It is estimated that nearly one million Guatemalans have emigrated to the United States over the past 30 years. This country, the most populous in Central America, is the largest provider of immigrants to the U.S. on a per capita basis. Until very recently, there were up to 1,000 departures per day—nearly 40,000 per year—most of them illegal.
Today, these undocumented migrants are being targeted by the new U.S. administration. No sooner had Donald Trump taken office than he began to fulfil his promise. Within just a few weeks, more than 10,000 Central American undocumented migrants had already been deported on specially chartered planes. Among them were convicted criminals—but also construction workers, agricultural labourers, and employees in the restaurant and hospitality industries, sectors heavily reliant on immigrant labour.
Guatemala is bracing for the return of tens of thousands of undocumented migrants. In response to this influx, the government is mobilising, supported by a network of associations rolling up their sleeves to tackle the challenge of this mass return. The name of the programme: “Return Home.”
How do you reintegrate people who have often lost all connection with their country of origin? How do you welcome them back into a nation already grappling with high poverty rates and endemic violence? And how do you compensate for the loss of remittances from the diaspora, which reached $18 billion in 2023: 14.6% of Guatemala’s GDP?
In this film, we follow the difficult return of these Guatemalans as they face the harsh reality of reintegration into their homeland. We observe the efforts made by the authorities to turn this forced return into an opportunity for the country. And we watch the implementation of innovative initiatives aimed at helping returnees resettle for good.