EXCLUSIVE: Retired New York Giants safety Jack Brewer and his global ministry are on the ground in Guatemala City this week, helping officials receive migrant families deported from the U.S., providing food, support and prayer as they essentially start life anew.

Brewer and his Jack Brewer Foundation have years of experience working in impoverished areas of the world like Haiti, Malawi and Central America, which Brewer said has allowed him to work closer than most and interact with the returning families.

While it is President Donald Trump and border czar Tom Homan enforcing U.S. law and deporting illegal immigrants, Brewer said it is clear former President Joe Biden’s "broken" policies are truly to blame for the heartache and hardship. 

"Three years ago, I started to follow the fatherlessness crisis that is happening right here in Guatemala, where a lot of men were leaving their households and coming to Joe Biden’s open borders – and just seeing it literally devastate families."

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Brewer said Guatemala was losing much of its workforce and that a lot of those poor families trying to get to the U.S. actually did not know a "legal" immigration route existed, and they instead took the cartels and others at their word and paid thousands of dollars to be trafficked north.

"They’ve been told by coyotes and different people that you can just come [to the U.S.], and if you come here, if you bring your child, they'll just let you in," Brewer said.

"And so, you know, there's a huge education gap there on the ground."

Brewer also met with Raul Berrios from CONAMIGUA – the National Council for Attention to Migrants of Guatemala – as well as Sergio Samuel Vela-Lopez, head of the Guatemala Penitentiary Department.

Berrios, Lopez and others are trying to create an effective system for welcoming the migrants and processing those who are innocent families versus those who may have criminal records or other issues requiring government attention, according to Brewer.

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Many families returning to the capital city live hundreds of miles into the countryside and have no established way of getting there. Some buses, however, have been hired to take migrants closer to home, and Brewer visited one of them and spoke to its driver.

"It’s really a unique perspective, I think, and just some of the things that we've witnessed since we've been here," he said, adding stories ranged from familial hardships to reports that more than a dozen people have been burnt alive by Mexican cartels for failing to pay for passage.

"It’s just pretty tough to see and witness and watch."

When a U.S. military plane arrived carrying migrants, Brewer was on the tarmac.

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"We were able to provide them with food and, most importantly, with Bibles, and we preached the Gospel of Jesus Christ."

Brewer said the Guatemalan Migration Authority is focusing its efforts on children ages 8 and under. Many of these children have been "lied to," Brewer said.

"They’re told it’s their life’s mission to migrate to the U.S. illegally," he said, recounting stories told by some returning migrants of children on the backs of cartel coyotes and others drowning in rivers.

Then-Vice President Kamala Harris made her own trip to Guatemala City in March 2024, seeking to understand the "root causes" of illegal migration.

"When you look at the root causes, we're also looking at issues of corruption. Again, we're looking at the issue of climate resiliency and then the concern about a lack of economic opportunity," Harris said in 2021.

Brewer rejected that Harris’ work made any difference, saying she and her then-boss’s policies "empowered human traffickers" and that half of Guatemala still lives in extreme poverty with little education.

He said the former leadership at the State Department "misguided resources" through USAID, a practice that Trump is now aggressively cutting back on.

"We need to first put our resources into addressing the issues that are fueling a multibillion-dollar human trafficking industry. Walls, deportations and enforcement are a must, but educating indigenous populations on the truths of coyotes will deliver a devastating blow to the modern human slave trade," Brewer said.

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"Guatemala is not enforcing their migration issue in the country. Haitians and Venezuelans are warned of the dangers of migrating, but there is no enforcement at the time."

"There needs to be arrest and enforcement, but they require resources. Guatemala prisons are already overcrowded, and they don’t have immigration beds available for enforcement," added Brewer, who said he also visited those prisons and saw conditions for himself.

President-elect Trump said on Tuesday that negotiating away the Panama Canal was a "very big mistake" by former President Jimmy Carter – ahead of Carter's state funeral later this week.

Trump said at a press conference that he believes the canal, which he would like the the U.S. to reclaim, is why Carter lost the 1980 presidential election to Ronald Reagan, who also opposed the treaty Carter negotiated to hand over the canal.

"It's a bad part of the Carter legacy," Trump said.

"He was a good man. I knew him a little bit, and he was a very fine person. But that was a big mistake."

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"Giving the Panama Canal to Panama was a very big mistake. We lost 38,000 people. It cost us the equivalent of a trillion dollars, maybe more... They say it was the most expensive structure… ever built. And giving that away was a horrible thing. And I believe that's why Jimmy Carter lost the election, even more so than the hostages," he said.

Speaking in Palm Beach, Florida, Trump lamented the fact Carter purportedly "gave" the canal lands back to the Panamanians "for $1." According to reports, no part of the treaty mentioned a $1 sale.

"I thought [giving the canal back] was a terrible thing to do," Trump said.

When reporters pressed Trump on criticizing Carter on the day of his Washington wake, the president-elect said he was a "very fine person" but that his politics left something to be desired.

Trump has also sparred verbally with Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino about his plans for the canal.

However, more than a century ago, another Republican – Theodore Roosevelt – celebrated the way the United States spearheaded the canal project in part through some diplomatic maneuvering.

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In the early 1900s, as the Colombian Senate balked at a treaty favoring U.S. control, Panama was in the process of declaring its independence from Bogota – and America quickly recognized the new nation and effectively circumvented the Colombians.

In 1903, President Roosevelt boasted of the accomplishment.

"Fortunately, the crisis came at a period when I could act unhampered [by Congress]. Accordingly, I took the Isthmus, started the canal and then left Congress not to debate the canal, but to debate me," he said. 

Trump’s plans to retake the canal have earned him praise from otherwise regular critics.

Meghan McCain, daughter of the late Sen. John McCain – with whom Trump often sparred – backed the man she otherwise tends to critique.

"Trump is right about the Panama Canal. This is very personal – my dad was born in the Panama Canal Zone."

The elder McCain was born in 1936 at the then-Coco Solo U.S. Navy installation – as a U.S. citizen since the canal zone was controlled by Americans.

The late Sen. Strom Thurmond of South Carolina also expressed reservations about canal negotiations in the 1970s.

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In a letter to then-President Ford, Thurmond warned the Panamanians were cozying up to the Communist Cuban government, and that "any action on the part of the United States that indicates the slightest position of weakness or a willingness to accommodate anti-American sentiment in Panama, would result in many other Latin American countries moving in the same leftward direction."

Thurmond led 35 senators in crafting a resolution opposing what he called the surrender of U.S. sovereignty in the PCZ.

"Any loss of control of the Canal would be extremely detrimental to our vital interests, especially in Latin America. We should make it clear that U.S. vital interests there are not negotiable."

Carter's negotiations led to Panama taking full control of the canal by 1999. His other major diplomatic negotation – peace accords between Egypt and Israel – also remain intact today.

President-elect Trump announced the Gulf of Mexico is getting a new name. 

"We're going to be changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America, which has a beautiful ring. That covers a lot of territory," Trump said on Tuesday. "The Gulf of America. What a beautiful name. And it's appropriate."

Trump made the announcement in his first press conference since Congress certified his election win over Vice President Kamala Harris on Tuesday from Mar-a-Lago. He opened the press event by announcing DAMAC Properties will invest $20 billion in new data centers across the country in addition to previewing a bevy of policy issues ahead of his inauguration this month. 

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The Gulf of Mexico is a partly enclosed sea that borders states such as Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida, as well as Mexico.

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Trump did not detail how his administration would go about renaming the body of water, but went on to slam Mexico for the immigration woes in the U.S. under the Biden White House. 

"Mexico has to stop allowing millions of people to pour into our country. They can stop them. And we’re going to put very serious tariffs on Mexico and Canada, because Canada, they come through Canada too, and the drugs that are coming through are at record numbers, record numbers. So we’re going to make up for that by putting tariffs on Mexico and Canada, substantial tariffs," he said. 

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 Trump's pledge is his latest remark regarding land territories, including potentially expanding the U.S. 

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Trump has referred to Canada as the nation's "51st state," while his son and other Trump allies traveled to Greenland this week following Trump repeatedly calling for the U.S. to acquire the autonomous territory under the Kingdom of Denmark. 

"As someone who has traveled to some fascinating places across the globe as an outdoorsman, I’m excited to stop into Greenland for a little bit of fun this week," Donald Trump Jr. told Fox News Digital of his trip to Greenland. 

A source familiar told Fox News Digital that Trump Jr. is "popping in for a quick day-long trip to shoot some fun video content for podcasting." Trump Jr. is not meeting with government officials while in Greenland, Fox Digital previously reported. 

Fox News Digital's Anders Hagstrom and Brooke Signman contributed to this report.

Guatemala may accept more foreign nationals deported from the United States by the incoming Trump administration in an effort to strengthen ties to the U.S., according to a report.

Officials who spoke to Reuters said Guatemala is willing to receive deported citizens of other Central American countries – such as Nicaragua, Venezuela and Haiti – which have strained relationships with the U.S. and have not accepted deportees in the past. 

"There has to be a regional response," one Guatemalan official told Reuters. "And we want to be part of the solution."

The expectation is that Trump will keep his campaign promise to begin the largest mass deportation of illegal immigrants in American history, and Guatemala wants to be in the president's favor throughout that process. The officials are bracing for deportations to increase in the fall, reasoning that it will take time for the Trump administration ramp up its operations, according to Reuters. 

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"We aren't ready for it, but we know it's coming," a second Guatemalan government official told the outlet.

Guatemala currently receives 14 deportation flights per week under President Biden's administration. 

The Trump transition team did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.

Trump's team has reportedly reached out to other Central and South American countries to gauge their appetite for accepting deportations from the U.S. Several governments, including Mexico and the Bahamas, have said they do not want to take in foreign nationals from third countries.

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In 2022, more than 40% of illegal immigrants living in the U.S. came from Mexico, amounting to 4.8 million of 11 million overall, according to a U.S. Department of Homeland Security report. That was followed by Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras, which together accounted for over one-fifth of the total.

Guatemala has reportedly been proactive in courting the incoming Trump administration, relative to neighbors El Salvador and Honduras, according to Reuters. Trump transition team members have met with Guatemalan officials, including Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., before he was nominated to serve as secretary of state, along with several employees from the conservative Heritage Foundation think tank who specialize in immigration, border security, drug trafficking and policy towards China.

Guatemala would prioritize Guatemalans for re-integration, the second official said, adding that every country should take responsibility for its citizens, but also highlighting a regional pact among Honduras, Guatemala, Nicaragua and El Salvador that allows free movement.

The hope is that deportees from the U.S. would put skills learned in the states to work in Guatemala's private sector.

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"These are people who have worked in construction, in the service industry, in various sectors, and many speak English. We want to harness that," the official said.

Officials who spoke to Reuters also noted that more deportations could put pressure on Guatemala's economy.

Remittances, or money sent home by Guatemalan workers in the U.S., account for about 20% of the country's GDP. 

In 2023, remittances made up 24% of El Salvador's gross domestic product and nearly 30% of Honduras' GDP.

Officials told Reuters they were not immediately worried about the economic impact of a decline in remittances, but shared concerns over Trump's proposed tariff hikes or increased taxes on remittances.

"We don't have a financial plan yet, there are just too many unknowns," said the second official.

President-elect Trump got the attention of Panama and the entire international community when he said this week that the United States would demand that Panamanian officials return control of the Panama Canal to the United States if Panama does not halt the "rip-off" of the United States.

Trump made the case that the United States built it, paid for it and that President Jimmy Carter "foolishly gave it away."

President José Raúl Mulino shot back that the Panama Canal belongs to Panama. Trump noted that "it was given to Panama and to the people of Panama, but it has provisions. You got to treat us fairly and they haven’t treated us fairly."

Make no mistake what Trump is doing is negotiating a new treaty for the Panama Canal and hence, a better deal for the American people. This is much akin to the playbook executed by President Teddy Roosevelt, who maneuvered a complex situation involving the French, the government of Colombia, and the Panamanian people to build the Panama Canal.

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The Panama Canal is vital to free commerce and the national security interests of the United States. Approximately 73% of all ships coming through the Panama Canal are heading to or coming from U.S. ports. 

It is also vital for international supply chains and global maritime trade itself. It played a huge role in the shipping of goods needed by allied forces during World War II, and thousands of U.S. troops were stationed there to guarantee its security.

Most concerning now is the growing influence of Communist China in Central and South America. In 2017, under the administration of former Panamanian President Juan Carlos Varela, Panama switched diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to Communist China. The then Trump administration went into action and, following a visit by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in October of 2018, the Varela government canceled five infrastructure projects with Chinese companies.

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Craig Fuller, CEO at FreightWaves, recently pointed out that there are concerns that "China might embed surveillance technology within the Canal’s infrastructure, which could be used to monitor U.S. naval and commercial movements." He further notes that this potential for espionage increases strategic risks and could provide China with key insights into U.S. logistics and military operations. 

This certainly helps explain why the commander of U.S. Southern Command, Gen. Laura Richardson, told the House Armed Services Committee earlier this year that "China is exercising our playbook of being present economically and equipping the United States’ hemispheric neighbors militarily." From a timing standpoint, the new president of Panama, who took office earlier this year, is seen as being more aligned with Trump philosophically, and thus, much better to negotiate with.

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It is important to understand the history of the Panama Canal treaty. President Carter negotiated giving full control of the canal in 1977 to Gen. Omar Torrijos, the military leader of Panama who took power in a coup d’état. He was also an ally of Manuel Noriega’s. 

The giveaway of the Panama Canal was hugely unpopular in the United States and was one of the reasons why Ronald Reagan was able to close the gap in his 1976 GOP presidential challenge to President Gerald Ford. As Reagan was preparing for his subsequent and successful run for the presidency in 1980, he addressed this issue in a speech at Western Kentucky University. 

There he blasted the Carter administration for moving forward with the transfer of the canal to "a man (Omar Torrijos) who’s there, not because he had the most votes, but because he had the most guns." Reagan went on to say internationally that the world would not see the giveaway of the canal "as a magnanimous gesture on our part…" but as "once again America backing away and retreating in the face of trouble."

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One thing that many observers are overlooking is that many legal scholars agree that a United States president has the power to rescind or terminate a treaty. For example, President George W. Bush unilaterally withdrew the U.S. from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty in 2002.

Likewise, President William MicKinley terminated certain articles in a commercial treaty with Switzerland, and President Calvin Coolidge withdrew the United States from a convention to prevent smuggling with Mexico. 

And during World War II, President Franklin Roosevelt unilaterally terminated a number of treaties. Look for Trump to use this threat to negotiate a treaty, or at least extract concessions, from the Panamanian government.

Trump has inherited the most complex foreign policy landscape a commander in chief has ever faced. Whether it is the growing threat of Communist China, the thought of Iran with nuclear weapons, turmoil in the Middle East, or the Russian-Ukraine situation, Trump is facing constant national security challenges on the world stage. 

Yes, it is an international chess game and, thus far, America’s incoming commander in chief is playing it like the late World Chess champion Bobby Fischer.

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Panama's president has responded to President-elect Trump's idea that his new administration could try to regain control of the Panama Canal.

After Trump said Sunday that the United States "foolishly gave it away" and is now "being ripped off" at the waterway, Panama's conservative President José Raúl Mulino released a video declaring that "every square meter of the canal belongs to Panama and will continue to belong" to his country.

Without mentioning Trump by name, Mulino addressed Trump's complaints over rising fees for ships crossing the canal, saying they are set by experts who take into account operational costs, and supply and demand factors.

"The tariffs are not set on a whim," Mulino said. He noted that Panama has expanded the canal over the years to increase ship traffic "on its own initiative," and added that shipping fee increases help pay for improvements.

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"Panamanians may have different views on many issues," Mulino said. "But when it comes to our canal, and our sovereignty, we will all unite under our Panamanian flag."

Trump then took to his social media site to offer in response, "We'll see about that!" He also posted a picture of a U.S. flag planted in the canal zone under the phrase, "Welcome to the United States Canal!"

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Trump had previously addressed the canal in a Saturday Truth Social post, where he complained at length about the fees levied on U.S. ships going through the Big Ditch. The Panama Canal's tolls can range from three to six figures depending on how large a vessel is and how much cargo it carries, with the largest ships being charged as much as $500,000.

The United States built the canal in the early 1900s as it looked for ways to facilitate the transit of commercial and military vessels between its coasts. Washington relinquished control of the waterway to Panama on Dec. 31, 1999, under a treaty signed in 1977 by President Jimmy Carter.

The canal depends on reservoirs to operate its locks and was heavily affected by 2023 Central American drought that forced it to substantially reduce the number of daily slots for crossing ships. With fewer ships using the canal each day, administrators also increased the fees that are charged all shippers for reserving a slot.

With the weather returning to normal in the later months of this year, transit on the canal has normalized, but price increases are still expected for next year.

Fox News' Andrea Margolis and the Associated Press contributed to this report.