Anthony W. Fontes, American University School of International Service
Thousands of Central American migrants are trying to cross the U.S. southern border. One scholar followed their paths to find out why they make the dangerous, sometimes deadly, journey.
Central American migrants crossing Suchiate River on makeshift boats.
(Iván Francisco Porraz)
As migrant caravans become commonplace, life goes on along the frontera sur where tumultuous Central America and the poorest part of Mexico meet.
Migrants from Honduras, part of the Central American caravan, trying to reach the United States in Tijuana, Mexico, in December 2018.
Reuters/Mohammed Salem
Immigration experts explain who’s really trying to cross the US-Mexico border, what they want — and why immigration, even undocumented immigration, actually benefits the country.
A family from the Central American migrant caravan at the U.S.-Mexico border in Tijuana.
Reuters/Lucy Nicholson
Donald Trump portrays migrants as a foreign problem ‘dumped’ on America’s doorstep. That view ignores the global forces that bind nations together, including trade, climate change and colonization.
Migrants travel in groups through Mexico for safety reasons. But Mexico is still one of the world’s most dangerous countries.
AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd
Two trucks carrying migrants have gone missing in Veracruz, Mexico. A witness says that ‘65 children and seven women were sold’ to a band of armed men. Other caravan members have reached the border.
Members of the migrant caravan, mostly Hondurans, cross a river that separates Guatemala and Mexico.
EPA/Esteban Biba
Honduran migrants trudging north towards the US-Mexico border are fleeing violence and poverty that has its roots in activities of 10th-century American fruit companies.
A new group of Central American migrants walk past Mexican Federal Police after wading across the Suchiate River, that connects Guatemala and Mexico, in Tecun Uman, Guatemala, Oct. 29, 2018.
(AP Photo/Santiago Billy)
A migrant caravan of almost 7,000 people who left Guatemala and Honduras is heading north towards the United States. The reasons they are leaving are complex but involve a U.S.-backed violent history.
A global survey claims South Africans don’t trust their police.
EPA/Nic Bothma
The Law and Order Index says South Africans feel less secure than people in Yemen, the DRC and Libya, countries all affected by violent conflict.
Immigrant children separated from their parents who were detained at the U.S.-Mexico border arrive at a foster care facility in East Harlem on June 22.
Rainmaker Photo/MediaPunch /IPX
The Trump administration sees plenty of problems in Central America – but it seems to be doing everything it can to make them worse.
Violence erupted across Honduras as the country responded to a presidential election that’s too close to call. No matter who wins, the bloodshed is likely to continue.
AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd
Nearly two weeks after its election, Honduras still does not have a president. Clashes across the country have killed a dozen protesters, and police are now refusing to enforce a national curfew.
Arrests aside, until the politicians who collude with gangs are stopped, crime in Central America will likely continue unchecked.
Reuters/Jose Cabezas
Corruption, not gang warfare, is the root cause of the record violence in El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala. Until public officials stop shielding criminal groups like MS-13, lawlessness will reign.
A Salvadoran man believed to be a member of the MS-13 gang as he is arrested.
AP Photo/Josh Reynolds
Despite Trump’s rhetoric, Mexicans are no longer crossing the border in massive numbers. Data show a new group of migrants is arriving, and for very different reasons.
A woman cries during the funeral of a victim of a fire at a children’s shelter in Guatemala.
REUTERS/Saul Martinez
Young people from Central America continue to cross the U.S. border. Can programs funded by humanitarian assistance targeting root causes of migration help?
Hundreds of small-scale miners are scraping out tiny quantities of increasingly precious gold in El Corpus, southern Honduras.
Edgard Garrido/Reuters
Violence, poverty and oppression in Honduras are causing thousands to flee to the US. Will Trump own the role of US foreign policy in creating these problems?
Enough is enough: Guatemalans protesting outside congress.
Reuters/Jorge Lopez
Many communities struggle with crime, violence and abuse, but they are not all the same. Those that look to local expertise for solutions offer hope in a world where success in preventing violence is rare.
Friends and relatives attend the funerals of Maria Jose and Sofia Alvarado
EPA
On November 19, the bodies of sisters Maria Jose and Sofia Alvarado were found dumped in a grave outside the provincial town of Santa Barbara in western Honduras. In a country that has the highest murder…