The difficulties they have experienced. How they cope.

“Por la misma razón de que nuestros países, la pobreza hacer estas cosas, la delincuencia hace que no quieres que a tu hijo le suceda lo que tu estas viviendo. Tu quieres ver algo mejor para tus hijos, como sobre todo la educación, y mi país tu te gradúas o te educas como dicen acá y de nada te sirve.” –G, 35, Honduran
“For the same reason poverty has caused in our countries these things to occur, delinquency makes you not want your child to suffer the same way you did. You want to see something better for your children, especially when it comes to education, in my country you graduate or get educated as they say, and it doesn’t help you in any way.”

Migrants from the Northern Triangle are escaping gang violence, for the sake of their family and their own safety.

The youth in the Northern Triangle are in very high risk of being forced into gangs.

They are threatened into joining because if not, their loved ones will be killed. Drug use and drug addiction is something that is used as bait in order to drag youth into becoming a part of gangs. In Honduras, R, 26, was forced to join MS-13 when he was a teenager. He disliked the exploitation he inflicted onto others. He was embarrassed and knew this was against the morals that were taught to him by his parents. Eventually he decided to leave Honduras for the safety of him and his family.

He mentioned his experience and what he realized about gangs.

“Allá no podes vivir ya, digamos que ahorita están reclutando a todos los jóvenes de 14 años para arriba, a las buenas o a las malas sino ellos mismos van a los colegios y les dicen “sabes que vos vas a trabajar con nosotros sino tu familia te la vamos a matar”. Te dan como una semana para que les digas si o no. Es una decisión bien dura para los jóvenes ahora en este tiempo porque deben decir si pa que no les pase nada a su familia. Incluso están ahorita en todos los colegios reclutando porque dentro de los colegios ya están vendiendo droga.” – R, 26, Honduran
“You can’t live over there [home country] anymore since they [gangs] are recruiting the youth age 14 and over by force. If the youth resist the gangs will go to their school and threaten them by saying ‘if you don’t join us we will kill your family’. They give you about a week to say yes or no. It’s a very difficult decision for the youth because they must accept in order for nothing to happen to their family. Even now they are recruiting within high schools and starting to sell drugs.”

“Decidí entrar al colegio y sacar cuatro jóvenes a la fuerza delante con un arma delante del profesor. Esos momentos para mí fueron duros porque yo estaba estudiando en el mismo colegio y la profesora solo me miro así y agacho la cabeza.”
“I decided to enter a high school and took out four teenagers by force in front of their teacher. Those moments were very difficult for me because I was attending the same school and the teacher saw me and just lowered her head.”

Resilience

G, 35, a Honduran migrant who suffered through many unjust experiences tells us her story.

“Bueno, [en] mi pais tenia un pequeño negocio de ropa usada y tu sabes que los países como de nosotros le comienzan a extorsionar con los impuestos de guerra, uno tiene que pagar una tarifa semanal y si tu no tienes esa tarifa semanal pues te dan el tiro de gracia, un disparo en la frente. Te dicen pagas porque pagas, no te puedes rehusar a eso entonces tienes que hacer lo que ellos te dicen entonces llegas como a un momento de desesperación ha que te pones a pensar y te frustras y dices no es justo estar trabajando para un delincuente cuando tu quieres hacer las cosas buenas pero eso no es lo (d)el gobierno…”
“Well, in my country I had a small business of used clothing and you know how in our home countries they begin to extort you with war taxes that one needs to pay weekly and if you don’t you receive a bullet to the head. They tell you that you pay like it or not, and you can’t refuse so you have to do as they say so you eventually reach a moment of desperation where you begin to think and say how unfair it is to work for a criminal when you want to do good things but that’s not a part of the government’s plan…”

“Tu titulo lo dejas en una pared hasta que te mueres porque nunca encontraste un trabajo de lo que tu te graduaste, de lo que tu sabes. Como que no respiramos, como que no tenemos derecho a la educación, al medicamento, y cosas así. Es como algo de impotencia que te da. Por eso yo comprendo a todas esas personas que vienen en la caravana, que duró, yo lloro en silencio cuando yo me pongo a ver todo eso.”

“You leave your career in a wall until you die because you never find a job in what you graduated in, what you are good in. It’s like we don’t breathe, like we don’t have rights to education, to medicine, and things like that. It’s like some kind of impotence that you receive. That is why I understand all those people who are coming in the caravana, it’s very difficult, I cry in silence when I see it.”

“Entonces llegue a un momento de desesperación y agarre mi hija, la saque de la escuela y me vine supuestamente para América. Mi mejor impresión de America es lo que te dicen las demás personas.”
“I reached a point of desperation so I took my daughter out from school and supposedly came to America. My best impression of America is what others tell me about it.”

A pattern we noticed is that what really motivates people from leaving the dangerous conditions in their home countries is seeking what’s best for their family. The love for their family is what keeps them strong.

MR, a Salvadoran middle-aged man and father to two young daughters, were threatened by a local gang

“En mi país ellas [hijas], no se como decir, tenian amenaza de muerte entonces si nosotros no nos salíamos pues mis hijas [hu]bieran fallecido…Y una de las razones porqué estamos aquí porque quiero proteger a mis hijas.”

He mentioned that having his business known was good at one point, but the more people knew about it, the more dangerous it became for him and his family.

“In my country, they [daughters], I don’t know how to say it, were threaten to be killed so that is why we left or else my daughters would have died…And one of the reasons why we’re here is because I want to protect my daughters.”

MR with his two daughters