The exodus from the stunning violence and brutal poverty of Central America is a growing tragedy.
The implications for the United States can be seen most readily in South Texas. Many news reports have taken note of the Border Patrol's inability to control the narrow corridor leading northward from the border town of McAllen.
Seventy miles to the north, ranchers near the Border Patrol's Falfurrias checkpoint on Highway 281 express astonishment at the number of people who circumvent the checkpoint. They walk through the ranches on their way to a rendezvous with vehicles that take them farther north. Many are driven to Houston by members of gangs that work with the smugglers. Many have died from exposure to the intense, withering heat.
Ranchers and other local citizens have been complaining about the intense, relentless flows for more than a year. The chaos there calls into question Border Patrol assurances that it will be able to meet the border security targets of the immigration reform bill due for debate in the Senate next week. How can the Border Patrol claim the ability to control entire sectors when they can't control the Falfurrias corridor?
A new study published by the Migration Policy Institute and the Wilson Center sheds light on the passage of Central Americans through Mexico, in a phenomenon called "transmigration". Here are a few nuggets from the report, which takes a panoramic look at immigration from Mexico and Central America.
- Many tens of thousands of transmigrants now pass through Mexico annually, destined for the United States.
- As Mexico grapples with its evolving role in the region's migration dynamics, policymakers and other stakeholders are beginning to address questions regarding the extent to which the country will facilitate or deter transmigration.
- Apprehensions by the U.S. Border Patrol of individuals from countries other than Mexico have increased from 59,000 in FY 2010 to 99,000 in FY 2012. (The peak year for such apprehensions was 2005, when the U.S. Border Patrol reported 165,000 arrests.) The Border Patrol report on OTM arrests from 2000 thru 2012 is available here.
- Mexico has emerged as a significant destination for migrants in the last decade.
- Mexico is also increasingly relying on Guatemalan workers for its informal service sector and seasonal agriculture.
