Children don't travel thousands of miles on a whim
Many Central American children live in violent neighborhoods that are overrun by gangs and organized crime. With no one to protect them, they see only one option: to run for their lives.
Every day, 110 innocent children risk it all to flee to the U.S.
Josue 17,
El Salvador
Dani 12,
Honduras
Felipe 13,
Guatemala
They travel unimaginable distances
Average distance children tavel to the U.S. border
1400 miles
Same as running more than 53 marathons
They flee
unspeakable tragedy
- Gang violence
- organized crime
- child abuse
- sex trafficking
- domestic violence
- abandonment
- death of parents
- labor exploitation
- corruption
- poverty
El Salvador
About 3 in 5 children leaving El Salvador are escaping gang violence.
Guatemala
In Guatemala, 16 murders occur every day.
Honduras
San Pedro Sula, Honduras, is well known as the murder capital of the world.
Mexico
Children fleeing Mexico face equally deadly situations as children from Central America, but most are immediately returned without access to protection from the conditions they fled in the first place.
With no ticket, NO MONEY, no one to ask for help, they persevere.
They risk life and limb
Children climb aboard moving cargo trains to cross the vast distance, risking the loss of their arms, legs, or lives beneath the wheels.
Abuse and abduction
Along the way, these vulnerable children are prime targets for violence. Many are robbed. Some are kidnapped for ransom or trafficked. Many are sexually assaulted.
And severe conditions
Crossing the desert between Texas and Mexico – where temperatures can surpass 120ºF/49ºC in the shade and dip below freezing at night – is treacherous, especially without water or shelter.
Searching desperately for help
Once at the border – tired, afraid, and uncertain of the future – they desperately seek protection from the conditions they have fled.
Not all children who flee their countries will reach the border. Many of those who do will be turned back without question or aid. Not all of those taken into custody will be reunited with a family member or caregiver. Still, only a fraction of those who are turned over to a caregiver will receive life-changing social and legal services.
Kids who flee
their countries
Kids who reach
the border
Kids who are united
with caregivers
Kids who receive social
and legal services
We create opportunities for a future providing access to
Our case managers work with children and their caretakers to ensure that these families’ basic needs are met, foundations are built, and shattered lives are restored.
Legal Services
Counseling
Medical Care
Food and Clothing
Education
Family contact and reunification
Still, their futures remain uncertain
We work domestically and internationally to pave the way to a life of freedom, dignity, and opportunity for both the children who stay and those ordered to leave.
A Future in their Home Country
Some children are returned to their home countries. Our Central American office provides opportunities and alternatives to migration for children, reducing the need and desire to make the journey again.
Our work in Central America
A Chance to Tell Their Story
Many of the children who reach the border have legitimate claims for protection in the U.S. We have a network of volunteer and staff attorneys dedicated to giving children the chance to fairly present their cases when they appear in immigration court.
Join our pro bono attorney network