The Migrant Experience

The story of Ernesto and Raul Flores, combined with Lauren Markham’s broader discussion of immigration from Central America, characterizes the migrant experience as one that is often traumatic for individuals. The trauma that immigrants like Ernesto and Raul experience is explored not only though the events of the journey north, but also with what happens at home before they decide to emigrate and in the United States after their physical journey has ended.

First of all, the impulse to migrate is often prompted and informed by trauma. In the case of Salvadorians and residents of the two other Northern Triangle countries, this trauma typically comes from the omnipresent threat of gang violence that surrounds them and the experiences of violence they are exposed to from a young age. Many migrants are likely traumatized before they even set out on the journey north. This journey in...