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
Maive deportation from Mexico and the U.. have failed to tem the tide of Central Americaneeing endemic povert comined with epidemic violence. tepped up enforcement ha divertedundocumented migration into more cotl, circuitou and dangerou channel. Criminal gang andthe corrupt ofcial who enale them are the eneciarie of a polic that force deperate people topa increaing um to avoid detention, extortion or kidnapping. eefed-up order controlinadvertentl fuel human muggling and fortie criminal gang that increaingl control thatindutr. Government mut guarantee thoe eeing violence the opportunit to eek alum throughfair, efcient procedure, while launching a major regional effort to provide ecurit and economicopportunit in home countrie. Central American leader, epeciall in the northern triangle of l
xecutive ummar
RPORT
57
/ LATIN AMRICA & CARIAN 28 JULY 2016
a Pre: Criminal Violence and Central AmericanMigration
Maive 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 crii - 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, mut in turn addre chronic inecurit more effectivel whilemonitoring and aiting thoe deported, epeciall children and adolecent, o the have an optionother than eeing again.The humanitarian crii of 2014, when the U.. truggled to cope with a urge of undocumentedmigrant, epeciall unaccompanied children, wa never reolved. It wa jut puhed outhward. Incal ear 2015, Mexico returned 166,000 Central American, including ome 30,000 children andadolecent, 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 detination, not jutthe countr the cro in tranit to the U.. Alum petition have more than douled, training capacit to proce them fairl and efcientl. Though the acceptance rate ha increaed in 2016, itremain inadequate to protect the men, women and children whoe live and livelihood arethreatened the criminal who dominate man impoverihed communitie.Migrant from oth Mexico and the northern triangle of Central America (NTCA) region have long ed povert to eek a etter life aroad, 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 crii a if it were till olel an economicmigration prolem. Man victimied toda economic deprivation and ocial excluion alo faceperecution organied criminal group, from neighourhood gang to trannational drug trafcker. Forced diplacement i increaingl widepread, a violence reache civil-war level.Aout 150,000 people have een killed in the NTCA ince 2006, an average of more than 50 homicideper 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 mot violent countr in the wetern hemiphere 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 mot vulnerale to violence, a oth perpetrator and victim. Theproportion of homicide victim under age twent in l alvador and Guatemala i higher thananwhere ele in the world. No wonder that 35,000 children and adolecent migrant were detained inMexico in 2015, nine time more than in 2011.Thoe ecaping violence at home are targeted again a the ee. Ideal victim, man have relative who can e tung for ranom pament; lacking legal tatu, the are le likel than local to reporteriou crime like aault, extortion or kidnapping. The are alo vulnerale to trafcking: the exindutr along the Mexican/Guatemalan order i largel driven uppl of migrant, epeciall
“ eefed-up order control inadvertentl fuel human muggling and fortie criminal gangthat increaingl control that indutr. ”
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
adolecent, ome of whom are held in virtual det ondage to trafcker. A recent tud, etimating that for ever reported cae there were 30 hidden victim, put exuall-exploited victim inGuatemala alone at nearl 50,000.Guatemala ha acted againt human trafcking, including creating a pecial proecutorial unit that,however, lack taff and reource to e effective eond the capital. Mexico ha pecialied unit toinvetigate crime againt migrant, including a new one in the federal proecutor’ ofce, ut lack of information and reource again hamper effort. Proecutor hould work with migrant helter andother NGO to encourage violent crime and ofcial aue victim to come forward, with guarantee of humanitarian protection and nancial aid.The region alread ha relativel rout legal framework to protect refugee: the countrie of Centraland North America either igned the 1951 convention on refugee or it 1967 protocol and havealum 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 denition tothoe eeing “generalied violence”. To offer effective protection, however, capacit mut eexpanded to proce alum requet quickl and fairl. The countrie hould alo refrain whenpoile from holding alum-eeker in detention, which can deter thoe mot in need – familieand unaccompanied children – from eeking help.Mexico cannot houlder the refugee prolem alone; genuine regional haring of reponiilit ieential. Guatemala mut alo provide etter afet and helter to thoe in tranit and comat
The Dialogue @The_Dialogue
Pat 3 r: ome 50k murdered in Northern Triangle. More homicide than #U, which ha more than10 time pop. -@MarkLchneider #ICGReport
20 Jul 16
1 AUGUT 2016
“Undocumented migrant make perfect victim. Fearful of authoritie, the are highl unlikel to report even violent crime, uch a roer or rape. ”
Lo Angele Time enior Analt, Mexico
Mar peck
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