Desperate Journey: Fleeing invisible wars in Central America

The three nations of the Northern Triangle have long been burdened by deep social inequality, political instability, and conflict—and in some cases have been further destabilized by US interventions in the region over the past 40 years. Now these countries are also contending with the rapid expansion of transnational organized crime, which has exploded over the past decade. Across El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras, drug and human trafficking by criminal groups known as maras, coupled with widespread corruption and weak law enforcement, have resulted in an environment where civilians face the ever-present threat of violence.

Some 500,000 people flee the countries of the Northern Triangle annually, displaced by threats, extortion, forced gang recruitment, and homicide rates that rival those in countries at war. Many have no choice but to undertake a hazardous journey north, risking serious injuries and even death along the way, with hopes of reaching safety in the United States. They continue to do so despite the Trump administration’s efforts to step up deportations and dismantle legal protections for refugees and asylum seekers in the US.