Central American Migration: Root Causes and U.S. Policy (CRS Report for Congress)
| Release Date |
Revised Oct. 30, 2024 |
| Report Number |
IF11151 |
| Report Type |
In Focus |
| Authors |
Peter J. Meyer; Maureen Taft-Morales |
| Source Agency |
Congressional Research Service |
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Summary:
U.S. policy toward Central America has been a subject of
significant debate and oversight over the past decade as
Congress has sought to address the underlying factors
driving migration from the region to the United States.
According to a model developed at the University of Texas
at Austin, an average of 407,000 people left the Northern
Triangle of Central America (see Figure 1) annually from
FY2018 to FY2021, with the majority bound for the United
States. Flows have varied from year to year, with an
estimated 692,000 people leaving the region in FY2019,
followed by 113,000 in FY2020, and 521,000 in FY2021.
Some surveys conducted in 2020 found many potential
migrants had postponed their plans amid the COVID-19
pandemic but intended to undertake their journeys once
governments lifted cross-border travel restrictions.
The number of U.S. Border Patrol encounters with foreign
nationals from the Northern Triangle countries who had
crossed the U.S. Southwest border between ports of entry
reached a high of nearly 684,000 in FY2021, before
declining for three consecutive years to 352,000 in FY2024
(see Figure 2; these data do not represent unique
individuals, since some individuals attempt multiple
crossings). Of those encountered in FY2024, 195,000 were
Guatemalan; 111,000 were Honduran; and 46,000 were
Salvadoran. About 42% of those encountered were single
adults, 41% were individuals traveling with family
members, and 16% were unaccompanied minors.
