Why Unaccompanied Children Migrate
Poverty, Violence, Economic Opportunity, and Family Reunification
Unaccompanied alien children (UAC) typically arrive at U.S. ports of entry or are apprehended along the soutwestern border with Mexico. Less frequently, they are apprehended in the interior and determined to be a juvenile and unaccompanied. Conditions in Central America The overwhelming majority of the unaccompanied child migrants apprehended in Mexico or at the U.S.–Mexico border have come from Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador, which are often referred to as the “northern triangle” countries of Central America. High violent crime rates, poor economic conditions fueled by relatively low economic growth rates, relatively high poverty rates, and the presence of transnational…
