MIGRACIONES FORZADAS DESDE EL TRIÁNGULO DEL NORTE DE CENTROAMÉRICA

Abstract

This article analyzes the evolution of forced migrations prompted by violence in
Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras. It shows how the transition from totalitarianism to
democracy did not bring the rule of law in this region known as the Northern Triangle of
Central America. The push factors –which were usually related to political conflicts three
decades ago– are now more often connected to the economic and social meltdown. Nowadays,
Central American migrants flee extreme poverty, public insecurity, gangs, and extortion. To
illustrate the type of violence lived in Central America, I draw on interviews with migrants
in transit conducted in several Mexican cities.