without homes.

The Fuego volcano, 25 miles southwest of Guatemala City, first erupted on June 3, and it has been spewing ash and lava on and off ever since. Marta Larra, a spokeswoman for Guatemala's Foreign Ministry, said Morales' request is "a response to the catastrophe caused by the Fuego volcano." Many migrants have traveled to the U.S. from Guatemala seeking an escape from gang violence.

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.