Living in Honduras, I have met a lot of people who decide to come illegally into the U.S. As many people here know, many immigrants are looking for family members, escaping violence, or looking to find better economic opportunities. Regardless of what anyone says, coming into the United States has been the solution for all these problems and so far it has proven to be successful.

With the immigration crisis, many Americans have different opinions about why all this is happening. As all other topics that infect the American media, information is rigged and the rhetoric is slanted. In my opinion, a big part of the public has a much-skewed view about what really goes on in the minds of these children that set out on a dangerous journey to cross the border.

While the reasons mentioned above are all true, there is much more to the story than that. Just like some Americans have no idea what goes on down there, Hondurans and other kids from Central America don’t know and, in some cases, don’t care what “gringos” think about their actions. All that matters is crossing the border.

I knew a lady who was worried sick after not hearing from her son for over two months of embarking on his journey. About a month later, they had arrested him at the border and he was deported back home. His mom was happy, because she knew he was safe. It’s not every day a mother is happy to see her son get arrested.

My point is that sometimes the American authorities are not these immigrants’ biggest worries. The reason is that whatever laws are in place, immigrants have a strong reason to cross the border. It’s obvious that not a lot of people are scared of getting deported. That doesn’t compare to what they go through day to day. Having border patrol get you is a relief compared to gang members kidnapping and torturing you.

After getting caught, I was told that the kid would soon get ready to give it another try. This is not surprising to me. It’s the same story I’ve heard happen again and again, not only from distant acquaintances, but also close childhood friends and relatives. When you get deported, you get ready to go back.

I mention the border issue because that is what most people here think about, when the big issues are drugs. The majority of drugs that come into the U.S. go through Central America. What is a really bad health issue here is the cause of death for numerous Latin Americans. Its demand and supply. So why do politicians and citizens insist on trying to solve the most superficial aspects of the issue, when the problem at its core is being ignored?

The border issue is merely an effect of a bigger story. No matter what they decide to do at the borders, whether it is a Republican or Democrat decision, immigration will not stop.

Don’t let yourself be lied to by the reactionaries who think the small countries are at fault for being ignorant and violent, that the U.S. has no role in our problems. The truth is that they do have an equal role, and illegal immigration will not stop until the government intelligently assumes this role.