Immigration advocates often claim that the main reason that Central Americans come to the U.S. illegally is that they fear violence in their home countries. A study of El Salvadoran migrants indicates otherwise. Conducted by the International Organization for Migration (IOM), it found that economic considerations were the main reason the Salvadorans left. Specifically, 48.2 percent of survey respondents said they left for better living conditions, and an additional 22.3 percent said they left in order to send remittances back to El Salvador. Only 16.3 cited insecurity as they reason for their departure.
Read more at cis.org.