More than 60,000 unaccompanied minors are expected to be apprehended by Border Patrol agents at the US southern border in fiscal year 2022, which is 2,000 more than in 2021 and a monthly average of 5,000 a day and more than 168. In the last ten years, the number is expected to increase from 8,068 in 2013 to 60,780 in 2022, thus showing an increase of over 50,000 youth.
The data corresponds to the United States Office of Customs and Border Protection (CBP). The data is rising every year except in 2020 where 8,538 were detected, attributed to the pandemic.
The foregoing study is part of the presentation “My family, my roots, my future”, prepared by Catholic Relief Services (CRS), Rafael Landívar University and the Institute for Research in Social-Humanistic Sciences of that house of study.
Brenda Urizer from CRS said that while migration is a multidimensional phenomenon, “that affects families and the development of communities around the world”, the study explores why young Guatemalans decide to migrate.
Who participated in the study?
The study was conducted on 755 young people from the Highlands, aged between 18 and 30, of whom 470 were female and 285 were male.
The results underpin previous figures, with 29% intending to emigrate to another country in the next 12 months, with 96% planning to emigrate to the United States.
The study was conducted in 18 municipalities of Quetzaltenango, San Marcos, Totonicapán and Huehuetenango, a region characterized by high migration rates. He explained that these places have the potential to trigger migration among young people.
Why do you want to migrate?
The CRS and URL youth migration study indicates that the main reasons for migration are “lack of resources, job opportunities, family reunification, study opportunities, and violence, however, despite these factors driving migration in communities, 71% expressed their intention to stay if they had more opportunities.
According to the results presented by CRS and URL, migrant intent is higher among men who have completed a diversified program but do not have a formal employment contract and among men who work in construction and agriculture.
Lizbeth Gramazzo from URL indicates that “the young people surveyed identified economic motivations for migration such as improving incomes and seeking job opportunities.”
Similarly, Gramajo points out that another reason young people migrate is family reunification, they already have relatives living in the US and want to reunite with them.
The study found that youth face a range of educational, socioeconomic, political, community and cultural challenges that directly affect their ability to thrive in their home communities.
Challenges facing young people for development
Young people identified gender gaps, “Young women are at an educational disadvantage compared to men, they assume household responsibilities at a younger age and face the greatest difficulties accessing decent jobs and wages,” the document indicates. does.
41% of those surveyed have at least one child, while the average age at their first child is 20 years old.
Most of the youth surveyed between the ages of 10 and 20 dropped out of school or never studied at all. Among working youth, only 4% have a formal employment contract, and 12% indicated some level of food insecurity.
