Migrants face threats of violence

World Today

Migrants faces threats of violence

In Latin America, it’s common to study the economic impact migrant remittances have back home. But few have taken the time to look at the money undocumented migrants leave in towns and cities in Central America and Mexico as they make their way to the United States. CCTV’s Franc Contreras reports from El Naranjo, Guatemala.

Central American migrants are among the poorest people in the Americas. The economic impact of the ones who pass briefly through the town of El Naranjo is notable. Benjamin Estrada owns a pharmacy that caters to the migrants. He sells them medicines and first-aid supplies they might need along their journey.

Migrants faces threats of violence

In Latin America, it's common to study the economic impact migrant remittances have back home. But few have taken the time to look at the money undocumented migrants leave in towns and cities in Central America and Mexico as they make their way to the United States. CCTV's Franc Contreras reports from El Naranjo, Guatemala.

Located in Guatemala’s remote el Peten region, El Naranjo was, until recently, a small town of a few hundred families notable only for its proximity to the border with Mexico. That proximity is what’s now enticing undocumented migrants and the people who smuggle them across international boundaries to pass through.

Smugglers known as “polleros” get much of the migrants’ money, says a traveler from Honduras. Seventy dollars about what he was earning for a full week of work back home.

This part of their journey used to be free of charge. Lately, criminal organizations have been forcing migrants to pay for hitching an illegal ride on this freight train known as “the beast.” Those who decline to pay face threats of violence.

For more we  spoke with Charles Kuck in Atlanta, the Managing Partner with Cook Immigration Partners LLC.

Migrants face threats of violence

For more speak with Charles Kuck from Atlanta, the Managing Partner with Cook Immigration Partners LLC.