El Salvador is a country full of wonder with beautiful scenery and amazing people. I’m excited to be going back this week to see my family and bask in the splendor of the country. It has natural wonders like its majestic black sand beaches and ancient Mayan ruins. Foodies will rejoice in tasting traditional pupusas and panes rellenos. Above all else, I’m going to be able catch up with family I haven’t seen in years. There’s so much I’m looking forward to!
At the same time, I can’t help feeling a bit anxious ahead of my trip because of the gang violence that’s run rampant. I haven’t been back in over 5 years because of the violent stories I hear from my family and through the media. And yet, there are countless innocent people living in the country who live with that fear every day. This fear comes after lives were threatened or lost. I respect those who act and look for a different way forward.
During the uproar around the family separation policy, it was disheartening to hear comments deriding parents for bringing their children across the border. I want to believe these opinions come from ignorance and hope that, with more information, many people would have changes of heart. I consider these parents to be heroes for heading to the U.S. knowing the dangers they’d face on their journey.
These families left EVERYTHING behind for a shot at better lives for themselves and their families. Their countries have so many great people, places, and things to be proud of. That’s not why people leave. They don’t want to leave.
I don’t think people grasp the significance of what it means to travel with nothing but the clothes on your back knowing you may never recover what you lost. Imagine growing up in a town with friends and family to support and guide you. Think about the prized possessions you can’t live without. Imagine the dreams you have for your family and yourself. Now try to imagine circumstances that would push you to throw away the precious people, places, and things in your lives.
People don’t want to leave everything and everybody they know to risk their lives on a possibly fruitless journey. They make these decisions because they had no other choice. When somebody must decide between a chance at a better future and living in danger on a daily basis, there really is no choice. I challenge that any one of us would make the same decision were we living in those circumstances. For those who leave, immigration isn’t a choice, it’s the only real way forward.
