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Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2020

Have climate factors in Central America increased pressure to emigrate to the US?

Esther Honig, Gigafact Foundry
yes

Research indicates a strong correlation between climate shifts and pressure on Central Americans to emigrate, notably from the region known as the Dry Corridor spanning El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras. A study conducted by the United Nations and other development organizations cites the impact of a drought associated with El Niño in 2014, which increased already high levels of both food and employment insecurity.

Between 2010 and 2015, the number of migrants from the three countries apprehended at the U.S.-Mexico border (an indicator of the total number attempting to enter the country) increased fivefold. The number of unaccompanied children apprehended nearly doubled in the following year, coinciding with the drought.

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