The end of the “dream”: the increase in deportations of migrants to Central America

First Amendment: 04/15/2022 – 22:07

Deportations of Central American citizens from the United States increased 451% during the first two months of 2022, compared to the same period the previous year. There were a total of 14,481 returnees, according to data from the International Organization for Migration (IOM). In this programme, our Central American reporters tell us stories of returnees to Guatemala and Honduras.

Douglas Morales has already accepted his duel back.

For 30 years he worked in the construction sector in the United States. Now he returns to a different unknown Guatemala, where he has to rebuild his life. “In the US, you arrive in the US and practically the next day you already have a job. It’s not like it costs here, especially when one is already of a certain age,” he points out.

That is, the employment of immigrants in the United States is vital to the economy. Well, they hold jobs that the locals reject. But the time he spent in the country and his work did not guarantee that he would be able to survive.

Douglas is just one of thousands of similar stories that are told in Central American countries.

Return stories have dire consequences. Some return to a nation they don’t even know because of the time they were abroad, for others that means returning to unsafe environments and eventually, many families are scattered.