Refugee and Immigrant Populations in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota
El Salvadorans
History
During the 1970s, discontent with the increased landlessness, poverty, unemployment and overpopulation of El Salvador resulted in a civil war between the government, the right-wing Nationalist Republican Alliance Party (ARENA), and the left-wing Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front (FMLN). Despite multiple human rights violations, the United States sided with the military. During a twelve-year war that continued, approximately 75,000 people were killed.
In January of 1992, United Nations mediated negotiations between the government
and the FMLN resulting in a cease fire. The FMLN became an opposition
party, and the government agreed to various reforms, including replacing
the death squads with a national civil police force. The government agreed
to fairer allocation of land to citizens and to investigate human rights
violations. Subsequent presidents of El Salvador have all belonged to
the ARENA party, including Francisco Flores, the current president who
took office in 1999.
Coupled with the political and social unrest within the country, in 1998
Hurricane Mitch resulted in the death of 200 and the homelessness of 30,000.
The vulnerability vis-à-vis natural disasters continued in January
and February of 2001 when major earthquakes destroyed suburbs of San Salvador
as well as scores of shantytowns surrounding the area. During the summer
of 2001, a severe drought destroyed 80% of the country’s crops,
resulting in famine throughout many rural areas.
Diasporic Profile
The total Salvadoran population of concern (including refugees, asylum
seekers, returned refugees, IDP and returned IDP) according to the UNHCR
is 84, 49% of whom are less than 18 years of age, and 45% are between
the ages of 18-59. In addition, 48% of women migrants are between the
ages of 19-59.
In fiscal year 2001, 31,272 Salvadoran immigrants were admitted into
the United States. The 2000 census reports the total Salvadoran population
in the United States as 655,165, with 2,005 of the Minnesota population
being from El Salvador.
Sources:
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