MSF conducted a month-long survey in October 2015 of 467 people and began collecting specific medical data on all patients in 2015 and through the end of 2016. Of the 467 people interviewed, almost 40 percent (39.2%) mentioned direct attacks or threats to themselves or their families, and extortion or gang-forced recruitment as the main reasons for fleeing their countries.
It is a humanitarian crisis that demands that the governments of Mexico and the United States, with the support of countries in the region and international organisations, rapidly scale up the application of legal protection measures — asylum, humanitarian visas, and temporary protected status— for people fleeing violence in the NTCA region; immediately cease the systematic deportation of NTCA citizens; and expand access to medical, mental health, and sexual violence care services for migrants and refugees.