I’m not arguing that the U.S. should open its doors wide to all Central Americans, and Obama in any case is constrained by Congress. But historically, Central Americans had a refuge in southern Mexico, and it is unnecessary and cruel now for the U.S. to take the initiative and work so diligently to cut off that safe haven.
It’s not that Honduras or El Salvador are tyrannical regimes; rather, the problem is that criminal gangs are out of control. The homicide rate in El Salvador last year, more than 100 killings per 100,000 people, represents a mortality rate of roughly the same magnitude as during the country’s brutal civil war in the 1980s (although more recently there has been a drop in murders).
One rural farmer, Guillermo, 58, told me that all he and his family had wanted to do was stay on their farm in El Salvador, growing fruits and vegetables. Then two gangs moved in and began taking over the land — and killing those who got in the way.
On a neighboring farm, five people were massacred, including an 8-month-old baby, the baby’s mother and a grandfather visiting from the United States. Then the gang called Guillermo’s daughter, telling the family members to clear out or be slaughtered. They left, with Guillermo grazed by a bullet as he fled, and after a terrifying journey they are now in southern Mexico.
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