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A new study conducted by academics at the National Center for Risk and Economic Analysis of Terrorism Events (CREATE), at the University of Southern California, has confirmed that most of the Central Americans seeking asylum in Tijuana are actually just illegal immigrants, rather than refugees fleeing violence at home.
"Completing a 12-month study on immigration from El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras to the United States, researchers found that juvenile migrants are primarily motivated by economic opportunities and reunification with family members, while economics have motivated adult migrants. The study found mixed evidence on the impact of crime and violence on migration from these countries."
CREATE, along with the Institute for Defense Analyses, found that very few migrants at the border will actually be granted asylum into the U.S. It also found that most of the adults are likely coming for better jobs and more money, and the children are likely coming in hopes of reuniting with family already living in the states.
“The standard wisdom [that] it’s all about violence could not be supported by our data,” Detlof von Winterfeldt, a researcher at CREATE said.
The academics used myriad yardsticks to reach their conclusions, including surveys and polling of migrants.
“These findings suggest that there will be very little diversion of asylum seeker flow from the United States to Mexico if seeking asylum in the United States is not an option,” the study concluded.
Read the full report on CREATE USC.