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A SURVEY OF NEARLY 2,000 MIGRANTS FROM EL SALVADOR, HONDURAS AND GUATEMALA REVEALS WHO THEY ARE, HOW AND WHY THEY MIGRATE AND WHAT THEIR FUTURE PLANS ARE.

IN THE FRAMEWORK OF THE INTERNATIONAL MIGRANTS DAY, THE STUDY OFFERS EMPIRICAL DATA AIMING TO HELP DESIGN PUBLIC POLICIES IN THEIR HOME COUNTRIES.

Nine percent of the population of El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras lives in the United States. This represents a total of three million people, 60% of whom are staying in the country irregularly. Who they are, how and why they have migrated and what are their future plans are some of the questions tackled by the IDB’s study titled In the footsteps of migrants: prospects and experiences of the migration from El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras in the United States, published within the framework of the International Migrants Day, which is observed on Dec. 18.

The recent profile of these migrants to the U.S. is young people, 15% of whom are of indigenous descent, and who although initially considered migration as temporarily, once in the host country decide to stay put. Their education level is low compared with that of other migrants, but high when compared to that prevalent in their countries of origin. Migrants are economically integrated in the host country, with a high rate of labor participation (80%), save money (50%) and pay taxes (60%).

Their main reasons for leaving their native countries are the search for better economic opportunities (74%), family reunification (43%), and violence (41%). Given this situation, the pressure to migrate will probably remain strong, particularly due to the family reunification element. This will likely continue to make the trafficking of people by so-called coyotes an active and lucrative business. This service can fetch anywhere between $4,000-$8,000, which migrants pay with help from relatives (45%), loans (40%), or savings (11%). The study concludes that it is vital to generate quality jobs to help people gain a solid foothold and to expand the social protection networks in order to improve live quality in their home countries.

However, although the main reported reason for people leaving their three countries is economic, the survey shows some differences among them. In the case of Guatemala, migration is characteristically a temporary venture, without intent to settle down in the host nation and with more investments in their country of origin. Salvadoran migrants, on the other hand, are more focused on family reunification and prone to take root in the new location. For their part, Honduran migrants are chiefly motivated by economic and violence concerns, although they do not tend to see migration as a permanent feature.

Links with countries of origin

The study shows that migrants retain strong ties with their countries of origin. More than 50% of them send remittances, turning them into a major factor in El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras’s economic activity, where they represent 18% of GDP on average. In addition, nearly 20% of the migrants are investing in productive ventures as well as in the purchase and/or construction of homes in their countries of origin.

Families benefit from the migrants resources –remittances cover most of their households’ basic expenses– but they also pay a price, typically in the extra work for the adults who stay back in charge of the children. For this reason, the report underscores the need to generate policies and programs to support this vulnerable group of people who face risks not of an economic but of a social nature.

Lastly, the report also tackles the issue of returnees. The number of deportees has risen over the past few years. They represent a highly valuable human capital vis-à-vis the local population given their knowledge of the English language, their exposure to U.S. culture and working practices, and their possession of savings. Therefore, it is paramount to have public policies in place to ease their reinsertion as well as to be ready to face a decline of up to 7% in remittances due to the stiffening of U.S. migration policies.

The study was based on a survey of 1,859 migrants from El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras that over the past 10 years arrived into the three U.S. metropolitan areas that together have received 36% of the inflow: Washington DC, Los Angeles and New York.

In recent years, the irregular entry of people from this Central American region has overtaken migration from Mexico, traditionally the main source of migrators from the south of the United States. Every year, more than 300,000 people, mostly young, depart from El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras, although not all make it to the United States. It has been estimated that between 16% and 36% of the demographic dividend has left these countries, partially limiting their potential growth.

The ultimate goal of the study is to gain a better understanding of Central America’s migration trends and generate empiric data that can be used to design public policies oriented at creating opportunities, boosting attachment to the land of origin, and tapping into the valuable human capital that returnees represent.

Read the report available in Spanish