Breaking Down the Central American Refugee Crisis and the U.S. Response Tory Johnson - American Immigration Council
go to original February 22, 2016

American is facing a silent refugee crisis. Thousands of unaccompanied children from Central America are coming to the U.S. to escape violence – but how is the U.S. government responding? (AJ+)

When tens of thousands of women and unaccompanied children from Central America journeyed to the United States seeking asylum in 2014, President Obama’s administration concentrated its efforts and poured resources into an aggressive strategy of deterrence that is still in place today. The multi-prong approach, including a media campaign launched in Central America highlighting the risks involved with migration, as well as aggressive detention and deportation practices, sought to “send a message” to Central Americans that they should stay home. Yet 18 months later, asylum-seekers primarily from Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala - the countries making up the “Northern Triangle” region of Central America - are still making the journey. Why?

As the report “Understanding the Central American Refugee Crisis: Why they are Fleeing and How U.S. Policies are Failing to Deter Them” details, the U.S.’ deterrence policy is based on a fundamentally flawed assumption - that greater migration dangers and knowledge of them would effectively deter Central Americans from coming to the United States. The report, which analyzes data from surveys of Central Americans conducted in the spring and summer of 2014, looks specifically at what motivates Central Americans to consider migration and what Central Americans knew about the risks involved in migrating to the United States in August 2014. The findings are clear: crime and violence have the most powerful impact on someone’s decision to migrate, and knowing about migration risks did not have any significant effect on whether or not someone intended to migrate.

Based on nationally representative surveys conducted by Vanderbilt University’s Latin American and Public Opinion Project (LAPOP) across the Northern Triangle countries, the report’s findings show that direct experience with crime is a powerful predictor of migration intentions.

Read the rest at American Immigration Council

Related: Understanding the Central American Refugee Crisis: Why they are Fleeing and How U.S. Policies are Failing to Deter Them (American Immigration Council)

Related: Some 400 Immigrant Women Enter Mexico Daily Across Its Southern Border (Prensa Latina)

Related: Unaccompanied Minors Join Rural Immigrant Communities, Struggle for Security (Harvest Public Media)

Related: Cuban Migrants Stranded in Panama Can Travel to Mexico (The Costa Rica Star)

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