Powerful forces — brutal violence, extreme poverty, the effects of climate change — are driving these men, women and children to leave. They are also being motivated to go north by the hope that they might live in the world’s wealthiest country. They were traveling with a caravan of roughly 7,000 Central Americans heading north through Mexico. El Salvador also has one of the world’s highest homicide rates, which is creating a drag on the economy. According to the World Bank, “crime and violence make doing business more expensive, negatively affect investment decisions and hinder job creation.”

Source: International New York Times June 17, 2019 22:52 UTC