Guatemala grants temporary status to 161 Mexicans fleeing organized crime

Guatemala on Wednesday granted temporary humanitarian status to 161 Mexicans who fled their country last week seeking refuge from organized crime, even as Mexican officials denied that anyone had been displaced. The Guatemalan Immigration Institute said that 39 families, including 69 children, from the Mexican municipality of Frontera Comalapa would be allowed temporarily to remain legally in the country. The families were staying in rented homes, with relatives or in temporary shelters in the Guatemalan border town of La Mesilla.