Working in Central America since 2011 has given Elizabeth Kennedy a pretty solid handle on the influx in undocumented minors arriving in the United States.
Tens of thousands of unaccompanied and undocumented children have already arrived in the United States from Central America. They’re fleeing El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras, countries experiencing an incredible rise in crime rates.
Kennedy, an SDSU doctoral candidate living in El Salvador on a Fulbright fellowship, works with children who have been deported back to their home country after being caught making the journey across Mexico in hopes of reaching the U.S.
“Most children are leaving because they fear for their lives,” Kennedy said. “Migration isn’t the most accurate word to use,” she said, “they are in fact fleeing.”
Kennedy joined VOSD Radio’s Scott Lewis and Andrew Keatts this week to discuss the dangers Central American youths face, the factors that force them to flee and what happens to them once they arrive in the United States.
Download the episode below, on Stitcher or on iTunes. While you’re there, leave a comment and let us know how we’re doing.
[fold-audio url=”http://traffic.libsyn.com/vosd/voice_of_san_diego_0_1405090968.mp3″]
Show Notes
• Here’s what Keatts uncovered about the correlation between population density and trolley usage, and what it means for future development in San Diego.
• Despite San Diego Unified school board’s attempts to thwart its application, Thrive Public School will open its doors in September. Check out Mario Koran’s story on how the school managed to stay alive.
• Our Hero of the Week is group of media outlets that collectively funded a legal effort that forced District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis to finally turn over the letter of recommendation she wrote for the son of Mexican businessman Jose Susumo Azano Matsura.
• Dumanis and KUSI are our Goats of the week, for their joint efforts in downplaying the recommendation letter and its relevance to the ongoing campaign finance scandal involving Dumanis and Azano. Here’s what we know about Dumanis and Azano’s connections.