MOSCOW, December 30 (Sputnik) — In 2014, the number of children deported from Mexico and the United States to Central America doubled from the year before, Notimerica agency reported Tuesday.
As many as 18,000 illegal child migrants have been sent back to Central America from Mexico and the United States this year, Notimerica reported, adding that the number of children returned to Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala has doubled over year.
Children that were sent back to their home countries often claim they were subject to physical and verbal abuse, Lucia Rodriguez, project coordinator for Save the Children fund in El Salvador said, Notimerica reported.
Immigration from Central America stemming from economic and political instability has been a long-standing issue for the United States. With the recent increase in activities of drug gangs in Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala, the number of migrants leaving these countries for the United States has grown.
According to statistics released by the US Department of Homeland Security on December 19, there have been almost 600,000 deportations from the United States this year, despite a slowing down in migration from Central America since 2013.