Conditions Creating Refugees and U.S. Asylum Seekers from Central America
T-NSIAD-89-25: Published: Apr 21, 1989. Publicly Released: Apr 21, 1989.
Additional Materials:
- Full Report:
Contact:
GAO discussed conditions in Central America which have resulted in refugees seeking asylum in the United States. GAO found that: (1) widespread poverty, economic crises, and armed conflicts have caused a significant number of refugees from Nicaragua, El Salvador, and Guatemala; (2) since 1980, over 1.7 million Central Americans have left their countries, and about 1.2 million have entered the United States and Canada; (3) the primary countries of first asylum or initial refuge are Honduras, Costa Rica, and Mexico; (4) the majority of Central Americans applying for asylum in the United States are from Nicaragua, El Salvador, and Honduras; (5) as of August 1988, about 120,000 refugees were registered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to receive temporary shelter, food, health and other humanitarian services; and (6) the Immigration and Naturalization Service reported that Central American asylum requests have increased from about 7,000 in 1985 to over 50,000 in 1988.
Oct 2, 2020
Combating Wildlife Trafficking:
Agencies Work to Address Human Rights Abuse Allegations in Overseas Conservation ProgramsGAO-21-139R: Published: Oct 2, 2020. Publicly Released: Oct 2, 2020.
Sep 22, 2020
-
Cyber Diplomacy:
State Has Not Involved Relevant Federal Agencies in the Development of Its Plan to Establish the Cyberspace Security and Emerging Technologies BureauGAO-20-607R: Published: Sep 22, 2020. Publicly Released: Sep 22, 2020.
Sep 15, 2020
-
Steel and Aluminum Tariffs:
Commerce Should Improve Its Exclusion Request Process and Economic Impact ReviewsGAO-20-517: Published: Sep 15, 2020. Publicly Released: Sep 15, 2020.
Sep 14, 2020
-
Conflict Minerals:
Actions Needed to Assess Progress Addressing Armed Groups' Exploitation of MineralsGAO-20-595: Published: Sep 14, 2020. Publicly Released: Sep 14, 2020.
Aug 27, 2020
-
Export-Import Bank:
Status of End-Use Monitoring of Dual-Use Exports as of August 2020GAO-20-688R: Published: Aug 27, 2020. Publicly Released: Aug 27, 2020.
Jul 28, 2020
-
Climate Change:
USAID Is Taking Steps to Increase Projects' Resilience, but Could Improve Reporting of Adaptation FundingGAO-20-555: Published: Jul 28, 2020. Publicly Released: Jul 28, 2020.
Jun 18, 2020
-
Forced Labor:
Better Communication Could Improve Trade Enforcement Efforts Related to SeafoodGAO-20-441: Published: Jun 18, 2020. Publicly Released: Jun 18, 2020.
Jun 9, 2020
-
Rule of Law Assistance:
Agency Efforts Are Guided by Various Strategies, and Overseas Missions Should Ensure that Programming Is Fully CoordinatedGAO-20-393: Published: Jun 9, 2020. Publicly Released: Jun 9, 2020.
May 12, 2020
-
Asistencia de Los Estados Unidos a México:
El Departamento de Estado podría mejorar su monitoreo de los proyectos de la Iniciativa MéridaGAO-20-563SP: Published: May 12, 2020. Publicly Released: May 12, 2020. -
Export Controls:
State and Commerce Should Improve Guidance and Outreach to Address University-Specific Compliance IssuesGAO-20-394: Published: May 12, 2020. Publicly Released: May 12, 2020.
Looking for more? Browse all our products here
Explore our Key Issues on International Affairs
Explore our other Key Issues here
