Eritrean refugees find routes through South and Central America to the United States
By INGRID ROJAS
Channel: Immigration
The secluded East African nation of Eritrea has been described by Human Rights Watch as “a giant prison,” and by others as “the Cuba of Africa” for its repressive regime.
In the last decade, thousands have fled the country seeking asylum in Europe, while others have opted for a lengthy, costly and dangerous transatlantic odyssey through South and Central America to reach the United States.
Mexican immigration authorities detained close to 1,300 African migrants within their borders in the last year alone, as they attempted to sneak into the United States via its southern neighbor. But many more travel undetected, hindering efforts to quantify the flow of these migrants in the Western Hemisphere.
This new migratory wave is causing unforeseen consequences in transit countries like Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador- countries that have traditionally seen an outflow of their own citizens to the United States.
