Since the end of 2017, terre des hommes schweiz has been supporting a pilot project in El Salvador for young returnees who have been deported from the USA. The already worrying situation is now coming to a head. The US government’s decision to revoke protection status for refugees from El Salvador has had a dramatic impact on the troubled country.
Andrea Zellhuber, Violence Prevention Unit
At the beginning of January 2018, the Trump administration decided to revoke the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Salvadorans in the USA. The program was created in 2001 to give Salvadoran refugees legal residence status. At the time, the main cause of flight was two earthquake disasters in quick succession. 200,000 refugees are now being deported. The decision is a continuation of the tough measures introduced by President Trump to reduce immigration.
Return to violence and precarious conditions
This policy has fatal consequences for El Salvador. The country is plagued by poverty, an extremely high rate of violence and gang crime. The experience of our partner organizations shows that the capacity of the Salvadoran state is very low. The weak institutions are unable to protect the lives of people fleeing violence. The Salvadorans deported as a result of the latest decision will join the tens of thousands of Salvadorans who flee violence and are deported from the United States and Mexico every year. There are no adequate reintegration programs in El Salvador. Those deported will face the same precarious security situation that forced 43,302 Salvadorans to seek asylum worldwide in 2016.
Reintegration projects urgently needed
terre des hommes schweiz is concerned about these developments. They show once again how urgent it is to support deported young people in El Salvador. In our project, we offer psychological and social support for young people who have been forcibly returned and are suffering from various stressful situations such as violence, extortion and depression. For their reintegration, the deported refugees must be able to cope with broken dreams.
Forced returns increase instability
In a country with great social and economic instability, the reception of forced returns carries a high risk of further destabilization. The lack of protection and reintegration programs by the national government will put these 200,000 people in a precarious situation. In addition, many families will lose the financial support they receive when their family members send money from the US.
