SAN SALVADOR — A caravan of an estimated 200 migrants departed here Sunday en route to the United States, sparked by a similar group from Honduras that is making its way through Mexico.
Migrants say they are fleeing violence, corruption and unemployment. Many see the caravan as their best chance of migrating safely to the United States given the dangers of crossing Mexico.
“Life isn’t good here,” said 13-year-old Anderson Medina Abrego. “They are killing a lot of people. I live in Barrio 18 gang territory, so I can’t even go to another area because they say they will kill me.”
Although recent caravans of Central Americans have drawn heightened attention from U.S. politicians, migrating is a daily reality for many Salvadorans. More than 50,000 migrants from the country were apprehended when trying to cross into the United States in 2017, according to U.S. Customs and Border Patrol.
“El Salvador experiences a migration dynamic where 200 to 300 people migrate each day,” said Cesar Rios, director of the Salvadoran Institute for Migration, a nongovernmental organization based in San Salvador. “A caravan is the visibility of this hidden reality.”
Salvadoran migrants see strength and protection in numbers.
“We’ve thought about going before, but now we finally have the opportunity,” said 18-year-old Dalila Abigail Landaverde, who is traveling with her partner and their 3-year-old daughter, Tatiana. Landaverde said the family has received threats since her mother was killed in 2014.
“In a caravan, you are united. If something happens to you, someone will help you,” said Jessica Yamileth Zabaleta Guzman, 24, who is traveling with her partner and their 1-year-old son.
Upon hearing rumors of the caravan, the Salvadoran Ministry of Justice and Security dispatched police to patrol the perimeter of the plaza where migrants gathered Sunday morning, many with small backpacks and some with no belongings at all.
The measures were to ensure the safe passage of the migrants rather than hinder their journey, according to a ministry spokesman.
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