More Central Americans Seeking Refuge in Mexico, US, Canada, Costa Rica Inside Costa Rica
go to original October 24, 2013

For close to two decades, thousands of Central American migrants have lost their dreams, limbs and lives trying to illegally cross Mexican territory. Mexico represents a great challenge for those whose only goal is to reach the northern border hoping to incorporate themselves into the United States. Their Calvary begins in the state of Chiapas, the moment they step on Mexican soil. (Pedro Ultreras)

MEXICO CITY – Gang violence and organized crime has taken over political instability as the main cause for Central Americans’ seeking refuge in other countries.

“[Since 2009], we have noticed a growing trend in the number of people from the Northern Tier of Central America requesting refugee status in Mexico, Canada and the United States,” said Fernando Protti, regional representative of the United Nations High Commissioner’s Office for Refugees (UNHCR) for Central America, Cuba and Mexico.

The largest number of refuge applications in the region last year came from Salvadorans (1,620), Guatemalans (1,320) and Hondurans (765), according to UNHCR.

“Many [migrate] because they are persecuted by gangs and they don’t want to do business with gangs or be exploited by these groups,” Protti said. “In the case of young girls or youth, they don’t want to be the girlfriend of a gang leader.”

Of the 3,705 applications from Central America’s Northern Tier in 2012, the majority were sent to the United States (65%), followed by Canada (17%), Costa Rica (6%) and Mexico (5%).

Read the rest at Inside Costa Rica

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