CENTRAL AMERICA/IMMIGRATION/MIKE POMPEO/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Trump struck an agreement last week to require thousands of Central American migrants to seek asylum in Guatemala before coming to the United States. But the White House ceremony to hail what the president called a ‘landmark’ measure — one that could transform the American immigration system — almost did not happen. Just two hours earlier, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had criticized the agreement in a closed-door meeting with Mr. Trump and Kevin K. McAleenan, the acting secretary of homeland security, and several other aides, according to three senior administration officials briefed on a debate that ensued in the Oval Office. Mr. Pompeo called the agreement flawed and a mistake, and he told Mr. Trump that the Guatemalan government did not have the ability to carry out its terms, said the three officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss delicate deliberations.”
–Michael D. Shear and Zolan Kanno-Youngs, “Trump Officials Argued Over Asylum Deal With Guatemala. Now Both Countries Must Make It Work.,” The New York Times online, August 2, 2019