CENTRAL AMERICA

Information on 

Migration of 

Unaccompanied 

Children from El 

Salvador, Guatemala, 

and Honduras

Report to Congressional Requesters

February 2015

GAO-15-362

United States Government Accountability Office
United States Government Accountability Office

Highlights of GAO-15-362, a report to 

congressional requesters

February 2015

CENTRAL AMERICA

Information on Migration of Unaccompanied Children 

from El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras

Why GAO Did This Study

Since 2012, there has been a rapid 

increase in the number of UAC 

apprehended at the U.S.-Mexican 

border. According to DHS’s Customs 

and Border Protection (CBP), the 

number of UAC from any country 

apprehended at the U.S.-Mexican 

border climbed from more than 24,000 

in fiscal year 2012 to nearly 39,000 in 

fiscal year 2013, and to nearly 69,000 

in fiscal year 2014. Prior to fiscal year 

2012, the majority of UAC 

apprehended at the border were 

Mexican nationals. However, more 

than half of the UAC apprehended at 

the border in fiscal year 2013, and 75 

percent apprehended in fiscal year 

2014 were nationals of El Salvador, 

Guatemala, and Honduras, according 

to DHS/CBP. El Salvador, Guatemala, 

and Honduras face various socioeconomic challenges, which the United 

States is seeking to address through 

assistance efforts. 

GAO was asked to review issues 

related to U.S. assistance to Central 

America addressing the rapid increase 

in migration of UAC from El Salvador, 

Guatemala, and Honduras to the 

United States. This report identifies 

U.S. mission-level efforts to (1) identify 

causes of the rapid increase in 

migration of unaccompanied children 

and (2) address the causes identified. 

GAO developed a set of questions to 

obtain written responses from State, 

USAID, and DHS officials responsible 

for programs in El Salvador, 

Guatemala, and Honduras. GAO 

reviewed, analyzed, and tabulated 

these agency officials’ responses.

What GAO Found

Department of State (State), U.S. Agency for International Development 

(USAID), and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials stationed in El 

Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras most commonly identified crime and 

violence and economic concerns as causes primarily responsible for the recent 

rapid increase in migration to the United States by unaccompanied alien children 

(UAC). These causes were followed by educational concerns, the desire for 

family reunification, and the role of smuggling networks, among others. Agency 

officials’ responses to a GAO set of questions showed little variance in attributing 

causes of UAC migration by country. The officials reported drawing on various 

sources of information to identify these causes, including conducting first-hand 

interviews with migrants and their families; meeting with host government and 

non-governmental agencies; and analyzing various data, reports, and other 

information sources. For example, the State and USAID officials’ responses for 

Honduras noted that the agencies had identified causes through a combination of 

surveys, discussions with government agencies and civil society organizations, 

anecdotal reports, and others.

The officials reported that agencies had developed new programs and modified 

existing programs to address the rapid increase in UAC migration in each of the 

three countries. They noted that most of these programs are specifically targeted 

to address identified causes of migration, such as crime and violence, lack of 

economic opportunities, and criminal networks that smuggle unaccompanied 

children. For example, DHS officials reported that the department had 

implemented Operation Coyote, an initiative active in all three countries to 

combat criminal organizations involved in UAC smuggling. According to agency 

officials, new and modified programs ranged in location from specific 

communities or cities to border areas to nation-wide or region-wide initiatives. 

State and USAID officials also noted that some of their efforts and strategic 

objectives that had been in place prior to the rapid increase in UAC migration 

focused on related issues such as economic development and crime reduction. 

Officials reported that they have undertaken various efforts to plan their 

responses to the increase in migration, including coordinating among U.S. 

agencies and with host governments. For example, agency officials from all three 

countries reported participating in UAC interagency working groups at each 

embassy. In addition, State and USAID officials said they have used DHS data 

on the location of origins of UAC to inform their efforts.

View GAO-15-362. For more information, 

contact David Gootnick at (202) 512-3149 or 

gootnickd@gao.gov
Page i GAO-15-362 Unaccompanied Children from Central America

Letter 1 

Background 2

Agency Officials Most Commonly Identified Violence and 

Economic Concerns among the Causes of Unaccompanied 

Child Migration to the United States 4

Agency Officials Report Developing New Programs and Activities 

and Modifying Existing Ones to Respond to the Rapid Increase 

in Unaccompanied Child Migration 9

Agency Comments and Our Evaluation 15

Appendix I Objectives, Scope, and Methodology 18

Appendix II GAO Contact and Staff Acknowledgments 20

Tables

Table 1: Examples of Three Agencies’ New Programs and 

Activities in Response to the Increase in Unaccompanied 

Alien Child (UAC) Migration 10

Table 2: Examples of Three Agencies’ Programs and Activities 

Modified in Response to the Increase in Unaccompanied 

Alien Child (UAC) Migration 11

Contents
Page ii GAO-15-362 Unaccompanied Children from Central America

Abbreviations

CARSI Central America Regional Security Initiative

CBP Customs and Border Protection

DHS Department of Homeland Security

UAC unaccompanied alien children

USAID U.S. Agency for International Development

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Page 1 GAO-15-362 Unaccompanied Children from Central America

441 G St. N.W.

Washington, DC 20548

February 27, 2015

Congressional Requesters:

Since 2012, there has been a rapid increase in the number of 

unaccompanied alien children (UAC) apprehended at the U.S.-Mexican 

border.1

El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras face various socioeconomic 

challenges, which the United States is seeking to address through 

assistance efforts. In fiscal year 2014, U.S. Agency for International 

Development (USAID) and State Department (State) bilateral assistance 

was about $22 million to El Salvador, $60 million to Guatemala, and $42 

million to Honduras. The U.S. government also provides additional 

assistance through regional programs, such as the Central America 

Regional Security Initiative (CARSI). In addition, the Millennium 

Challenge Corporation has a $277 million compact with El Salvador and a 

$15.7 million threshold program with Honduras.

According to the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) 

Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the number of UAC from any 

country apprehended at the U.S.-Mexican border climbed from more than 

24,000 in fiscal year 2012 to nearly 39,000 in fiscal year 2013, and to 

nearly 69,000 in fiscal year 2014. Prior to fiscal year 2012, the majority of 

UAC apprehended at the border were Mexican nationals. However, more 

than half of the UAC apprehended at the border in fiscal year 2013, and

about 75 percent (nearly 51,000) of UAC apprehended in fiscal year 

2014, were nationals of El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras, 

according to DHS/CBP.

2

We were asked to review issues related to U.S. assistance to Central 

America addressing the rapid increase in migration of UAC from El 

 

1

U.S. law defines an unaccompanied alien child, or UAC, as “a child who has no lawful 

immigration status in the United States; has not attained 18 years of age; and with respect 

to whom there is no parent or legal guardian in the United States or no parent or legal 

guardian in the United States available to provide care and physical custody.” 6 U.S.C. § 

279(g)(2). 

2

A compact is a multiyear agreement between the Millennium Challenge Corporation and 

an eligible country to fund specific programs targeted at reducing poverty and stimulating 

economic growth. The corporation’s threshold program is designed to assist countries that 

have not yet qualified for compact assistance but have demonstrated a significant 

commitment to improving their performance on the corporation’s eligibility criteria.
 

Page 2 GAO-15-362 Unaccompanied Children from Central America

Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras to the United States. This report 

identifies U.S. mission-level efforts to (1) identify causes of the rapid 

increase in migration of unaccompanied children and (2) address the 

causes identified. We will be issuing a separate report at a later date that 

examines agencies’ assistance targeting and performance evaluation.

To address the objectives for this review, we developed a set of questions 

to obtain written responses from State, USAID, and DHS officials 

responsible for programs in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras.3

We conducted this performance audit from September 2014 to February 

2015 in accordance with generally accepted government auditing 

standards. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to 

obtain sufficient, appropriate evidence to provide a reasonable basis for 

our findings and conclusions based on our audit objectives. We believe 

that the evidence obtained provides a reasonable basis for our findings 

and conclusions based on our audit objectives.

Specifically, we obtained responses reflecting the perspectives of the 

three ambassadors, regarding State efforts; the three mission directors, 

regarding USAID efforts; and the three country attachés, regarding DHS 

efforts. We reviewed, analyzed, and tabulated all agency responses.

El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras—the countries with the greatest 

increase in migrating UAC—face numerous socioeconomic challenges. 

According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, these 

countries were among the top five countries with the highest homicide 

rates worldwide in 2012. In addition, according to 2011 World Bank data, 

more than 60 percent of Hondurans, more than 50 percent of 

Guatemalans, and 30 percent of Salvadorans live below the poverty level. 

Moreover, government officials from the three countries noted in their 

2014 regional plan that income inequality presents a major challenge, as 

 

3

We also contacted the Millennium Challenge Corporation about its programs in El 

Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras. Millennium Challenge Corporation officials’ noted 

that the corporation’s recently signed compact with El Salvador and proposed threshold 

program with Guatemala may address some causes of migration such as lack of 

economic and educational opportunities. However, these officials noted that it is not within 

the corporation’s mandate to directly address migration issues and that the corporation 

has not modified its compact program to address the recent rapid increase in 

unaccompanied child migration. Therefore, we did not include Millennium Challenge 

Corporation efforts in the body of this report. 

Background
 

Page 3 GAO-15-362 Unaccompanied Children from Central America

20 percent of the wealthiest segments of the population account for more 

than half of overall income.4 These officials also identified a limited supply 

and quality of services in housing, early childhood health care, nutrition, 

and child development as among the main challenges to development, 

while also noting that weaknesses in the countries’ educational systems 

have resulted in workforces with less schooling and more limited skills as 

compared with those of other countries in the region. Finally, all three 

countries rank below the regional average on Transparency 

International’s Corruption Perception Index.5

In fiscal years 2013 and 2014, combined, State and USAID bilateral 

assistance was about $49 million for El Salvador, more than $141 million 

for Guatemala, and more than $93 million for Honduras. The U.S. 

government also provides additional assistance through regional 

programs, such as CARSI. CARSI funds activities to improve law 

enforcement capabilities, prevent crime and violence, and deter and 

detect border criminal activity, among other efforts, in Belize, Costa Rica, 

El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama. Between 

fiscal years 2008 and 2014, U.S. agencies allocated more than $800 

million for CARSI activities from various accounts. We previously reported 

that, through June 2013, more than 50 percent of funds allocated for 

CARSI activities had been designated for activities in El Salvador, 

Guatemala, and Honduras.6

 

4

Plan of the Alliance for Prosperity in the Northern Triangle: A Road Map. Regional Plan 

Prepared by El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras. September 2014.

In addition, the Millennium Challenge 

Corporation signed a $277 million compact with El Salvador in September 

2014, with projects aimed at investing in El Salvador’s regulatory systems 

to enhance investment opportunities, in human capital to improve the 

quality of education, and in physical capital to reduce transportation and 

logistics costs. The corporation also has a $15.7 million threshold 

program with Honduras, with projects to increase the efficiency and 

transparency of public financial management and public-private 

partnerships.

5

The Corruption Perception Index ranks countries around the world according to the 

degree of corruption that is perceived to exist among public officials and politicians on an 

annual basis. A lower ranking means a higher degree of corruption is perceived to exist.

6

GAO, Central America: U.S. Agencies Considered Various Factors in Funding Security 

Activities, but Need to Assess Progress in Achieving Interagency Objectives, GAO-13-771 

(Washington, D.C.: Sept. 25, 2013). 
 

Page 4 GAO-15-362 Unaccompanied Children from Central America

The administration has taken recent action related to these three 

countries. On November 14, 2014, the administration announced an incountry refugee/parole program in El Salvador, Guatemala, and 

Honduras, which has since begun. The program is intended to allow 

certain parents who are lawfully present in the United States to request 

access to the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program for their children still 

living in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras.

State, USAID, and DHS officials stationed in El Salvador, Guatemala, and 

Honduras most commonly identified crime and violence and economic 

concerns as causes primarily responsible for the rapid increase in UAC 

migration to the United States, followed by educational concerns, the 

desire for family reunification, and the role of smuggling networks. Family 

dysfunction and migrants’ perceptions of U.S. immigration policy were 

among other causes the agency officials identified. A State official noted 

that individual migrants are likely to be driven to migrate by a mixture of 

these causes. The responses showed little variance in attributing the 

causes of migration by country. Agency officials reported drawing on 

various sources of information to identify these causes, ranging from 

conducting first-hand interviews to analyzing various statistical data.

• Crime and violence: All nine of the State, USAID, and DHS officials’ 

responses identified crime and violence as a cause. Agency officials’ 

responses noted that gangs, drug trafficking, and criminal 

organizations contributed to the crime and violence. For example, the 

State official’s response for Honduras noted that gang activities, such 

as extortion and forced conscription, affect Hondurans of all economic 

levels. The USAID officials’ responses for El Salvador and Guatemala 

characterized crime and violence as growing concerns. The USAID 

officials’ responses also noted that El Salvador’s national and local 

governments’ inability to respond to violence and gang activity, and 

Guatemala’s generally weak rule of law, contributed to the effects of 

violence on the population. In addition, the USAID official’s response 

for El Salvador noted gang violence limits foreign direct investment, 

limiting economic opportunities and exacerbating poverty.

• Economic concerns: All State, USAID, and DHS officials’ responses 

identified economic concerns, including lack of economic opportunity 

and high poverty levels, as a cause. Both the State official’s response 

for Honduras and the USAID official’s response for Guatemala noted 

that economic opportunities for many farmers in both countries have 

been increasingly threatened or eliminated because of the recent 

Agency Officials Most 

Commonly Identified 

Violence and 

Economic Concerns 

among the Causes of 

Unaccompanied Child 

Migration to the 

United States
 

Page 5 GAO-15-362 Unaccompanied Children from Central America

spread of the coffee rust fungus, which has increased in the past 2 

years and has hurt coffee production.7

• Educational concerns: Eight of nine State, USAID, and DHS officials’ 

responses identified educational concerns, including low quality of or 

limited access to education, as a cause. Most agency officials’ 

responses identified economic and educational concerns as 

interconnected causes of migration. For example, USAID officials’ 

responses noted that in El Salvador the poorly performing educational 

system fails to provide the necessary skills for children to obtain jobs, 

leading to increased migration, while in Honduras, youth who work or 

go to school generally are less likely to consider migrating.

Specifically, the USAID 

official’s response reported that the fungus has affected 70 percent of 

Guatemala’s coffee crop and resulted in the loss of 100,000 jobs and 

a reduction in coffee output of 15 percent. The State official’s 

response for Honduras also noted that high income disparity and 

unemployment affect urban areas as well.

• Family reunification: Eight of nine State, USAID, and DHS officials’ 

responses identified the desire to reunify with family as a cause. The 

State official’s response for Guatemala noted that unaccompanied 

child migrants may seek to reunify with a parent or family member in 

the United States, while the State official’s response for Honduras 

noted the desire for reunification and the belief that minors would be 

allowed to remain in the United States indefinitely increased the 

migration of unaccompanied children.

• Role of smuggling organizations: Eight of nine State, USAID, and 

DHS officials’ responses identified the role of smuggling networks as 

a cause. Agency officials responded that human smugglers have 

increasingly influenced the rate of migration through more aggressive

and misleading marketing approaches. For example, the State 

official’s response for El Salvador noted that smugglers increased 

migration demand this past summer by providing false or misleading 

information on the ease of migration. The State official’s response for 

Guatemala noted these same tactics by smugglers, along with rising 

crime and an improving U.S economy, likely drove this summer’s 

increase of UAC migrants from Guatemala. The State official’s 

response for Honduras noted that smugglers increased their recruiting 

 

7

Coffee is a leading export in Guatemala and Honduras.
 

Page 6 GAO-15-362 Unaccompanied Children from Central America

of child migrants in the spring of 2014, taking advantage of 

Hondurans’ desire to reunite with family members in the United 

States, as well as Hondurans’ perceptions that changes in U.S. 

immigration law would ease paths to citizenship for Hondurans in the 

United States. USAID and DHS officials’ responses for El Salvador 

described increasing efforts by smugglers to employ savvy marketing 

tactics in appealing to youth and their families.

• Domestic dysfunction or abuse: Family dysfunction, breakdowns in 

family structures, or domestic abuse was identified as a cause in six 

agency officials’ responses across all three countries. The State 

official’s response for Honduras noted that a large percentage of 

children do not live with their parents, that grandmothers often care for 

numerous grandchildren, and that domestic violence and sexual 

abuse are widespread. The USAID official’s response for El Salvador 

reported a similar dynamic, with children left in the care of nonparents, creating instability or uncertainty for youth who turn to crime, 

drugs, or migration. The USAID official’s response for Honduras noted 

that such circumstances fuel children’s and parent’s desire to reunify 

in the United States.

• Perceptions of U.S. immigration policy: Five agency officials’ 

responses across all three countries identified migrants’ perceptions 

of U.S. immigration policies as a primary cause of UAC migration. For 

example, the State official’s response for Honduras reported that 

some Hondurans believed that comprehensive immigration reform in 

the United States would lead to a path to citizenship for anyone living 

in the United States at the time of reform. The USAID official’s 

response for Honduras reported that some Hondurans believe that 

unaccompanied children would be reunited with their families and 

allowed to stay in the United States. Also, as noted above, the State 

officials’ responses for El Salvador and Guatemala noted smugglers 

spread misinformation about U.S. immigration policies, creating 

misperceptions among migrants.

• Effects of prior Honduran migration: The USAID and DHS officials’ 

responses for Honduras identified the effects of the global economic 

crisis compounded by the Honduran political crisis in 2009 and 2010 

as a cause of UAC migration. The USAID official’s response noted 

that because of the combined crises large numbers of Hondurans 

immigrated to the United States and that these migrants now have the 

means to send for the children they left in Honduras.
 

Page 7 GAO-15-362 Unaccompanied Children from Central America

• Mistrust of national police: The USAID and DHS officials’ responses 

for Honduras identified mistrust of the national police as a cause. The 

USAID official’s response noted that this lack of trust exacerbates the 

hopelessness many feel regarding violence in their neighborhoods, 

leading to increased migration.

• Lack of youth services: The USAID and DHS officials’ responses for 

Honduras also identified the lack of organizations committed to 

counseling youth against migration as a cause.

Agency officials’ responses showed little variance in causes of migration 

by country, though, as noted above, three causes were identified only by 

agency officials responding from Honduras.

• El Salvador: Agency officials did not identify one cause as most 

responsible for the rapid increase in migration in El Salvador. The 

State official’s response noted the causes are multiple and vary 

among individuals, but that violence, economic and educational 

concerns, and the desire for family reunification are the primary 

drivers. The USAID official’s response identified growing violence and 

crime, including violence and crime due to gang activity, as a primary 

cause, and noted that gang violence negatively affected economic 

growth and exacerbated poverty.

• Guatemala: USAID officials identified the lack of economic 

opportunity, in particular, as the leading cause of UAC migration in 

Guatemala. The State official’s response noted that the Western 

Highlands of Guatemala and areas around Guatemala City were the 

main areas of child migration concern, because of poverty in the 

former, and crime and violence in the latter. Furthermore, the USAID 

official’s response noted poverty in the Western Highlands is also 

affected by factors other than economic issues, including lack of 

adequate health services, insufficient access to secondary education 

and vocational training, and weak governance structures that do not 

allow for adequate citizen participation. In addition, this response 

noted that violence caused by organized crime and gangs drove the 

migration of youth in urban areas such as Guatemala City, while 

domestic violence was a more prevalent factor in driving youth 

migration in the Western Highlands. The USAID official’s response 

stated that in certain areas the majority of child migrants are from the 

middle-class, as the extremely poor cannot afford smugglers’ fees.

Agency Officials Reported 

Little Variance in Causes 

of Migration by Country
 

Page 8 GAO-15-362 Unaccompanied Children from Central America

• Honduras: The DHS official’s response stated that violence is the 

main factor affecting UAC migration. The State and USAID officials’ 

responses reported that most communities from which child migrants 

come are in low-income, high-violence urban areas, and that 

economic concerns are likely a greater cause of migration in rural 

areas. The State official’s response also stated it is believed that 

smugglers focused their marketing activities on the northern part of 

the country. Three causes—effects of the prior Honduran migration, 

mistrust of the national police, and lack of youth services—were 

identified by agency officials’ responses only for Honduras.

Agency officials’ responses indicated they identified these causes of 

migration by synthesizing various sources of information, ranging from 

first-hand discussions with deportees or youth considered to be potential 

migrants to analyses of literature and statistical data. One or more agency 

officials’ responses reported using the following information sources to 

identify causes of the rapid increase in migration of unaccompanied 

children from El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras to the United 

States:

• discussions with deportees, including unaccompanied children, and 

with migrants’ family members;

• USAID-sponsored focus groups composed of youth and community 

leaders, conducted at various locations in all three countries;

• meetings with host country government officials, civil society 

organizations, and other stakeholder entities involved in child 

migration issues;

• intelligence on criminal networks’ smuggling efforts;

• homicide data;

• surveys;

• DHS and USAID data on origins of unaccompanied children;

• agency and implementing partner assessments of various sectors and 

target communities; and

• studies published by various organizations including the United 

Nations, universities, and USAID contractors.

Agency Officials Used a 

Variety of Sources to 

Identify Causes of 

Migration
 

Page 9 GAO-15-362 Unaccompanied Children from Central America

Officials from all three agencies reported that they had used at least two 

of the above information sources for corroboration in identifying causes of 

migration. For example:

• The State official’s response for Honduras reported that State 

identified causes through a combination of surveys, discussions with 

government agencies and civil society organizations, anecdotal 

reports, and other sources.

• The USAID official’s response for El Salvador reported that USAID 

corroborated findings resulting from focus group discussions through 

discussions with host government officials and other stakeholders 

such as religious leaders. The USAID official’s response for El 

Salvador also noted the focus groups included participants from 

locations that had been included in a DHS-produced map of the 

locations of origin of unaccompanied child migrants.

• The DHS official’s response for Guatemala reported that DHS 

identified causes through discussions with government officials, 

stakeholders, and deported children while also reviewing a number of 

reports and studies to help shape the assessment.

State, USAID, and DHS officials in El Salvador, Guatemala, and 

Honduras reported that they had both developed new programs and 

modified or shifted the priorities of existing programs to address the rapid 

increase in UAC migration from each of the three countries. Most State 

and USAID officials’ responses noted that the agencies drew on existing 

funds, such as by shifting mission resources, in developing or modifying 

these programs. According to the officials, these programs ranged in 

location from specific communities or cities to border areas to nationwide 

or regionwide initiatives.

State, USAID, and DHS officials reported identifying or developing new 

programs or activities in all three countries. Agency officials reported that 

most but not all of these programs are specifically targeted to address 

causes of the rapid increase in UAC migration, such as crime and 

violence, lack of economic opportunities, and criminal networks that 

Agency Officials 

Report Developing 

New Programs and 

Activities and 

Modifying Existing 

Ones to Respond to 

the Rapid Increase in 

Unaccompanied Child 

Migration

New Programs and 

Activities
 

Page 10 GAO-15-362 Unaccompanied Children from Central America

smuggle unaccompanied children. Some of these programs are still being 

planned. See table 1 for examples of these programs.8

Table 1: Examples of Three Agencies’ New Programs and Activities in Response to the Increase in Unaccompanied Alien 

Child (UAC) Migration

Agency and 

country Program description Program location

Agency-identified cause of 

migration addressed by 

program

Funding, as 

reported by agency

State 

El Salvador Improved border inspection 

program

Along Salvadoran border, 

particularly blind spots 

between six primary 

immigration checkpoints

Agency did not specifically 

link program to identified 

cause of migration

$500,000

Guatemala Public outreach radio 

campaign

Western Highlands Misinformation concerning 

U.S. immigration policy

$10,000

Honduras Training program for 

prosecutors and judges

Countrywide Smuggling networks $25,000

USAID

El Salvador Provide rehabilitation 

services to youth in conflict 

with the law

To be determined—three 

of the largest UAC 

communities of origin

Crime and violence $1.9 million (estimate)

Guatemala Introduction of coffee rustresistant seedlings to 

Western Highlands 

communities

Western Highlands Poverty and lack of 

economic opportunity, 

specifically addressing 

spread of coffee rust fungus

Not specified

El Salvador, 

Guatemala, 

Honduras

Reception and repatriation 

assistance

Returnee in-processing 

facilities

Lack of youth services $7.6 million for the 

three countries

DHS

El Salvador, 

Guatemala, 

Honduras

Operation Coyote, targeting 

criminal organizations 

involved in child smuggling

El Salvador, Guatemala, 

Honduras, Panama

Smuggling networks Not specified

El Salvador, 

Guatemala, 

Honduras

Dangers of the Journey 

Campaign to discourage 

illegal migration of 

unaccompanied minors 

a

El Salvador, Guatemala, 

Honduras

Smugglers and 

misperceptions concerning 

U.S. immigration policy.

Not specified

Source: GAO analysis of U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)-, State-, and Department of Homeland Security (DHS)-reported data. | GAO-15-362

a

 

8

We selected the programs included in table 1 from a larger list for purposes of illustrating 

different types of new programs that address different causes, which agency officials 

reported.

DHS provided this program example in its comments on a draft of this report.
 

Page 11 GAO-15-362 Unaccompanied Children from Central America

State, USAID, and DHS officials also reported modifying programs or 

activities in all three countries. As with the new programs discussed 

above, the agency officials reported that most but not all of these modified 

programs are intended to address causes of the rapid increase in UAC 

migration, such as crime and violence, lack of educational opportunities, 

and misinformation spread by child smuggling networks on migration. See 

table 2 for examples of these programs.9

Table 2: Examples of Three Agencies’ Programs and Activities Modified in Response to the Increase in Unaccompanied Alien 

Child (UAC) Migration

Agency and 

country Program description Program location

Causes of migration

addressed by program

Funding, as 

reported by agency

State 

El Salvador Partial funding for 

Salvadoran government 

campaign against 

undocumented immigration 

and the dangers of the 

journey north

Countrywide Misinformation by human 

smugglers 

$140,000

Guatemala Municipal policing project Western Highlands, border 

region

Crime and violence $2.2 million; can draw 

on other funding if 

needed

Honduras Vetted units and task forces 

to intercept child migrants 

and smugglers

All along Honduran border 

with El Salvador and 

Guatemala

Smuggling networks $600,000

USAID

El Salvador Improve school infrastructure 

and educational resources

51 municipalities including 

those with high numbers of 

UAC

Crime and violence $6.1 million

Guatemala Crime prevention 

programming

Active in high-crime 

municipalities; would be 

expanded to Western 

Highlands communities with 

rising violence levels

Crime and violence Not specified

Honduras Improving education for work 

and learning (program 

extension)

San Pedro Sula, 

Tegucigalpa, La Ceiba 

(three of the largest cities in 

Honduras)

Lack of educational 

opportunities

$3 million

 

9

We selected the programs included in table 2 from a larger list for purposes of illustrating 

different types of modified programs that address different causes, which agency officials 

reported.

Modified Programs and 

Activities
 

Page 12 GAO-15-362 Unaccompanied Children from Central America

Agency and 

country Program description Program location

Causes of migration

addressed by program

Funding, as 

reported by agency

DHS

El Salvador, 

Guatemala, 

Honduras

Transnational criminal 

investigative units targeted 

to address smuggling

El Salvador, Guatemala, 

Honduras, Panama

Smuggling networks Not specified

El Salvador, 

Guatemala, 

Honduras

Dangers of the Journey 

Campaign to discourage 

illegal migration of 

unaccompanied minors 

a

El Salvador, Guatemala, 

Honduras

Smugglers and 

misperceptions concerning 

U.S. immigration policy.

Not specified

Source: GAO analysis of U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)-, State-, and Department of Homeland Security (DHS)-reported data. | GAO-15-362

a

DHS provided this program example in its comments on a draft of this report.

State officials in all three countries also reported diplomatic outreach 

efforts conducted in response to the rapid increase in UAC migration. For 

example, the State official’s response for El Salvador noted that State, 

USAID, and DHS officials periodically meet with host government officials 

to coordinate messaging intended to warn Salvadorans about the 

dangers of the journey to the United States, among other issues. The 

State official’s response for Guatemala noted that high-level visits have 

played an important role in raising the profile of the UAC issue with the 

host government. The State official’s response for Honduras noted that 

the embassy modified its diplomatic engagement to focus on this issue 

and that addressing the UAC issue became the embassy’s highest 

priority in June, July, and August 2014. The response also noted 

embassy staff met with the highest levels of the Honduran government on 

at least a weekly basis to focus on this issue and supported weekly visits 

from congressional delegations and executive branch officials. In addition, 

in commenting on a draft of this report, State noted that several high-level 

meetings and trips to the region involving the U.S. President, Vice 

President, Secretary of State, and other State officials, as well as 

Salvadoran, Guatemalan, and Honduran government officials, 

demonstrated that the issue was a priority. 

Although State and USAID officials reported developing and modifying 

programs in response to the rapid increase in UAC migration, these 

agency officials also noted that their pre-existing efforts and strategic 

objectives, which had been in place prior to the rapid increase in 

migration, addressed related issues.

• USAID officials’ responses for all three countries noted that the 

agency’s pre-existing programs or strategic objectives focus on 

causes of the rapid increase in child migration, particularly reducing 

violence and increasing educational opportunities and economic 

Pre-existing Programs and 

Activities
 

Page 13 GAO-15-362 Unaccompanied Children from Central America

growth. For example, the USAID official’s response for El Salvador 

noted its recently approved country development cooperation strategy 

focuses on many issues directly related to the rapid increase in child 

migration to the United States, with development objectives focusing 

on reducing violence and economic growth. The USAID official’s 

response for Guatemala also noted that the development objectives of 

its country development cooperation strategy focus on economic 

growth and improving social development in the Western Highlands 

and on increasing security and justice in Guatemala with an emphasis 

on municipalities that experience high levels of violent crime. For 

example, in Guatemala, USAID is working to provide alternative basic 

education opportunities for out-of-school youth in the Western 

Highlands, and to improve education quality by supporting the Ministry 

of Education in several areas such as teacher training. Similarly, the 

USAID official’s response for Honduras noted that its principal 

objectives in its recently approved country development strategy are 

improving citizen security and reducing extreme poverty. 

• The State official’s response for El Salvador noted that the 

department’s Partnership for Growth bilateral initiative has, since 

2011, sought to address, among other issues, crime and the need for 

improved education, which State identified as causes of child 

migration. Similarly, the State official’s response for Guatemala noted 

that the post already had in place programs addressing causes of 

migration such as violence and poverty. Specifically, the State 

official’s response outlined a number of post efforts intended to 

increase economic activity in Guatemala, such as by encouraging 

U.S. businesses to invest in Guatemala and providing assistance to 

Guatemalan entrepreneurs. In addition, the State official’s response 

outlined post activities to strengthen police and judicial sector entities, 

which are aimed at reducing violence.

State, USAID, and DHS officials reported that they have undertaken 

various efforts to plan their responses to the increase in migration, 

including coordinating among U.S. agencies and with host governments. 

For example, agency officials for all three countries reported participating 

in UAC interagency working groups at each embassy. Agency officials 

reported that these working groups enabled them to share information, 

discuss strategy, and coordinate the interagency response. In addition, 

agency officials reported they have taken various steps to assess host 

country needs related to the rapid increase in migration. For example:

Planning Efforts
 

Page 14 GAO-15-362 Unaccompanied Children from Central America

• The State and USAID officials’ responses for Honduras noted they 

had requested information on assistance needs from the First Lady of 

Honduras, who heads the country’s unaccompanied child migration 

task force.

• The USAID officials’ responses for all three countries reported that, to 

help shape the agency’s assistance efforts, it assessed all three host 

governments’ capacity to accept repatriated unaccompanied child 

migrants.

• The DHS official’s response for Guatemala reported that DHS officials 

in Guatemala hold periodic meetings with host government officials to 

identify possible needs in areas such as addressing the flow of 

migrants across the border and combating criminal organizations 

operating out of the country.

In addition, State and USAID officials said they have used DHS data on 

the locations of origin of UAC to help inform their identification of the 

causes of migration or programming decisions, in conjunction with other 

sources of information. Specifically, the State officials’ written responses 

for Guatemala and Honduras indicate that DHS data on the origins of 

UAC migrants informed the agency’s identification of causes of migration. 

Moreover, State officials in Washington, D.C., told us that, when they 

began reprioritizing programs in the summer of 2014 in response to the 

rapid increase in unaccompanied child migration, they consulted DHS’s 

map on UAC locations of origin to help determine where to locate 

programs. In addition, the USAID official’s response for Honduras 

referenced DHS’s map of UAC by location of origin when discussing the 

variance of causes of UAC migration across Honduras. The USAID 

official’s response for Guatemala indicated that the map informed agency 

efforts to locate new programs.

According to CBP, Border Patrol agents obtain information on UAC 

origins by interviewing children—or, in some cases, those traveling with 

them—who have been apprehended at the U.S. border. According to 

CBP officials, there are various challenges to obtaining UAC location 

information. These challenges can include the following:

• The children can be so young that they do not know where they are 

from.

• The children may offer the name of the largest city near where they 

are from if they are in fact from a small village near the city.
 

Page 15 GAO-15-362 Unaccompanied Children from Central America

• There can be a language barrier. Not all agents are equally fluent in 

Spanish. In addition, State noted that agents may not be fluent in the 

indigenous languages spoken by many UACs, and that UACs may 

report their community of origin by its indigenous name. 

• The children usually do not have documents indicating where they 

came from.

• Smugglers can coach the children to provide a certain location.

CBP officials indicated that if the child does not know where he or she is 

from, the agent may enter the child’s description of his or her home 

geography into the database field or simply enter the name of the country. 

In May and July 2014, DHS’s Office of Intelligence and Analysis produced 

two maps of UAC locations of origin based on data it obtained from CBP. 

Although the first DHS map produced in May 2014 did not include any 

caveats about the challenges in obtaining this information, the second 

map produced in July 2014 included language that noted, among other 

things, that locations in the data were self-reported.10The USAID official’s 

response for Honduras noted that, in Honduras, USAID and DHS are 

working with the government to improve its intake, analysis, and mapping 

of returnees’ communities of origin.

We are not making any recommendations in this report. We provided 

State, USAID, DHS, and MCC a draft of this report for advance review 

and comment. The agencies did not provide written comments. State, 

USAID, and DHS provided technical comments, which we have 

incorporated, as appropriate.

We are sending copies of this report to interested congressional 

committees. We are also sending copies to the Secretaries of State and 

Homeland Security, the Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International 

Development, and the Chief Executive Officer of the Millennium 

Challenge Corporation. In addition, this report will be available at no 

charge on the GAO web site at http://www.gao.gov. 

 

10We plan to further analyze agencies’ use of UAC location of origin data and other 

information as it informs assistance targeting and performance evaluation, and we will 

report on the results of our analysis later this year.

Agency Comments 

and Our Evaluation
 

Page 16 GAO-15-362 Unaccompanied Children from Central America

If you or your staff has any questions about this report, please contact me 

at (202) 512-3149 or gootnickd@gao.gov. Contact points for our Offices 

of Congressional Relations and Public Affairs may be found on the last 

page of this report. GAO staff who made major contributions to this report 

are listed in appendix II.

Sincerely yours,

David Gootnick

Director

International Affairs and Trade
 

Page 17 GAO-15-362 Unaccompanied Children from Central America

List of Requesters

The Honorable Eliot L. Engel

Ranking Member

Committee on Foreign Affairs

House of Representatives

The Honorable Chris Smith

Chairman

Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, 

Global Human Rights and International Organizations

Committee on Foreign Affairs

House of Representatives

The Honorable Albio Sires

Ranking Member

Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere

Committee on Foreign Affairs

House of Representatives

The Honorable Joaquin Castro

House of Representatives

The Honorable Sean Duffy

House of Representatives
Appendix I: Objectives, Scope, and 

Methodology

Page 18 GAO-15-362 Unaccompanied Children from Central America

We examined U.S. mission-level efforts to (1) identify causes of the rapid 

increase in migration of unaccompanied children and (2) address the 

causes identified. To address these objectives, we developed a set of 

questions to obtain written responses from mission heads and other U.S. 

agency officials responsible for programs in El Salvador, Guatemala, and 

Honduras about the causes they identified for the rapid increase in 

unaccompanied child migration and the actions they have taken in these 

three countries to address those causes. Specifically, we obtained 

responses reflecting the perspectives of the following agency officials in 

each of the three countries: the ambassadors, regarding Department of 

State (State) efforts; the mission directors, regarding U.S. Agency for 

International Development (USAID) efforts; and the country attachés, 

regarding Department of Homeland Security (DHS) efforts. These officials 

had been designated by their respective agencies as appropriate sources 

of information about programs in their respective countries. We also 

contacted Millennium Challenge Corporation officials responsible for 

programs in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras. However, these 

officials noted that it is not within the corporation’s mandate to directly 

address migration issues and that the corporation has not modified its 

compact program to address the recent rapid increase in unaccompanied 

child migration. Therefore, we did not include Millennium Challenge 

Corporation efforts in this report. This report includes the nine responses 

from State, USAID, and DHS officials.

We reviewed, analyzed, and tabulated the nine State, USAID, and DHS 

officials’ responses. Specifically, to count the causes agency officials 

most commonly identified as primarily responsible for the rapid increase 

in unaccompanied alien child (UAC) migration from El Salvador, 

Guatemala, and Honduras to the United States, two analysts separately 

coded and verified all nine agency officials’ responses. One analyst first 

coded all agency officials’ responses by type of cause identified. A 

second analyst then reviewed this coding structure. Any initial 

disagreements in coding were reconciled between the two analysts. In 

addition, agency officials reported funding information for some programs 

developed or modified in response to the rapid increase in UAC 

migration. However, we did not assess the reliability of the funding data 

reported by agency officials for this report, and are providing it for 

background and context only. We also interviewed agency officials in 

Washington, D.C.

We conducted this performance audit from September 2014 to February 

2015 in accordance with generally accepted government auditing 

standards. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to 

Appendix I: Objectives, Scope, and 

Methodology
Appendix I: Objectives, Scope, and 

Methodology

Page 19 GAO-15-362 Unaccompanied Children from Central America

obtain sufficient, appropriate evidence to provide a reasonable basis for 

our findings and conclusions based on our audit objectives. We believe 

that the evidence obtained provides a reasonable basis for our findings 
Appendix II: GAO Contact and Staff 

Acknowledgments

Page 20 GAO-15-362 Unaccompanied Children from Central America

David Gootnick, (202) 512-3149 or gootnickd@gao.gov

In addition to the contact named above, Judith Williams, Assistant 

Director; Joe Carney, Rachel Girshick, Claudia Rodriguez, Ashley Alley, 

Martin De Alteriis, and Seyda Wentworth made key contributions to this 

report.

Appendix II: GAO Contact and Staff 

Acknowledgments

GAO Contact:

Staff 

Acknowledgments:

(321051)
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