Children at the U.S. - Mexico Border
Photo Caption and Credit: United States Border Patrol at Algodones Sand Dunes, California, USA (U.S. Border Patrol/Wikipedia)
This week, U.S. Border Patrol released a video of two young Ecuadorian sisters, ages 3 and 5, being dropped by traffickers over a 14-foot border wall into the New Mexican desert. The girls were quickly rescued and will be reunited with their mother in the U.S. soon. On March 24, 2021, President Biden announced that Vice President Harris will manage border immigration issues. Recognizing that migration is symptomatic of a much larger geopolitical issue, Biden observed that “the best way to keep people from coming is to keep them from wanting to leave." What is happening in the Northern Triangle of Central America, and how can we help?
"Killing is ordinary."
According to Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), the brutal violence in the Northern Triangle (El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala) is comparable to that of a war zone. The United Nations Refugee Agency notes that the current homicide rates are "among the highest ever recorded in the region." Unsurprisingly, MSF's 2020 special migration report revealed that 75% of people traveling with children left their home because of violence. Who is instigating the violent atmosphere? Maras, which started as small street gangs in the 1980s, are powerful narcotics and human trafficking enterprises that operate across the region, often with impunity. A man in Honduras told MSF that “...killing is ordinary—it is as easy as killing an insect with your shoe."
Good, Bad, and Ugly
The U.S. has a long and complicated history in the Northern Triangle. In 2014, then-Vice President Biden was in charge of the $750 million Alliance for Prosperity strategy, which helped curb the flow of unaccompanied minors in the short term. But not all U.S. engagement has been positive. Dr. Christy Thornton, a sociologist at Johns Hopkins University, told The Guardian, “The destabilization in the 1980s – which was very much part of the U.S. cold war effort – was incredibly important in creating the kind of political and economic conditions that exist in those countries today." The legacy of this relationship can be seen in this week's tense Twitter exchanges between President Nayib Bukele of El Salvador and U.S. Congresswoman Norma Torres (D-CA-35).
Options are limited.
As questions emerge about the growing number of unaccompanied minors at the U.S.-Mexico border, one poem about asylum seekers resonates, illuminating the desperation of refugees. In "Home," Warsan Shire writes that "You have to understand that no one puts their children in a boat unless the water is safer than the land." For those seeking safety, especially women and children, trying to flee from Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala, her words ring true.
Support MSF in assisting migrants. Their teams have been offering medical and mental health care for migrants and refugees along migration routes in Central America since 2013. They also provide treatment for victims of sexual violence. To help fulfill their mission they suggest: 1) donating to support their work, 2) raising your voice to share their stories, and 3) staying informed.
Today is International Children's Book Day and the launch of our new Girl Friday initiative for children, Little Friday Reads! We will promote books that build courage and compassion in children from nursery through grade 8. If you want to talk to middle grade children about immigration issues, we recommend Return to Sender by award-winning author Julia Alvarez.