In the ninth installment of our blog series on 'Childhood and Migration,' Ángel A. Escamilla García (Yale University, US) discusses the journey of Central American children to the US, and in particular their experience of violence while in transit through Mexico.
Graphic made by the Mexican Government to Deter Central American Minor Migrants from Migrating Undocumented, with the Slogan: “Crossing Mexico Without Documents Takes You Down a Treacherous Path” (SRE, 2015).
On their journey across Mexico to the U.S., migrants from Central America face violence and precarity. I have long been interested in how child migrants, a fairly visible presence within groups on the move, experience the violence of these journeys. During my ethnographic research across Mexico, I discovered that young migrants coming mostly from Northern Central America – specifically, Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador – experience violence differently from adults. Moreover, the precarity of these young migrants’ journeys is influenced by Mexico’s criminalization of their movement.
For young migrants, the journey begins long before leaving their countries of origin. During my fieldwork among Central American young migrants (from age 11 to 21), I documented how many of them first migrated within their own countries, before deciding to migrate to the United States (Escamilla García 2021). Poverty and violence initially push them to seek protection or labor opportunities in other parts of their home countries, often following their families or friends who had previously migrated to those areas. Once resettled, however, these internal migrant young migrants often encounter similar dangers or exploitation. Having settled in these new locations, young men frequently continue to be abused and exploited in their work, while young women also often encounter sexual harassment and discrimination. These young migrants are therefore left with no other option but to leave their countries. As one of them told me, leaving for the United States “was never in my plans, but I don’t see another exit.” Regardless of how they ultimately decide to embark on the long journey, the United States represents a shining, yet elusive, promised land for almost all of these young migrants.
After the often rushed and emotional departure, young migrants from Northern Central America get no respite. They immediately face the harsh reality of crossing Mexico, a 2,000-mile obstacle that stands between them and their final destination. During the time I spent in Mexico researching young migrants and their experiences, significant changes to the migration pathways were unfolding. Key among them was the implementation of Mexico’s South Border Plan, which increased surveillance at the Mexico-Guatemala border by adding checkpoints, soldiers, and immigration officers along typical migration routes.[1] I documented instances of extortion, abuse (verbal and physical), and imprisonment (in the case of those who are under 18, with adult migrants). Some young migrants were also forced by the Mexican authorities to sign a deportation order, and were thus denied the option of requesting asylum or other humanitarian relief to remain in Mexico.
These policies and the violent environment have transformed Mexico into a "Borderland" for young migrants (specially for children), who have become explicit targets of the Mexican government’s immigration crackdown, and who are increasingly detained not just in border areas but across all of Mexico (Escamilla Garcia 2022). Meanwhile, the Mexican government itself has portrayed the act of migrating through the country as a perilous journey, producing posters and media campaigns that ignore Mexico’s own role in criminalizing migration and persecuting migrants of all ages.
Ultimately, my research asks: How do young migrants themselves deal with this precarity and persecution? My fieldwork taught me valuable lessons about their resilience, in particular their ability to comprehend the cultural codes around the increasing “borderlandization” of Mexico that has made them targets and has criminalized their movement. Among the most distinctive strategies I witnessed was their attempt to dress and act like young Mexicans while moving across Mexico, realizing that by doing so, they would be less likely to be identified as outsiders. Changes in their hairstyle, fashion, and even accents were among the strategies that young migrants adopted to look more Mexican-like and avoid surveillance and potential detention. Although such strategies were common, they were not foolproof, and young migrants still faced detention and deportation by the Mexican government (Escamilla García 2019). And yet, despite increasing restrictions, young migrants have continued to demonstrate creativity and resilience in seeking to overcome obstacles and achieve their dream of migrating.
Migrants who are legally children (under the age of 18) and traveling alone and undocumented in Mexico are also considered a vulnerable group and are entitled to special protections by the state. For example, if detained in Mexico, they may be placed in state care facilities instead of detention centers reserved for adults. Additionally, they sometimes undergo special screening to determine if it is in their best interest to return to their country. However, this system of protection by the Mexican state can, in reality, often pose an obstacle to young migrant’s desire to reach the U.S. On numerous occasions, child migrants expressed to me their reluctance to engage with any institution that, in the name of child protection, would hinder their journey northward. Contrary to common perceptions, children possess a great capacity to learn from the obstacles they face and adapt their strategies accordingly, and this capacity can be at odds with the policies that are, in theory, put in place to protect them.
Currently, migrants from countries far beyond Latin America are on the move across Mexico to the United States. Despite the violence and precarity they endure, children continue to arrive at the U.S. border in record numbers. Therefore, it is more important than ever to study the migratory journey of these child migrants, in order to better understand their complex experiences and the role that the state plays in creating precarious conditions for this especially vulnerable yet resilient population.
[1] In 2014, there was a significant surge in the number of children detained by the U.S. Border Patrol at the US-Mexico border, reaching a then-record high of 68,541 unaccompanied children from Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador. This sparked widespread media attention and political concern, prompting efforts to reduce arrivals. The U.S. and Mexico then initiated programs and policies, notably the Programa Frontera Sur (Southern Border Plan), funded by the U.S. and implemented along Mexico's southern border with Guatemala. This program aimed to increase detentions and deportations of undocumented migrants traveling through the Mexican isthmus.
References
Escamilla García, A. A. (2020). "Learning to Look Mexican: Central American Minor Migrants and Their Strategies to Minimize the Risks of Migration." Deadly Voyages: Migrant Journeys across the Globe. V. Fynn Bruey, S. Bender and A. Philip, Lexington Press: 3-19.
Escamilla García, A. A. (2021). "When Internal Migration Fails: A Case Study of Central American Youth Who Relocate Internally Before Leaving Their Countries." Journal on Migration and Human Security 9(4): 297-310.
Escamilla García, A. A. (2022). "The 'Borderlandization' of Mexico: Mexico's New Policies of Deportation and Detention of Minor Migrants and Their Effects on Migrants Movement." Escamilla Garcia. Children and Youths’ Migration in a Global Landscape: Sociological Studies of Children and Youth. A. L. Atterberry, D. G. McCallum, S. Tu and A. Lutz. Bingley, UK, Emerald. 28.