More Central American Migrants Staying Put in Mexico, Abandoning Efforts to Reach U.S. David Agren - Catholic News Service
go to original February 14, 2017

Almost a thousand people enter Mexico daily, heading for the US. Some never make it – they are kidnapped, imprisoned or killed along the way. (The Guardian)

Migration from Central America is nothing new as many have left in search of better economic opportunities, making Mexico - significantly wealthier than the Northern Triangle countries of El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala - an afterthought as they passed through on their way to the U.S.

Nowadays, an increasing number of migrants are thinking about Mexico as a more appealing option because of U.S. restrictions on refugee resettlement. For the migrants, it's more about finding somewhere safe.

Mexico has been more a transit country for migrants than a destination, even though the nation has a history of welcoming asylum seekers. The most recent example occurred during the 1980s as civil wars forced thousands of people to flee Central America.

The operators of Catholic-run migrant shelters, which operate throughout the country, along with the office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, say today's trend stems from the dangers of the Northern Triangle countries.

The homicide rate tops 80 per 100,000 residents in Honduras and El Salvador, some of the highest rates in the world. Powerful gangs extort payments from small-business owners or demand that children join their ranks, with teenage boys obliged to carry out killings and young girls being forced to become gangsters' girlfriends.

"There is a threat to entire families for rejecting (gang demands), so they leave. We are increasingly seeing entire families leave ... including grandparents. They leave their countries due to persecution and enter (Mexico) as refugees," said Mariana Echandi, UNHCR spokeswoman in Mexico.

The path migrants ply through Mexico presents plenty of difficulties. Criminal groups regularly attack and kidnap migrants. In addition, a crackdown on Central Americans transiting the country has resulted in thousands of detentions and deportations by Mexican officials.

Read the whole article at Catholic News Service

Related: Last Stop or Last Hope? Mexico’s Growing Migrant Crisis (World Politics Review)

Related: Migrants Stranded at Mexican Border Weigh Options: Stay There or Keep Trying for U.S. (Global Press)

Related: More Immigrant Deaths on Northern Mexican Border (Prensa Latina)

Related: Cuban Refugees Seek Asylum in Nuevo Laredo - More Than 500 Wait for Possible Humanitarian, Refugee Visas (San Antonio Express-News)

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