Trading One Hardship for Another
Thousands of Central American migrants are traveling more than 2,500 miles to get to the United States, because for many, running away from their country is their only chance at survival. More than 7,000 Central American migrants stay in temporary shelters in border cities like Tijuana and Mexicali, where the shelters are overflowing. Hondurans, Guatemalans and Salvadorians are continuing to flee persecution, violence and poverty, even though they know arrival at the border doesn’t guarantee safety or freedom.
“There’re so many different factors going on [in Central America],” journalist Todd Miller said. “There’re so many people talking about not being able to make ends meet, and economic deprivation.”
But Central American migration to the north has always existed.
“This is not something new,” immigration attorney Raul Godinez said. “I think, with this administration’s focus on border control, there is more attention and publicity to the issue.”
In the past year, the so-called migrant caravan has made national news, and President Trump has been very vocal, in speeches and on social media, about the situation. Before the midterm elections, Trump ordered troops to Texas to stop what he called “an assault” by a caravan from Central America. In June 2018, Trump ordered border authorities to separate children from their parents at the border, a policy he eventually was forced to withdraw. Still, the family separations reportedly continue.
The White House says more than 2,600 children were detained, but reports from various agencies say more than 5,000 children were separated from their families, and some remain in government custody.
Corruption is one of the many reasons why the migrants say they feel unsafe in their home countries. Mexican Interior Minister Olga Sanchez said she understands, and wants to bring order to the borders, and provide the migrants with humanitarian aid, and the respect and dignity they deserve.
Immigration activists said they hear stories about the dangers of migrating to the U.S. all the time. “And what makes it worse, is the stories you don’t hear, because the person is too overwhelmed to tell you,” Godinez said.
“It can weeks or months of pushing to get the full details of it,” attorney Nathan Osorio said. “A lot of times they are going to give you a little bit [of their stories], and once they feel a little comfortable, they can process it more.”
But for many migrants, their hopes for life in the U.S. will not be met.
“We say that they encountered a narrative of hate, of racism, and discrimination,” CSUN Central American Studies Department Chair Professor Douglas Carranza said. “[This is] a narrative that must be changed… this country here was founded on a different principal: a list, that is evolving towards a more just society that would include everyone. But now we have a narrative of hate that has been elevated… and that [narrative] has ramifications in every aspect of our society.”
Moderator: Karissa Preciado
Producer: Coraima Hurtado
Anchor: Enrie Amezcua
Social Media Editor: Darya Hariri
Reporters: Gloria Alas, Enrie Amezcua, Chris Farias, Jamontae Hickman, Coraima Hurtado, Karissa Preciado
Video: Abril Preciado and Jose Duran