by Daniel Nardini
They are no longer in the headlines, and the number of Central American children and their families who fled to the United States is considerably down from last year. But most of them who came to this country are still here. Most likely the majority will be sent back to their countries’ of origin. There is just too much opposition against them in this country for the majority to be accepted. To me it is truly sad because they have made the arduous and dangerous trek up here to escape the violence and bloodshed taking place in a number of Central American countries.
The problems of crime, gangs and bloody turf wars taking place in countries like El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras have far from eased. The U.S. government is still trying to train these countries’ police forces and equip them against the powerful gangs. It is a task easier said than done—these gangs are more like para-military units with training in how to fight and kill. More than that, they have pitted families against families, and in too many cases they are aligned with the local police who are supposed to be fighting them.
One other major problem with the Central American gangs is that some of them had combat training during the civil wars and social unrest in El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras in the 1980’s. While those wars are over, some of the problems from that time still persist. The biggest problem being dire poverty. Even with the economies of these three countries having picked up greatly, poverty remains the biggest problem. This is one of the reasons for the gang violence, and one of the reasons why it is hard to stop these gangs. These gangs can give money, clout and “security” from all the problems associated with dire poverty. However, the price is too high—more gang violence fighting over turf, forcible recruitment of boys, and girls being kidnapped and raped. This cycle of violence still forces many Central Americans to flee their countries, and no amount of forcible repatriation will change this cycle in the long term.
The Central American Children Refugees Still a Problem
by Daniel Nardini
They are no longer in the headlines, and the number of Central American children and their families who fled to the United States is considerably down from last year. But most of them who came to this country are still here. Most likely the majority will be sent back to their countries’ of origin. There is just too much opposition against them in this country for the majority to be accepted. To me it is truly sad because they have made the arduous and dangerous trek up here to escape the violence and bloodshed taking place in a number of Central American countries.
The problems of crime, gangs and bloody turf wars taking place in countries like El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras have far from eased. The U.S. government is still trying to train these countries’ police forces and equip them against the powerful gangs. It is a task easier said than done—these gangs are more like para-military units with training in how to fight and kill. More than that, they have pitted families against families, and in too many cases they are aligned with the local police who are supposed to be fighting them.
One other major problem with the Central American gangs is that some of them had combat training during the civil wars and social unrest in El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras in the 1980’s. While those wars are over, some of the problems from that time still persist. The biggest problem being dire poverty. Even with the economies of these three countries having picked up greatly, poverty remains the biggest problem. This is one of the reasons for the gang violence, and one of the reasons why it is hard to stop these gangs. These gangs can give money, clout and “security” from all the problems associated with dire poverty. However, the price is too high—more gang violence fighting over turf, forcible recruitment of boys, and girls being kidnapped and raped. This cycle of violence still forces many Central Americans to flee their countries, and no amount of forcible repatriation will change this cycle in the long term.