Jose Luis Ayala Iniguez

Part 1
Topic: Drug Trafficking in Central America
“ Central America, legally or not; little mention of the fact that the consumption of drugs in the
United States is what fundamentally fuels drug trafficking in the continent.”(85)

“It would surely be a step forward for our government to officially acknowledge the hemispheric
dimensions of the problem, acknowledge the connection between such phenomena as the drug
wars, [..]”(86)
Response:
These passages show that the one of the major issues the cause children to flee from their
homelands is the organization of drug trafficking. I want to know more about how much of an
influence does this issue have on the communities in the Central Americas. I want to know how
much power does is hold over the the citizens of the Central Americas.

What are some way in which the US can help fight the drug trafficking in the Central Americas?

How does drug trafficking influence the communities in the Central Americas?

Part 2
Source 1
Biden: U.S. will help Central America fight drug traffickers, corruption
CNN Wire Staff
ERIC
Popular article - This is written by a news channel and not by any specialist or professors.
Summary
The article main focus is the fight against drug trafficking in the Central Americas and
how the US is helping in fighting this issue. Joe Biden, the Vice President of the US, is the
representative of this issue and “vows to help Honduras and other Central American nations
defeat drug traffickers”. Biden states that one area in which focus needs to be drawn to is the
justice systems of these nation, they need to vet their police force, prosecutors and judges. He
later explains that this will cause their citizens to have more trust in their countries institutions
and not doubt their integrity. Biden accepts that the US “share responsibility” on this issue but
also shares that these Central American nations need to stop any drug production.
Biden shifts topics and talks about decriminalizing drugs in order to support the fight the
protection of drugs, transit and consumption. Biden agrees that this is an alternative that they
should consider but shouldn’t disregard other alternatives.

Analysis
 This article answer my focus question about what are some ways in which the US can
help fight drug trafficking in the Central Americas. This article helps me better understand the
book because the Vice President, Biden, specifically addresses that the US share responsibility in
this issue of drug trafficking. This helps better understand luiselli’s argument on why children
fleeing from these countries should be granted asylum. This helps me better develop my analysis
on how the US does not contribute any support to the unaccompanied children coming in even
though they are at fault. This article supports my thesis directly, unfortunately does not state any
statistics or facts in which I can develop my logos part of my essay. It clearly shows that the US
assumes responsibility on the issue of drug trafficking in the Central americas but does not
provide any information on how specifically their helping which will not help much on
developing claims.
Source 2
Violence Exposure and Drug Use in Central American Youth: Family Cohesion and
Parental Monitoring as Protective Factors
Kliewer, Wendy; Murrelle, Lenn; Prom, Elizabeth; Ramirez, Melva; Obando, Patricia;
Sandi, Luis; Karenkeris, Maria del Carmen
ERIC
Scholarly - This article was created by more than one author who held a specific title
which gave them credibility in talking about this topic. The article is peer reviewed as well.
Summary
This article talks about drug use in youth and parental contribution into that. The participants
were from Panama and Costa Rica. These kids are evaluated on their drug usage and the
connected between violence. There is research done that concludes that children that witness
violence is more prone to use drugs. Their conclusion was that children are drawn to use drugs
use in order to handle the violence that is happening around them. The article also goes more into
depth about parental monitoring and how that as well plays a role in drug usage. They alswell
provide solutions for the problem.
Analysis
This article tackles my second question about how drug trafficking influence communities in
Central America's. The violence that is happening in Central Americas due to gang and drug wars
cause the youth of those communities to fall under the control of the drug cartels. This helps me
better understand why children migrate out of their countries due to the contamination of drugs
and violence. This article helps my analysis of why unaccompanied minors should be granted
refugee status because their are escaping violence and contamination. These kids are born and
are statistically calculated to fall to drug usage and affiliation. This article provides a lot of
research and perspectives that will help me develop claims and as well help me in analysis.

Source 3
The children of Drug Wars
The New York Times
 https://mobile.nytimes.com/2014/07/13/opinion/sunday/a-refugee-crisis-not-an-
immigration-crisis.html
Popular Article - This article was published on New York times that is popular but the
article isn't peer reviews or has any research done.
Summary
The article consist of stories of children that have suffered the violence of drug cartel in Central
Americas. All these stories share something, violence. All these children are planning their
escape from their homes because of the major influence of drugs and violence. All these children
at a young age have to witness a act of violence by these drug cartels to innocent children just
like them. The article then shift topic by talking about refugee status for these kids fleeing to the
US. The author makes the connection between another refugee crisis in which children were
forced to join the military service. The author claims that these kids are forced to sell drugs in
order to survive and that is no different from kids being forced into the military service. She
claims that these kids need to be granted refugee status in order to live. If not these kids will
ultimately fall into the hands of these drug cartels and be killed by them.
Analysis
This article answers my focus question of how does drug trafficking influence communities in
Central Americas. This article addresses the issue in honduras and how the children of that nation
are suffering upon the hands of the nations drug cartels. This article helps me better understand
just how much unaccompanied children suffer from the drug cartels in the Central Americas.
These children witness the most terrifying experiences in their lives at a young ag and are
introduced to violence very early in their lives. This article will help me develop my claims and
my analysis. The events the author explains in her article shines light to what is happening in
these countries and just how much these children are exposed to it. It shows the economic status
in their country that will help develop my claims. This article will also help me unpack the the
violence that drug trafficking brings to this kids and how they are bind to it in order to live.