Do Reasons for Migration Impact the Elements of Asylum Applications? An Investigation of Participants in the 2018 "Migrant Caravan"

As migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers continue to arrive at the Mexico-U.S. border and solutions to this situation remain elusive, growing opportunities exist for research to inform policy decisions. One policy implemented (and subsequently rescinded) by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security was to limit asylum claims to only those individuals who experienced abuse or maltreatment at the hands of government officials, limiting protections for those fleeing gang violence or abuse inflicted by family members. We surveyed 515 migrants seeking entry to the United States who had traveled in the late 2018 "migrant caravan" from the Northern Triangle of Central America (Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala) to examine the nature and extent of pre- and peri-migration victimization experiences. Participants cited varied reasons for migration, including violence, economic opportunity, and family reunification. Not surprisingly, individuals who cited violence as their primary reason for fleeing reported greater exposure to premigration victimization and were significantly more likely to express a fear of returning to their country of origin. However, experiences of violence were ubiquitous in the sample, and mental health symptoms were not associated with reason for migration. We also found no significant differences in exposure to violence, fear of return, or perceptions of government protection between those who reported having experienced violence inflicted by government officials versus those who reported only gang-related violence. Hence, the perpetrator of violence appears to have little bearing on the nature or impact of violence experienced by these migrants. The implications of these findings for immigration policy are discussed.