By Chris van der Borgh and Wim Savenije

This paper analyses a government-facilitated truce, begun in 2012, between El Salvador’s three principal street gangs. Using field theory and securitisation theory, it maps the evolution of the truce, distinguishing between the three related processes of making the deal, keeping the truce, and resisting it. It analyses the complex and intriguing political processes in which various actors, such as gang leaders, government officials and international organisations, interacted with each other and made deals about the use and visibility of violence and ways of diminishing, preventing or hiding it.  

  Journal of Latin American Studies (2019), 51, 905–928 doi:1

By Jorgen M. Harris and Rhiannon Jerch  

  This paper estimates the effect of Temporary Protected Status (TPS), a temporary legalization policy, on the incomes and asset ownership of Salvadoran recipients over 20 years. We compare likely undocumented Salvadoran immigrants eligible for TPS to a control group of likely undocumented immigrants ineligible for TPS in a flexible event study design that allows us to observe growth dynamics in the policy’s effect over two decades. We find that earnings, homeownership, and the likelihood of using a car increased considerably for Salvadoran adults for at least 15 years following the granting of TPS. Our study suggests that even temporary and limited legal status can have substantial and sustained economic benefits for recipients.  

 Logan, UT: The Center for Growth and Opportunity at Utah State University , 2023.   54p.

Edited by Bryan Roberts , Cecilia Menjívar and Nestor P. Rodríguez

This volume focuses on recent experiences of return migration to Mexico and Central America from the United States. For most of the twentieth century, return migration to the US was a normal part of the migration process from Mexico and Central America, typically resulting in the eventual permanent settlement of migrants in the US. In recent years, however, such migration has become involuntary, as a growing proportion of return migration is taking place through formal orders of deportation. This book discusses return migration to Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras, addressing different reasons for return, whether voluntary or involuntary, and highlighting the unique challenges faced by returnees to each region. Particular emphasis is placed on the lack of government and institutional policies in place for returning migrants who wish to attain work, training, or shelter in their home countries. Finally, the authors take a look at the phenomenon of migrants who can never return because they have disappeared during the migration process. Through its multinational focus, diverse thematic outlook, and use of ethnographic and survey methods, this volume provides an original contribution to the topic of return migration and broadens the scope of the literature currently available.

Cham: Springer International Publishing, 2017. 187p.