Arevalo held talks with Vice President Kamala Harris to discuss the "root" causes of immigration -- a thorny election-year issue for the Democratic White House -- and then later met with President Joe Biden.

U.S. and Mexico have held meetings at the highest level to address what many define as a "migration crisis" at the border

Guatemala is one of the rare countries that continues to maintain a formal connection with Taiwan as last year, Honduras broke its connection with Taiwan and shifted towards China. In return, Honduras received around $2.5 billion in aid from Beijing.

U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a statement Wednesday that the department has "credible information indicating that Giammattei accepted bribes in exchange for the performance of his public functions during his tenure as president of Guatemala, actions that undermined the rule of law and government transparency."

The country was on the verge of a full-on crisis as Congress refused to swear in lawmakers of Arévalo's party for the new period

Arevalo's inauguration ceremony had been due to begin at 3pm local time (2100 GMT), after months of judicial machinations to block him from office after his vow to clamp down on deep-rooted corruption in the Central American nation.

Guatemala's highest court issued an order Thursday shielding vice president-elect Karin Herrera from arrest amid rumors she could be detained in a move that would derail her inauguration and that of president-elect Bernardo Arevalo this weekend.

Young people from Arevalo's party were also given important positions, based on the announcement made ahead of the leader's swearing-in ceremony on Sunday.

César Calderón, Molina's lawyer, said the former president - who was convicted of fraud and conspiracy - was released Wednesday night after he posted a bond of $1.3 million. However, he won't be able to leave Guatemala.

The decision took into consideration that Laparra had already served almost half of her jail term as she was imprisoned for 10 months before her sentencing on Dec. 16 last year.

The United States on Thursday added a Guatemalan prosecutor and judge targeting president-elect Bernardo Arevalo to a corruption blacklist, making them ineligible for US visas.

Despite a fierce campaign from Guatemala's ruling class to block Bernardo Arevalo from taking office, the president-elect told AFP he is confident he will be sworn in next month, vowing to rule "without fear."

Bernardo Arevalo is currently struggling to deal with legal challenges before taking over the office on Jan. 14.

Guatemala is going through a democratic crisis, with the current administration trying to block President-elect Bernardo Arévalo from taking over the office next month.

The Public Prosecutor's Office ratcheted up a battle with incoming president-elect Bernardo Arevalo on Thursday, calling on the Supreme Court to strip him of immunity for damages resulting from a 2022 protest at a university.

The news of the suspension came as the country was waiting for 64-year-old Bernardo Arévalo to take over the office in January.

Brian A Nichols will be meeting president-elect Bernardo Arévalo and Foreign Affairs Minister Mario Búcaro to talk about the controversial presidential transition process.

Mexico's foreign affairs secretary said in the last month alone, 60,000 Venezuelan, 35,000 Guatemalan, and 27,000 Honduran migrants reached the country.

Byron René Bor Illescas, a retired brigadier general, will take over Barrientos' position, the government announced Tuesday.

Victor Gomez, a spokesman for the volunteer firemen in Malacatan, said it was unclear whether the victims were protestors or just regular people near the protest

A spokesperson for the prosecutors' office said that the "attorney general will not resign her post."

A brood of chickens cluck in the barn as Rebeca Perez collects eggs to sell in her village in western Guatemala -- an endeavor she hopes will keep her from emigrating to the United States as her brothers did, driven by poverty.

OAS chief Luis Almagro said Guatemalan Attorney General's Office's ongoing investigation on Arevalo and the electoral authority was an attack on the South American country's democracy.

In the video that surfaced on social media, Attorney General María Consuelo Porras said, "I want to express my complete disagreement and distaste," adding that the protesters "clearly violate the rights of all Guatemalans."

Groups including those of rural farmers, teachers and students have gone out on the streets to demand the resignation of Attorney General María Consuelo Porras and one of her top prosecutors, Rafael Curruchiche.

Visiting Washington on Tuesday, President-elect Bernardo Arevalo of Guatemala said he is confronting a concerted effort to keep him from taking power after his upset election win.

Indigenous Protesters blocked roads, borders and ports on Oct. 2, 2023, demanding the resignation of multiple Guatemalan government officials.

Alongside the government workers, 800 combined force of soldiers including National Guard officers and police officers has also been sent to the location.

According to the Guatemalan Chamber of Construction and the ANACOVI builders' association, Guatemala's poverty rate is 59 percent and the country has a housing deficit of about 2 million units.

After a campaign marked by concerns of meddling, Arévalo won the August 20 vote, but a branch of the electoral tribunal suspended his Semilla Movement.