Fleeing the gangs or poverty hoping for a better life

The radio program LatinoUSA recently broadcast a story about a Salvadoran whom the US government wants to deport and the Colorado community which is fighting to keep him in the US:
In the story of José Mendoza Turbín, a young immigrant who left El Salvador because his life was threatened by local gangs, his political asylum request was recently denied by ICE. And now, community leaders in Glenwood Springs, Colorado are petitioning ICE officials to use their immigration discretion and set aside his deportation order.

You can listen to the broadcast here.

Another immigrant's story is captured in this video interview produced by blogger Carlos Quiroz, in which an anonymous immigrant describes the details of his journey to enter the US illegally.

Comments

Anonymous said…
Thought you might find this interesting: http://www.elfaro.net/secciones/Noticias/20090413/noticias2_20090413.asp

An interview of Viejo Lin (one of the most notorious gangsters), discussing the effects of the past ARENA policies on society, the gangs, the causes for the gangs, changes of gangs, etc.
WAT said…
Great informative blog on this small deeply troubled country!

My family ties are strong.
qc.carlos said…
Thanks for posting my video. This guy's testimony is one of many I've heard before. What concerned me the most about him is that he already is getting into a troubled life, because he being undocumented and jobless, already fathered a girl to a single mother, as young as himself.

So there is a vicious circle of poverty that comes along the lack of documentation. He quit high school and has little chance to afford a better education. So he left poverty in El Salvador to be poor in the US, and still, he feels he is better off here.