Migrants Seeking Greener Pastures: The North Triangle in America - Research Papepr

Introduction

The north triangle in America sometimes experiences a high number of migrants. It is a region that is not stable economically, politically, and security-wise. On average, over 200000 people leave the Central America countries, for example, Honduras and Guatemala, to migrate to the USA in search of greener pastures. They believe that if you make it to the USA, your life will change for the best. The migration is a result of several factors such as poverty, insecurity, and poor governance. These are the factors that make the Central America regions remain unattractive to the citizens. It causes a considerable challenge to the USA government, and the government is creating new policies to help address the issue of the migration. The USA immigration system has by the vast number of families seeking asylum legally in the USA from the Central American countries. The host government gives legal asylum seekers better treatment, but the high number of migration has made it impossible for the USA government to address their issues (Booth 35). It is for this reason that the USA government, through congress, wants to solve the problems causing the migration to reduce the number that has reached unprecedented levels. We need to understand the causes, impact, and solution to the problem of immigration of Central America to the USA.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Save 25%

Causes of Migration to the USA

Security issues have become a major cause of migration from Central America to the USA. The insecurity in those countries is caused by several factors that make people want to move away from those crime zones. The countries in Central America have in the recent future become transit points for major drug traffickers who want to get the USA market with ease. Drug trade involves ruthless gangs who sometimes fight to control a transit region, for example, the MS-13 group that was very ruthless. They are sometimes very powerful to the extent that the government is unable to adequately control them, making the ordinary citizen live in fear (Booth 42). The level of poverty is also a major cause of insecurity. The youths may sometimes feel that the only way out of debt is to engage in crime. The citizens want to flee from these countries to live the American dream, thus occasioning a high level of migration from the Central America region to the USA, which guarantees a better life (Vogt 96).

Countries in Central America, such as Guatemala and Panama, experience a high level of poverty. The gap between the rich and the poor is so vast that a tiny group of elites controls the wealth in those countries. These elites control the political system, too, making it impossible for the poor majority to feel the benefit of the state. Factors of production, such as land, are owned by a few wealthy people who are driven by the capitalistic nature of wealth acquisition, condemning the poor further into poverty. The economic policies implemented by the government do little to help the poor (Musalo et al. 142). Poor social, economic conditions play a massive role in increasing the Huber of people who want to migrate to the USA in the hope that life will be better on the other end away from their own countries. The economy inmost central America countries create very few jobs in the formal sector, thus condemning the majority of youths into the informal sector, which has no social or health benefits (Booth 77).

Poor governance has also been a major cause of migration from Central America to the USA.Poor management makes it impossible for the leaders to address the real issues affecting ordinary citizens, such as citizens and social, economic challenges such as lack of employment and poor infrastructure. Poor governance also makes it possible for the rich people to continue exploiting the resources of those countries without regulation, thus enriching themselves at the expense of other citizens who should equally benefit (Musalo et al. 175). Countries such as Honduras and El Salvador have governance issues. Most of the political regimes in Central America do not promote human rights, making it impossible for the citizens to live a free life without government harassment.For example, the military regime in Honduras in the 1960s (Chappell 26).

Environmental factors such as hurricanes and climate change have affected the way of living for most citizens in Central America countries. In the face of the ecological challenges, they hope to migrate to the USA that has a better disaster control mechanism. Earthquakes and hurricanes leave a devastating effect every time it happens, making the citizens question their government's ability to deal with environmentally related disasters (Booth 33). Their only hope is to move to the USA, which is the world's most robust economy, and can deal with emergencies when they happen. Without the government effective intervention when natural disasters occur, such as the hurricanes, people will always leave in fear for their lives, and thus an opportunity to migrate from those countries in gladly accepted (Chappell 35).

Impact of Migration

The migration in high numbers leads to a refugee crisis at the border. It is because the USA cannot allow anybody through the border anyhow, thus creating a massive mess for refugees. It leads to a logistical nightmare for the border officials who have to protect the United States and at the same time, promote human rights (Musalo et al. 139).

Migration into the USA from Central America has a substantial negative impact on both sides. The high number of movements causes security issues in the US. Due to the high number of immigrants in the border, the USA government may not be able to vet those getting into the country from Central America properly. Countries in Central America are known to have criminals such as drug dealers (Vogt 769). The significant number of migrants may provide an opportunity for a criminal to get their way into the United States of America. The security concerns made the USA under trump threaten to build a border wall with Mexico and the Central American countries to make it impossible for the migrants to get into the USA illegally (Chappell 20).

The Solution to the Problem of Migration

Every problem has a solution. The answer to the massive migration into the USA has to do with governance and social, economic issues. USA government should help address the governance issue sin central America countries by forcing the political leadership to make changes in their constitutions, which embraces inclusive and democratic leadership (Rosenblum 65). Democracy helps create a system that is responsible to its citizens. Responsible leaders can ensure that the governance system in the country is sufficient to promote a good life for the citizens. Poor governance makes it a challenging affair for any government to provide a solution to the social issues and poverty in Central America. It also creates room for corruption, which is a dangerous vice to any nation in the world (Chappell 35).

Democracy and promoting the rule of law make it possible for the citizens to go about their businesses and at the same time, have a say in how the country is run. It will make the Central Americans feel like they are part of their lands, and they can make decisions. The promotion of democracy creates an inclusive system of governance that motivates citizens to do better for their countries (Musalo et al. 149). Dictatorship and suppression of human rights cause dissatisfaction among citizens leading to a vast number of migrants to the USA.

Improving border control facilities will help deal with the challenge of migrants in the USA. The facilities need to be upgraded to be able to handle the vast number of migrants who sometimes include underage children (Rosenblum et al. 35). The number of officers trained in border control should be increased instead of building a wall so that the genuine cases seeking asylum in the United States are heard and processed, and the undeserving cases are turned back to their own countries. Detention centers at the border point enable the immigration officials to have enough time to vet the migrants and protect the USA borders (Chappell 25).

The United States Government should not try to address the migration issues alone. The USA government should fund local organizations and leadership so that the solution to the migration problem is solved from different angles where deferent ideas are applied (Musalo et al. 162). The government can also use sanctions to leaders in those countries to make them act responsibly in addressing the causes of migration, such as poor governance and unequal wealth distribution. Most of the leaders in Central America countries do little to solve the problems of ordinary citizens in their countries. It makes them disenfranchised, thus wanting to migrate to the USA (Rosenblum et al., 84).

The solutions implemented by civil society and the government with the help of the USA will help reduce the number of migrants in search of greener pastures. President Trump of the USA has tried to help deal with the problem, but in some instances, he has done it the wrong way without due regard for human rights, thus creating a deeper problem. However, with the right approach, the solution to the migration problem will be useful (Musalo et al. 152).

Conclusion

Migration is a significant problem not only in the USA but in the world. It is essential because the process involves human beings who have rights and are running away from a problem in their home country. International laws provide a legal guideline on how states should treat refugees. However, the USA has faced a challenge with migrants from the Central American countries. The migrants want to live and work in the United States of America. However, the USA government is always cautious about the number of migrants they can allow in the country, thus creating a refugee crisis at the border points. Migrants should be treated with dignity, and some should be allowed in the USA where the cases are genuine. Those migrating for economic and social factors, then the USA can make an effort to address their problem in their home country. It will encourage everyone, including Central America governments, to do more and promote good governance for the future of the country.

Works Cited

Booth, John A., Christine J. Wade, and Thomas W. Walker. Understanding Central America: Global forces, rebellion, and change. Routledge, 2018.

Chappell Deckert, Jennifer. "Social work, human rights, and the migration of Central American children." Journal of Ethnic & Cultural Diversity in Social Work 25.1 (2016): 20-35.

Musalo, Karen, and Eunice Lee. "Seeking a rational approach to a regional refugee crisis: lessons from the summer 2014 "surge" of Central American women and children at the US-Mexico border." Journal on Migration and Human Security 5.1 (2017): 137-179.

Rosenblum, Marc R., and Isabel Ball. Trends in unaccompanied child and family migration from Central America. Washington, DC: Migration Policy Institute, 2016.

Vogt, Wendy A. "Crossing Mexico: Structural violence and the commodification of undocumented Central American migrants." American Ethnologist 40.4 (2013): 764-780.