Guatemalan authorities raid children's charity week after asking Paxton to support investigation

GUATEMALA CITY — Guatemalan prosecutors raided the offices of the charity Save the Children on Thursday, citing a complaint alleging violations of the rights of migrant children.

Prosecutor Rafael Curruchiche told media in a video that the complaint filed by an unidentified foreigner had raised serious concerns because it involved allegations of child abuse.

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The raid came a week after Guatemalan Attorney General Ángel Pineda wrote a letter to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton asking for support in addressing allegations that Save the Children and other aid groups “ “They could be participating in child trafficking operations.”

Curruchiche said the raid was aimed at searching for documents that could support the accusations. Prosecutors did not say whether Paxton responded to the request.

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Curruchiche and Pineda have been accused of attempting to undermine the country’s democracy by participating in a failed effort to prevent anti-corruption President Bernardo Arévalo from assuming power, as well as hindering the anti-corruption fight in the Central American nation. Those efforts have led to sanctions from more than 40 countries, including the United States and the European Union.

The raid comes amid historic levels of migration to the United States, where Guatemala has been both a country from which people migrate and a transit route they use on their way north.

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Save the Children, which is dedicated to caring for children in crisis zones, has been working in Guatemala since 1976. It did not comment on Thursday’s raid, but issued a statement last week indicating it was aware of the allegations and saying that has no proof. The accusations are true.

“We take allegations of child safety and misconduct very seriously and have independent investigative mechanisms in place to fully investigate,” the charity’s statement said. “We have no evidence to validate such allegations and we continue to work hard to provide humanitarian assistance to migrant children and their families under strict safety and protection standards.”