Central American Minors encounter Cold War and Anti Drug Policy
In 2014, US Customs and Border Protection apprehended 46,932 children from Central America at the US-Mexico border. The unaccompanied children (18yo or younger) came from the Northern Triangle of Central America: Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras. Their presence created a refugee crisis in the United States unlike any before. In order to understand why these children decided to immigrate to the US, we must look into the conditions that pushed them to make the dangerous journey in the first place. In fact, the effects of Cold War and anti drug policies have played a critical role in creating the economic and security conditions that pushed Central American children to seek safety in the United States.
For instance, during the Cold War the dominant rhetoric in the Western hemisphere was anti-Soviet and especially anti-communist. The main contributor to this rhetoric in Central America was the United States. However, during the 80’s the United States went from contributor to direct actor by investing millions of dollars in support of the military regimes. In El Salvador alone, US aid to the military totaled $6 billion during the 12-year civil war. Ultimately, the military regimes were successful at suppressing guerilla groups by using US communism fears to finance their counterinsurgency campaigns. This meant the status quo had been maintained in Central America. Therefore, land concentration, economic inequality, and lack of access to upward social mobility continued to plague the northern triangle of the region. Economically, Central Americans are stuck in the same cycle of poverty that motivated the 1980’s insurgencies. This cycle of poverty has been a critical factor in motivating children to cross multiple borders in order to reach US soil and the “American Dream.”
Moreover, security or lack of it has also played an important role in motivating Central American children to seek protection in the United States. Anti-drug policies developed during the Nixon administration impacted the children’s current safety concerns. For example, once the “war on drugs” was launch in 1970’s, domestic policy shifted towards the roots of the problem, Colombia. The United States effectively shut down many of the routes in the Caribbean used by the drug cartels to smuggle cocaine. Consequently, the drug routes moved to Central America and Mexico. This movement to the northern triangle of Central America has caused a massive increase in drug related violence. Therefore, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras have some of the highest homicide rates in the world. In El Salvador alone, 3,942 murders were reported in 2014. Moreover, it’s important to highlight that these three nations are neither consumers nor producers of drugs. Ultimately, Central American children feel they only have two choices, either die in their home country or die trying to reach the United States.
As one can see, the unaccompanied children crisis in the southern border did not occur out of nowhere. Cold War and anti drug policies impacted the regions economic and safety conditions. Theses conditions therefore have pushed under aged children to risk their lives to attempt the “American dream.” As the world hegemon and active player in creating the conditions that have pushed children to immigrate north, the United States should seriously consider changing its current policy towards this crisis. Holding children in detention centers throughout the country should not be considered a solution, its time the US government seeks alternatives to this humanitarian crisis.
References:
http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2014/07/22/children-12-and-under-are-fastest-growing-group-of-unaccompanied-minors-at-u-s-border/
Booth, John A., Christine J. Wade, and Thomas W. Walker. Understanding Central America: Global Forces, Rebellion and Change. Boulder, CO: Westview, 2010. Print.
http://www.insightcrime.org/news-analysis/insight-crime-2014-homicide-round-up
http://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2015/10/05/445985671/never-leave-your-house-survival-strategies-for-el-salvador-s-15girls
