Let's Talk Human Rights

By Kaitlyn Hripko '25

My name is Kaitlyn Hripko, I am a third-year undergraduate student at the University of Dayton. I was a part of the Summer 2023 Fellowship with Cristosal, working to empower human rights of vulnerable populations in Central America. I have specifically been working with the Strategic Litigation and Human Rights Research team, to promote justice and rule in favor of human rights, ensuring equality for all individuals. I have learned many things throughout my internship and am so thankful for this opportunity. I am going to start by discussing gang violence and membership in Central America, eventually leading to political corruption, and migration to the United States. 

Criminal gang violence is a prevalent issue throughout poorer cities and communities in Central America. People who are affected by gang violence may be murdered, kidnapped, or used for extortionary purposes to gain money. This type of violence can often be life-threatening and therefore very dangerous to be exposed to. Unfortunately, anyone may be a target towards gang violence, especially vulnerable populations that can be taken advantage of. 

A survey done in 2015, through the Doctors Without Borders (MSF) report, claims that in the Northern Central American Triangle, 39% of respondents insisted they or their family members had been attacked/ threatened by gang violence. Also found within the study, more than 40% of respondents had a relative killed within the past 2 years, 31% of respondents knew of someone who was kidnapped, and 17% of people knew someone who had disappeared as a result of a gang member. In 2015, the rate of extortions rose to 43 per 100,000 inhabitants, among those that were actually reported. 

Another prevalent issue in the Central American Triangle, is the amount of police brutality and political corruption occurring. Corruption in the federal government can be caused by many things, however the most likely reason for this political authority overdrive is the response to gang violence. In the early 2000s, governments in the Northern American Triangle worked to establish a plan to reduce the amount of gang violence occuring by implementing a series of anti-crime policies, working to expand police powers and enacting harsh punishments for those involved in gang activity. This strict authority has led to a way of corruption and police brutality, by giving too much power to the government and ultimately allowing gangs to gain power through police collaboration. 

A strike of gang violence erupted in March 2022 in El Salvador, leaving over 60 people dead. Once this violence took place, President Buchele declared a state of emergency that supposedly worked to “deter gang violence interaction”, however this model’s only goal was to suspend the constitutional rights of citizens living in El Salvador. To this day, around 70,000 people have been detained for the mass murder that caused the state of exception. The police’s strategy has been to arrest anyone in sight that “looks like” they may be part of a gang. Because of this tactic, many innocent people have been arrested and thrown into jail. Individuals that get detained do not have a right to a defense attorney, are often tortured and beaten within the prison cells by other inmates and prison guards. 

Because of the continuous gang violence, police brutality and political corruption happening in Central America, citizens feel danger in their everyday lives. The typical citizen response is to migrate to the United States to obtain a better quality of living, and escape violence. These vulnerable populations also hope to seek safety as a priority, greater job security, and find a nice community to grow their family in, eventually providing greater opportunities for their children.

The United States Border Patrol has recorded numerous border encounters with citizens from the Northern Central American Triangle. In fact, a total of 265,930 Central American Encounters have occurred since the beginning of 2023. With this pace, an average of about 500,000 Central American citizens will have been encountered at the border by the end of the 2023 fiscal year. This number is drastically increasing as citizens are migrating to the United States, to escape gang violence and police brutality. 

The United States government is working to provide immigration aid to individuals attempting to cross the border by ensuring legal and safe pathways. To ensure legal pathways, Title 8 order has been implemented dealing with the swift removal or deportation of illegal immigrants who do not own the basis to remain in the United States. Border Patrol Officers have the authority to criminally prosecute migrants for crossing the border without legal documentation. Migrants will also have a 5-year ban on reentry into the United States. These conditions may seem harsh, or even cruel, but these policies are put in place to help protect citizens while crossing international borders. 

To assist in ensuring legal pathways are taken into the United States, the U.S. Border Patrol is instructing immigrants to schedule an appointment through the United States Customs and Border patrol CBP Oneapp. The government recommends that individuals use their smartphones and download the CBP Oneapp in order to make a reservation to securely cross the U.S. border. This will further allow migrants scheduled through the app to apply for asylum. 

Another policy under the Title order 8, allows for citizens to seek asylum, a temporary housing condition in the United States, used to eventually receive legal documentation. This process helps to ensure safe and legal pathways are used to cross the border, and can be applied for through the U.S. Customs and Borders CBP Oneapp. Unfortunately, this process can take over 2 years to complete. 

The Biden Administration also plans to open new migrant processing centers located in both the United States and international countries, such as Guatemala and Colombia, to ensure citizen safety. These processing centers will assist migrants by facilitating work permits, instating family reunifications, and encouraging other avenues of entry into the United States. 

Overall, I have really enjoyed the work I have completed with Cristosal. I believe by sharing this research I have conducted, I will work to promote the empowerment of human rights for all individuals, especially those living in Central America. I wish to help spread awareness of these issues to citizens living in the United States, in order to expand the support for U.S. immigration aid and other resources. The biggest aspiration is to prevent gang violence and police brutality in Central America, allowing for citizens to feel safe living in their home country. 

Kaitlyn Hripko is a third-year undergraduate student at the University of Dayton, majoring in Criminal Justice and Psychology. She recently declared a minor in Biology. At University of Dayton, she works for the Student Leadership Offices as a Student Leadership Ambassador. She is also an active member of the University of Dayton Club Softball team.