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The article discusses the role of the U.S. Border Patrol in training Guatemalan death squad members during Guatemala's civil war. Topics include genocide against Mayan people in Guatemala, the migration of Q'eqchi Mayan people to the U.S. in relation to social and economic conditions, and the migration of Guatemalans from the Huehuetenango region to Mexico.

The article comments on Guatemala's justice system in light of the Constitutional Court's nullification of ex-dictator Efraín Ríos Montt's May 10, 2013 genocide conviction. An overview of his regime from 1982 to 1983, the systematic destruction of Mayan communities in the Ixil region, and his defense strategy against criminal liability is presented. The U.S. government's position that Ríos Montt was a reformer is noted.

The author argues that for the victims of genocide in Guatemala during General Efraín Ríos Montt's rule, his trial is necessary. An overview of Montt's policy of eliminating villages of indigenous Mayans, his regime's U.S.-backing and the rape of 100,000 Mayan women is presented. An outline of Montt's trial defense is also provided.