McALLEN, Texas (Border Report) -- A new report finds that nearly half of migrants surveyed suffered firearm-related violence in their Latin American and Caribbean home countries.
The University of Michigan study found that 48% of migrants who immigrated to the United States reported previously experiencing gun-related threats and violence. And one-third, or 34%, showed symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder.
The study also found that men immigrating from Honduras, Venezuela and El Salvador were more likely to report previous firearm-related threats. Most threats occurred during robberies or extortions, but other threats were perpetrated by authorities, to prevent crime reporting, or by intimate partners, the survey found.
Nearly 73% said they were victims of violent crimes, like robberies, extortions or kidnappings; 9% reported political repression or police threats; and 9% said they were threatened and coerced to not report a crime.
The study was published in Injury Prevention and surveyed 321 migrants who were new arrivals from Latin American and Caribbean countries between March 2022 and August 2023.
It was released Thursday as President-elect Donald Trump's administration promises to launch the largest mass deportation of undocumented migrants in the United States when he takes office in January.
"The high number of individuals that have experienced firearm violence in some capacity is alarming and something that should be considered when developing policies and having conversations around immigration," said lead author Eugenio Weigend Vargas, a researcher at the university's Institute for Firearm Injury Prevention.
"Immigrants face an innumerable number of threats when making the journey to cross the border into the United States. Understanding how firearm violence specifically plays a role in both migration and mental health is critical to informing how we care for these newcomers clinically and in our community," said assistant professor and senior study author Laura Vargas.
"The prevalence of firearm threats in the region should be considered by policymakers when making policy decisions related to migration because prior research demonstrates that most of the firearms recovered in Mexico and Central America come from the United States," Vargas said.
Sister Norma Pimentel, executive director of Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley, last week told Border Report that current rampant violence in Mexico is further fueling migration North.
"There's a lot of factors, you know, not just having to do with the United States, but also with Mexico and the violence in Mexico," said Pimentel, whose organization runs the Humanitarian Respite Center in McAllen, which provides care for migrants who enter South Texas after they are legally released by the Department of Homeland Security.
"The one thing that I always hear from them is gratitude for the welcoming and the safety that we can provide for them," Pimentel said.
Sandra Sanchez can be reached at [email protected].