Almost half of the migrants crossing into the United States from Latin America and the Caribbean report previously experiencing firearm-related threats or violence in their home country, according to a University of Michigan study.

The research examined the narrative that U.S.-manufactured firearms fuel violence in other countries and in turn contribute to migration.

Prior studies have shown that U.S. firearm markets are associated with gun-related violence in Central America and the Caribbean, as well as Mexico and other countries, and that fleeing violence is a main reason people journey to the United States.

To better understand the complex relationship, researchers at U-M’s Institute for Firearm Injury Prevention and the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus designed firearm-related questions for a survey given to new arrivals from Latin America and the Caribbean between March 2022 and August 2023. The participants were recruited for the survey while being processed and housed at a respite center at the southern border of the U.S.

After analyzing the responses of 321 participants, the survey found that 48% reported previously experiencing gun-related threats and violence, and 34% showed signs of post-traumatic stress disorder. Of those that reported high levels of PTSD symptoms, roughly 27% had a higher prevalence of receiving firearm threats than those with low or no symptoms, according to the study published in Injury Prevention.

“In the U.S., 21% of people report such experiences, less than half of those migrating from Latin America and the Caribbean. As we work to improve our systems, it is critical that we understand and acknowledge the background of people seeking help in the U.S.,” said Eugenio Weigend Vargas, lead author of the study and postdoctoral research fellow at the Institute for Firearm Injury Prevention.

Of the survey participants, nearly 73% said they were victims of violent crimes such as robberies, extortions or kidnappings; 9% reported political repression or police threats; and another 9% were threatened to not report a crime or to “keep quiet.”

“The high number of individuals that have experienced firearm violence in some capacity is alarming and something that should be considered when developing policies and having conversations around immigration,” Weigend Vargas said.

The study authors say their findings can help guide discussions and actions around proper health resources at some entry points, international firearms trafficking and overall immigration policies.

Thousands of people migrate to the U.S. from Latin America and the Caribbean each year, according to the study, and homicide rates in Latin American and Caribbean countries are among the highest worldwide and guns play a major role.

Survey participants came from 13 countries throughout Latin America and the Caribbean, with more than 80% of migrants coming from five countries — Honduras, Venezuela, Nicaragua, Guatemala and El Salvador.

“Immigrants face an innumerable number of threats when making the journey to cross the border into the United States. Understanding how firearm violence specifically plays a role in both migration and mental health is critical to informing how we care for these newcomers clinically and in our community,” said study senior author Laura Vargas, assistant professor of psychiatry at CU Anschutz.

“Further, the prevalence of firearm threats in the region should be considered by policymakers when making policy decisions related to migration because prior research demonstrates that most of the firearms recovered in Mexico and Central America come from the United States.”

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• Institute for Firearm Injury Prevention