Fwd: For Immediate Release | The Hope Border Institute released its latest report, “No Queda de Otra: An Exploration of the Root Causes of Migration to the Southern Border."
Molly Molloy
From: Diego Adame <dad...@hopeborder.org>
Date: Mon, Nov 29, 2021 at 12:07 PM
Subject: For Immediate Release | The Hope Border Institute released its latest report, “No Queda de Otra: An Exploration of the Root Causes of Migration to the Southern Border."
November 29, 2021
Media Contact: Diego Adame, dad...@hopeborder.org
El Paso, TX--Today, the Hope Border Institute released its latest report, “No Queda de Otra: An Exploration of the Root Causes of Migration to the Southern Border.” Based on dozens of interviews with migrants and asylum seekers in Ciudad Juárez, our research finds that climate change and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic are accelerating the underlying drivers of forced migration from Central America and Mexico. As a co-founder of the Root Causes Initiative, HOPE is committed to serving and listening to people on the move, following the lead of faith groups in Central America and Mexico and proposing solutions to the Biden administration and Congress that respect both the right to migrate and the right to stay at home.
Major Findings:
Hurricanes Eta and Iota, which hit large swathes of Central America in November 2020, destroyed homes and crops and set back people who were already experiencing extreme poverty. Those already living on the edge cited the hurricanes as the final straw in their decision to migrate.
Around 60% of those we interviewed were internally displaced in their country of origin before attempting to migrate to the US. Internal relocation was only a temporary solution for many because it did not resolve the original pressures they faced at home.
Nearly everyone we interviewed said their income in their country of origin was insufficient to cover basic needs. Families with special healthcare needs experienced added levels of poverty and insecurity. The pandemic had an almost universally negative impact on personal economic security as a result of lockdowns and market closures.
Women and LGBTQ+ individuals experienced both generalized and gender-based violence in their country of origin and along the migratory route.
We encountered a significant number of internally displaced Mexicans in the interview process who were fleeing war-like conflict in Michoacán between cartels characterized by extreme violence and widespread forced conscription of men and boys.
Interviewees experienced kidnapping, violence and family separation at the border as a result of the Title 42 expulsion policy.