POVERTY AND FEAR MADE US FLEE OUR CITY FOR REFUGE

According to a reliable source this story is from the San Jose Calderas, of Guatemala – where estimately 3,000 people live in San Jose Calderas, a small town hidden in the folds of the Guatemalan hills about an hour from Guatemala City.

There is no paved road into the town - although some construction work is ongoing right now. And Debora Martina Junech a 26 years old Pastor, says that cars, buses other vehicles heading here are frequently robbed.

Debora feeds her two-month-old daughter as we speak in her mother's kitchen.

She had migrated to the US, but returned to Guatemala in 2008, with the son she had given birth to there, after immigration raids in Pottsville, Iowa saw her mother and older brother deported. Her son's father remained in the US for a short while before following them back. 

Desperate financial situation have turn some into some social vices and crime such as extortion and kidnapping in the city making many to flee from the city (Guatemala)for safety.

Aside from the construction work on the road, there are few other opportunities in the area, and extreme weather conditions that have made farming increasingly challenging.

There was a time Debora's son was threatened with kidnapping and worse if the family didn't pay 25,000 quetzals ($3,300) to ensure his safety.

In 2008, more than 400 people were kidnapped in Guatemala, but the country's public ministry reported that the number of kidnappings had decreased by 65 percent in 2015. As kidnapping becomes rife, many Guatemalans fear for their children and feel that it would be better to try to get them into the US.