The Mouth of the Shark: Central American Mothers Seeking Refuge and Hope in the USA.

DATE: THUR. 14^TH OCT @ 4PM

Venue/Platform: Webinar by Zoom

Speaker: Professor Susan Terrio, Georgetown University, Washington, USA

Organised by (opens in a new window)Dr Ernesto Vasquez del Aguila as part of the School of Social Policy, Social Work and Social Justice seminar series, 2021-22

Abstract: Based on extensive interviews with undocumented mothers in U.S. immigration prisons and in U.S. communities, this paper centers on a group of Central American mothers who got caught up in the refugee crisis in the Northern Triangle countries of Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador. In an unprecedented exodus, these women fled their homes and sought protection in the United States as extortion and killings by criminal groups soared, the abuse and murder of women exploded at home and in the streets, and the rule of law disintegrated. Leaving children behind with family members, these mothers headed north to work so they could support their children while making plans to bring them to the U.S. Their ambitious plans were often thwarted for years because of the militarized southern border, restrictive immigration policies, low job earnings, and escalating smuggling fees. Reunited in the U.S. after years of separation and facing enhanced enforcement operations, the mothers describe why they left home and how they attempt to build secure lives in the U.S. without legal status.

For more information please email (opens in a new window)Ernesto.vasquezdelaguila@ucd.ie