While all of those factors may be true, ample evidence in Mexico shows that the number of Central Americans such as Mr. Cordova and Mr. Ponce migrating north continues unabated and may even be surging.
Alfonso Cordova (back row, far right) lived in the U.S. for 30 years and owned an auto repair shop in Los Angeles. Then he was deported to his native El Salvador. His stop at a shelter in Tultitlan, Mexico, is one step closer to his goal of getting back to California to be with his wife, two grown sons and his business. Evidence in Mexico shows that the number of Central Americans migrating north continues unabated and may even be surging.
Alfonso Cordova lived in the United States for 30 years. He has a wife and two grown sons in Los Angeles, where he owned an auto repair shop until two months ago when he was deported to his native El Salvador.
Mr. Cordova, who spoke perfect English inside a packed migrant shelter here, now is scrambling to find a way back into the United States.
“I got a DUI one night,” said the 44-year-old, who briefly lived in Laurel, Md., before settling in Los Angeles. “I was stupid. I just made a mistake, and I got busted.”
The vast majority of undocumented Central Americans passing through Mexico are young first-timers, fleeing violence, unemployment and impoverished conditions in their home countries. But Mr. Cordova’s story of seeking to reclaim a life in the shadows of U.S. law is not uncommon.
“I lived in Florida for five years,” said Sebastian Ponce, 35, a native of Honduras who was deported from the United States in February.
Mr. Ponce, who sneaked back across Mexico’s southern border in recent weeks, said he plans to find temporary work in the Mexican city of Saltillo.
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