10 Reasons why Salvadorans migrate to United States

The Salvadoran migration to the United States is a well-known phenomenon has held true throughout the history; so much so that currently, more than two million Salvadorans live in that country. It is estimated that daily  300 people migrate to the USA, (mostly men), in searching of what they call “the American dream”, risking even the life across many unknown and insecure travel routes.

The reality is that this phenomenon has many causes which are interesting to analyze in depth in order to understand it. Therefore, we will see some of the reasons why Salvadorans migrate to the United States, leaving their family and their country, sometimes without hope of a return to their native country.

1. Lack of employment

The lack of employment is the main factor that explains why Salvadorans leave their land. Each year many young people prepare themselves and culminate their studies with the hope to obtain a job that allows them to survive, but unfortunately in this place are few opportunities; because they live in an environment where there are high demands and fewer offers for the reason that El Salvador is a very populated country.

2. Better opportunities

Related to the above, some Salvadorans who have a stable job sometimes decide to leave their homeland for the purpose of obtaining better income. The minimum wage in El Salvador is a little more than $200, which can be hardly increased because the companies grow slowly in an economy that doesn’t increase.

3. Insecurity and violence

Insecurity and violence are also one of the main reasons. Some Salvadorans are fleeing their native places due to threats of armed groups or gang members. The violence has reached such an extent that on occasions has been compared with the time of the civil war.

4. Extortion

Extortion has become common for people who work as entrepreneurs who efforts themselves to start a business. This crime has claimed the lives of many people, so some decide to abandon their native places and emigrate with the hope of having a better life.

5. Family reunification

Family reunification is also part of the statistics, in cases where, for example, one or two parents have gone to the United States and bring to their children or family members with them (This is considered as one of the most frequent causes of immigration)

6. Debt

Debts also affect many people who have been forced to emigrate to the United States in search of better wage incomes to cover these debts.

7. Natural disasters and social conflicts

In some natural disasters like earthquakes, some Salvadorans have lost everything they had, and to recover have decided to migrate with the help of other family members in the United States. On the other hand, social conflicts and the civil war of the 1980s forced many Salvadorans to leave their country for political or security reasons.

8. A better future for children

With the purpose having a better life expectancy, many Salvadorans have decided to form their own families in the United States and stay rooted there. So, it’s common that pregnant women are among the groups of people who are traveling illegally.

9. Escape justice

Despite being somewhat uncommon, some migrate fleeing and coming out of the country, whether they have committed a crime as upon to provide economic aid to children who have not recognized or have left abandoned.

10. Inflation

Inflation is defined as the rising prices of necessary things like food, medicines or basic services. It is estimated that in El Salvador the basic services cost is much higher than the minimum wage, for that reason some families that live with fewer resources and seek a better future, they decide to emigrate to the United States.