GUATEMALA CITY – More than 5,200 Guatemalan immigrants were deported by United States immigration authorities in the first two months of 2012, official sources said Saturday.

A report by Guatemala’s DGM migration authority said that in January and February a total of 5,212 undocumented immigrants were deported from different cities around the U.S.

The figure, according to DGM statistics, is a substantial increase over the 4,031 immigrants deported from that country during the same period last year.

According to the records, 2,090 immigrants were expelled this January, a number that rose to 3,122 in February.

Among those deported during the two-month period were 335 women and about 50 minors.

Since U.S. authorities imposed harsher immigration policies five years ago, the number of undocumented Guatemalan immigrants deported from the United States has risen substantially.

According to official figures, in 2010 there were a total of 29,095 deportees, while last year the number climbed to 30,855.

Despite the deportations, it is estimated that every day an average of 25 Guatemalans set out on their journey to find the “American dream,” but only about five succeed in entering the U.S.

More than 1.3 million Guatemalan immigrants live in the United States, most of whom lack valid immigration documents.