In a recent article for the New York Times, Director of the Mexico Security Initiative, Stephanie Leutert, tells the story of crime and migration. Leutert explains, contrary to the claims made in today’s political rhetoric, that the majority of Central American migrants who make it to the U.S.-Mexico border are “not perpetrators but rather victims of violence, both in their home countries and during their fraught transit through Mexico.”

Leutert’s analysis details the various ways Central American migrants make the journey north. Whether they’re holding onto train cars, driving personal vehicles, or attempting it on foot, migrants are facing an increasingly dangerous trip. However, Leutert asserts, the increased risk has not significantly reduced the number of people traveling north. Fleeing their homes in search of safer, more stable lives, Central American migrants are choosing to face criminal groups along the way to make it across the border.