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8/21/2016 Easy Prey: Criminal Violence and Central American Migration | International Crisis Grouphttps://www.crisisgroup.org/latin-america-caribbean/central-america/easy-prey-criminal-violence-and-central-american-migration 1/39
Maive deportation from Mexico and the U.. have failed to tem the tide of Central Americaneeing endemic povert comined with epidemic violence. tepped up enforcement ha divertedundocumented migration into more cotl, circuitou and dangerou channel. Criminal gang andthe corrupt ofcial who enale them are the eneciarie of a polic that force deperate people topa increaing um to avoid detention, extortion or kidnapping. eefed-up order controlinadvertentl fuel human muggling and fortie criminal gang that increaingl control thatindutr. Government mut guarantee thoe eeing violence the opportunit to eek alum throughfair, efcient procedure, while launching a major regional effort to provide ecurit and economicopportunit in home countrie. Central American leader, epeciall in the northern triangle of l
xecutive ummar
RPORT
 
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 / LATIN AMRICA & CARIAN 28 JULY 2016
a Pre: Criminal Violence and Central AmericanMigration
 Maive deportation from Mexico and the U.. have not topped Central American eeing endemic povert and epidemicviolence. recting more arrier and forcing migrant and refugee underground deepen the humanitarian crii - and trengthen the illegal network turning much of Central America into a criminal attleground.
 
8/21/2016 Easy Prey: Criminal Violence and Central American Migration | International Crisis Grouphttps://www.crisisgroup.org/latin-america-caribbean/central-america/easy-prey-criminal-violence-and-central-american-migration 2/39
alvador, Guatemala and Hondura, mut in turn addre chronic inecurit more effectivel whilemonitoring and aiting thoe deported, epeciall children and adolecent, o the have an optionother than eeing again.The humanitarian crii of 2014, when the U.. truggled to cope with a urge of undocumentedmigrant, epeciall unaccompanied children, wa never reolved. It wa jut puhed outhward. Incal ear 2015, Mexico returned 166,000 Central American, including ome 30,000 children andadolecent, while the U.. deported over 75,000. ut the Mexican government’ capacit to controlthe ow of migrant and refugee i reaching it limit. Man ee Mexico a their detination, not jutthe countr the cro in tranit to the U.. Alum petition have more than douled, training capacit to proce them fairl and efcientl. Though the acceptance rate ha increaed in 2016, itremain inadequate to protect the men, women and children whoe live and livelihood arethreatened  the criminal who dominate man impoverihed communitie.Migrant from oth Mexico and the northern triangle of Central America (NTCA) region have long ed povert to eek a etter life aroad, ending home remittance that are a major ource of foreignexchange and a crucial prop for their home countrie’ economie. However, Mexico and the U.. treat what i now in large part a violence-driven refugee crii a if it were till olel an economicmigration prolem. Man victimied toda  economic deprivation and ocial excluion alo faceperecution  organied criminal group, from neighourhood gang to trannational drug trafcker. Forced diplacement i increaingl widepread, a violence reache civil-war level.Aout 150,000 people have een killed in the NTCA ince 2006, an average of more than 50 homicideper 100,000, more than triple the rate in Mexico (where killing have oared ince 2007) and morethan ten time the U.. average.l alvador ecame the mot violent countr in the wetern hemiphere in 2015 with a taggering murder rate of 103 per 100,000 people, while Hondura uffered 57 per 100,000 and Guatemala 30 per100,000. Young people are the mot vulnerale to violence, a oth perpetrator and victim. Theproportion of homicide victim under age twent in l alvador and Guatemala i higher thananwhere ele in the world. No wonder that 35,000 children and adolecent migrant were detained inMexico in 2015, nine time more than in 2011.Thoe ecaping violence at home are targeted again a the ee. Ideal victim, man have relative who can e tung for ranom pament; lacking legal tatu, the are le likel than local to reporteriou crime like aault, extortion or kidnapping. The are alo vulnerale to trafcking: the exindutr along the Mexican/Guatemalan order i largel driven  uppl of migrant, epeciall 
“ eefed-up order control inadvertentl fuel human muggling and fortie criminal gangthat increaingl control that indutr. ” 
 
8/21/2016 Easy Prey: Criminal Violence and Central American Migration | International Crisis Grouphttps://www.crisisgroup.org/latin-america-caribbean/central-america/easy-prey-criminal-violence-and-central-american-migration 3/39
adolecent, ome of whom are held in virtual det ondage to trafcker. A recent tud, etimating that for ever reported cae there were 30 hidden victim, put exuall-exploited victim inGuatemala alone at nearl 50,000.Guatemala ha acted againt human trafcking, including creating a pecial proecutorial unit that,however, lack taff and reource to e effective eond the capital. Mexico ha pecialied unit toinvetigate crime againt migrant, including a new one in the federal proecutor’ ofce, ut lack of information and reource again hamper effort. Proecutor hould work with migrant helter andother NGO to encourage violent crime and ofcial aue victim to come forward, with guarantee of humanitarian protection and nancial aid.The region alread ha relativel rout legal framework to protect refugee: the countrie of Centraland North America either igned the 1951 convention on refugee or it 1967 protocol and havealum tem in place. Mexico ha een at the forefront of international effort to protect refugee:it diplomat promoted the 1984 Cartagena Declaration on Refugee, which expand the denition tothoe eeing “generalied violence”. To offer effective protection, however, capacit mut eexpanded to proce alum requet quickl and fairl. The countrie hould alo refrain whenpoile from holding alum-eeker in detention, which can deter thoe mot in need – familieand unaccompanied children – from eeking help.Mexico cannot houlder the refugee prolem alone; genuine regional haring of reponiilit ieential. Guatemala mut alo provide etter afet and helter to thoe in tranit and comat
The Dialogue @The_Dialogue
Pat 3 r: ome 50k murdered in Northern Triangle. More homicide than #U, which ha more than10 time pop. -@MarkLchneider #ICGReport
20 Jul 16
1 AUGUT 2016
“Undocumented migrant make perfect victim. Fearful of authoritie, the are highl unlikel to report even violent crime, uch a roer or rape. ”
Lo Angele Time enior Analt, Mexico
Mar peck

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