The above image shows where the surge of unaccompanied minors from the Northern Triangle are fleeing from.
From the New York Times
By Haeyoun Park
October 21, 2014
- In Guatemala, the capital Guatemala City is overrun by gangs.
- In El Salvador, rival gangs are responsible for most of the murders in the capital.
- In Honduras, San Pedro Sula has the highest homicide rate in the world.
- The number of unaccompanied minors began to noticeably surge in 2012, mainly driven by the influx of children from the Northern Triangle – El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala.
- Under an anti-trafficking statute adopted with bipartisan support in 2008, minors from Central America cannot be deported immediately and must be given a court hearing before they are deported.
- Many of them are boys between ages 15 and 17, and the proportion who are girls and younger children has been increasing (from 2013-2014) – those most targeted by the gangs.