What would it take to force someone to leave the home, land, language, family they love? Bringing small children on such a dangerous trip? (Check out Enrique's Journey by Sonia Nazario)
Here are some facts:
El Salvador
Hundreds of gangs (Barrio 18, MS-13)
Armed robberies of nightclubs, bars, restaurants, homes
Extortion and rape
Virtually all parts of the country
Frequent public protests and strikes
Lower on drug smuggling
Honduras
Under US travel advisory since 2012
One of highest murder rates in WORLD—US citizens murdered as well as Hondurans
Highway assaults, carjackings, extortion, kidnapping—public transportation target of gangs
7000-10,000 gang members (18th St and MS-13)
Drug trafficking
Lots of civil unrest, land disputes in countryside
Guatemala
Crime throughout the country, poor police control, lack of public order
Motorcycle crimes—driver and passenger, passenger steals, shoots, stabs, etc
1 of the top 10 most dangerous countries in the world
Endemic poverty, lots of guns, legacy of social violence
Gangs extort and kidnap, both businesses and individuals
Drug trafficking
Missing persons cases increasing, including US citizens
Vigilanteism
Move from rural to urban areas has made both more dangerous
Data taken from
www.osac.gov. Overseas Security Advisory Council, Dept of State, USA
So if your life is at stake, do you stay? Or do you desperately try for the tiniest of chances that you can find a better life elsewhere? Immigrants--generally choose to come. Refugees are fleeing....from, not to is their focus.
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