The U.S. Strategy to Address the Root Causes of Migration in Central America, or Root Causes Strategy (RCS), launched in July 2021, focuses on the most commonly cited factors limiting progress in Central America, particularly those related to economic opportunity, human rights, governance and transparency, and crime and insecurity.
In the three years since the launch of the strategy, USAID has worked to expand economic opportunities, improve governance, tackle corruption, crime, and more, so more Guatemalans, Hondurans and Salvadorans may confidently build secure and prosperous lives at home. Our development assistance continues to support the people of Central America, and is increasingly locally driven and locally led so progress is sustained.
Emerging evidence shows that USAID programs can contribute to participants’ attitudes about migration and plans for their futures, conditioned on their ability to generate income for themselves and their families. This may contribute to a sustained decline in migration intentions from northern Central America over time.
USAID Results and Three Year Trends
Pillar I: Addressing economic insecurity and inequality
- Expanding economic opportunities. Against a challenging macroeconomic backdrop, in FY 2023 USAID supported more than 12,000 private firms to expand investment and increase employment in northern Central America, nearly doubling USAID’s reach since 2021. Since FY 2021, sales by supported firms have totaled nearly $1.26 billion. In FY 2023 alone, USAID’s support helped these businesses create or sustain more than 70,000 jobs in geographic areas of high out-migration, helping thousands to build wealth for themselves and their families close to home.
- Expanding access to quality education. USAID helped more than 3,600 teachers successfully transition from pandemic-era remote learning in 2021 to in-person schooling in 2023, and in FY 2023 reached more than 220,000 primary and secondary students in high out-migration municipalities in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras with programs aiming to improve math and reading skills, keep youth in school, and boost completion rates.
- EXAMPLE: In FY 2023 a USAID activity in Guatemala that recruited youth to serve as reading tutors for younger learners recorded a 17 point increase over baseline in the percentage of learners reaching grade-level reading proficiency.
- EXAMPLE: In FY 2023 a USAID activity in Guatemala that recruited youth to serve as reading tutors for younger learners recorded a 17 point increase over baseline in the percentage of learners reaching grade-level reading proficiency.
- Building vocational skills of underprivileged youth. Since 2021, about 30,000 youth from high out-migration municipalities have completed USAID-supported vocational training programs that reflect local labor market needs of Northern Central America, ensuring access to decent work post-graduation. Over the same period, more than 12,000 young people were employed in new jobs after completing their vocational training. In FY 2023 alone, nearly 15,000 youth–half the three-year total–from high out-migration municipalities have completed USAID-supported vocational training programs that reflect local labor market needs of northern Central America, ensuring access to decent work post-graduation.
- Enhancing agricultural productivity and finance. In FY 2023, more than 63,000 farmers in Guatemala and Honduras utilized innovative technologies to increase production and income on more than 75,000 acres of farmland, and USAID facilitated access to more than $57 million in private sector agricultural finance. USAID reached 43 percent more farmers in FY 2023 compared to FY 2021, and nearly tripled their access to finance in that same time, helping more farmers achieve greater income security and resilience to shocks, including environmental shocks.
- Addressing climate change. Since 2021 USAID has launched new programs in Guatemala and Honduras that have begun to help people and communities build resilience and reduce their vulnerability to the effects of climate change, which can exacerbate the root causes of irregular migration. In FY 2023, USAID programs in Honduras trained about 14,000 people in adaptation strategies and raised more than $600,000 in non-U.S. government finance for climate adaptation. In Guatemala, two programs launched in 2023 will complement USAID’s agriculture activities, which provide innovative, climate-smart technologies to farmers. In El Salvador, USAID built government capacity to mobilize resources and invest in climate-resilient infrastructure and disaster risk reduction.
Pillar II: Combating corruption, strengthening democratic governance, and advancing the rule of law
- Combating corruption. To help build citizens’ trust in institutions that can hold government officials accountable, USAID provides technical support to an average of about 5,000 government officials and non-governmental organization representatives each year to manage accountability systems and processes, take action against corrupt acts, and raise awareness of applicable ethical standards.
- EXAMPLE: In Guatemala, USAID’s support for establishing a new police anti-corruption division helped bring to trial 35 new cases involving bribery, abuse of authority, and dereliction of duty, resulting in the conviction and removal of 40 police officers. By supporting the National Civilian Police to channel corruption cases to investigative units, they were able to resolve more than half the backlog of complex cases.
- Strengthening government institutions. In FY 2023, USAID trained more than 3,000 justice sector personnel in northern Central America, doubling our reach since FY 2021. In FY 2023, we also helped improve systems in 36 courts in Guatemala and Honduras, giving citizens the confidence that perpetrators will be held accountable for their crimes. That technical support contributed to the following outcome:
- EXAMPLE: In Honduras, USAID support to 13 courts—including digitization of court case management systems—contributed to substantial reductions (more than 80 percent) in case processing times.
- Improving government services. USAID support to local government institutions and providers helped expand coverage and improve quality of services, boosting communities’ confidence in local institutions. For example, in FY 2023:
- EXAMPLE: In El Salvador, USAID support to 31 municipalities helped increase local resources for public services such as waste collection and public lighting, benefiting 200,000 citizens.
- Improving government services. In FY 2023, USAID supported national governments to receive and support nearly 150,000 returned migrants in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras, which promotes sustainable reintegration of these migrants into their communities. USAID also provided post-arrival humanitarian assistance (such as hygiene kits, food, clothing, and transportation) to nearly 78,000 returned migrants, and reintegration services (such as training, job placement, and psychosocial support) for nearly 27,000 returned migrants.
- Improving government services. The number of temporary worker visas available to northern Central Americans nearly tripled from fiscal year 2021 (9,800) to 2023 (28,000), providing a legal alternative to irregular migration. This is a direct result from USAID, in coordination with the Department of State, partnering with northern Central American government institutions and the U.S. private sector to connect Salvadorans, Guatemalans, and Hondurans to temporary job opportunities in the U.S.
Pillar II Stories
Employers and Employees Speak about Temporary H2A Agricultural Work Visas
Data Do Not Lie - Strengthening the Statistics Division of the Guatemalan National Civilian Police
Pillar III: Promoting respect for human rights, labor rights, and a free press
- Since 2021, USAID partners have stepped up to meet increasing demand in the face of closing of civic space and deterioration of democratic systems, doubling our reach in FY 2023. In FY 2023 alone, USAID supported more than 500 human rights defenders to report human rights violations and advocate for their protection.
- EXAMPLE: In Honduras, USAID supported the launch of a mobile phone application enabling 81 civil society organizations representing women from low-income neighborhoods, women’s groups, urban youth, people living with HIV/AIDS, and Afro-Honduran, Indigenous and LGBTQI+ communities to submit alerts directly to the government's Human Rights Observatory. When organizations such as these are able to report violations and advocate for protection, the public is empowered to push for improved government accountability and transparency.
Pillar IV: Countering and preventing violence, extortion, and other crimes perpetrated by criminal gangs, trafficking networks, and other organized criminal organizations
- Through USAID support for community-based crime and violence prevention, between 2021 and 2023 we continued to reach more and more at-risk youth in northern Central America–including more than 90,000 youth in FY 2023 alone. This increased reach is a result of implementing a training-of-trainers approach where trained youth share their skills with other young people, and through an increased focus on retaining youth in programs. Through USAID programs, youth accessed training and services, including leadership coaching, psychosocial support, conflict management, and employment and livelihood training. These programs promote resilience and help youth cope with challenges, thereby decreasing their susceptibility to crime and violence and helping them envision a future in their own countries.
Pillar III Story
Pillar V - Combating Sexual, Gender-Based and Domestic Violence
Given high rates of gender-based violence in the region, USAID launched new programs to prevent or combat gender-based violence in northern Central America, reaching more than 27,000 people (most of them in Honduras) in FY 2023 with a variety of services.
Pillar V Stories
Addressing the Root Causes of Migration in Central America - FY 2023 Progress Report to Congress
(Click the image below to access the report.)
