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 lift the protection status for refugees from El Salvador has dramatic consequences for the battered country.
Andrea Zellhuber, Violence Prevention Unit
At the beginning of January 2018, the Trump administration decided to lift the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Salvadorans in the USA. The program was created in 2001 to enable Salvadoran refugees to obtain legal residence status. At that 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 President Trump is taking to reduce immigration.
Return to violence and precarious conditions
This policy has fatal consequences for El Salvador. The country is shaken by poverty, an extremely high rate of violence and gang crime. The experience of our partner organisations shows that the capacities of the Salvadoran state are very limited. The weak institutions do not manage to protect the lives of people fleeing from violence. The Salvadorans deported because of the recent 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 not sufficient reintegration programmes in El Salvador. The deportees will face the same precarious security situation that forced 43 302 Salvadorans to seek asylum worldwide in 2016.
Reintegration projects absolutely necessary
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, blackmail and depression. For their reintegration, the deported refugees must be able to cope with shattered dreams.
Backward shifts increase instability
In a country with great social and economic instability, the reception of forced returnees carries a high risk of further destabilisation. The lack of protection and reintegration programmes by the national government will put these 200 000 people in a precarious situation. Moreover, many families will lose the financial support they receive when their family members send money from the United States.
