"The Other Exiles"

The brain drain is something we often hear a lot about. It is a fact that many of the best and the brightest of the developing world, the hope and future of these countries, often leave for greener pastures in the United States or Europe because they lack the opportunities they deserve, the security they need, or the rights they are entitled to from their countries of origin. While Honduras is not the epitome of this phenomena, it's pretty close. In other parts of the world the results are dramatic and well documented. For example: 

• Seventy precent of graduates from the Sierra Leone’s College of Medicine and Allied Science have left the country. There reportedly are more Sierra Leonean doctors living in the Chicago area than in all of Sierra Leone. David H. Shinn, “Reversing the Brain Drain in Ethiopia,” Addis Tribune, Dec. 6, 2002
• While twelve percent of Mexico’s labor force lives in the United States, 30 percent of Mexicans with PhDs live in the United States. Mexico reports that 79 percent of the science students it funds to study abroad never return to work in Mexico. Natalia Vitela, “Brain Drain,” Groupo Reforma, February 15, 2002.
• 75 percent of Jamaicans with a higher education live in the U.S. “Outward Bound,” The Economist, September 26, 2002.

More than 20% of Honduran nationals with a university degree live in an OECD country

Crazy stuff, right? While the situation is not as dire here, it's ramification seem more and more evident as my time passes. There are more than a million Hondurans living in "exile", meaning that some 10-15 percent of Hondurans live outside of their native country, while more than 20% of it's nationals with a university degree live in an OECD country. So while the majority of those residing outside the country are likely not professionals, a percentage of them undoubtedly are, and their absence is palpable. A lack of doctors means that entire municipios rely on sporadic medical brigades for care that should be locally provided. The lack of quality engineers entails that the good ones are stretched too thin, or find themselves working for international organizations rather than strengthening and building capacity within the municipalities that really need them. This lack of qualified professionals assists in the perpetuation of the dependency cycle, making Honduras' emergence from the developing world even more difficult.

Unfortunately, it seems that the examples are endless, but it's a logical choice to leave if you're lucky enough to get the correct visa. I think to myself, If I'm an educated and driven Honduran, why do I want to limit my choices and stay in a country where I can't prosper? At some point it is necessary to put the needs of family first. It's not just the educated, however, who are leaving. Honduras' most dedicated and driven laborers often make the arduous journey to the states as well, and as an ironic result ensure the survival of the Honduran economy (remittances baby).

I've had an interesting seat to watch this story unfold. My host family is extremely well-educated, even by American standards. Nearly every member holds an undergraduate or graduate degree in the fields of business, engineering, politics, or agriculture, and their children all receive quality bilingual education. It's amazing how fluid their English is, even when I relax my speech and drop colloquial words they still are able to follow and engage the conversation.

For the most part the family has remained here in Honduras, which I credit as a testament to their family first mentality. While some members do work abroad, most stay to run businesses or manage their fincas, but while they have an indivisible love for Honduras there is a growing sense of frustration in the way things are progressing. While I think the older members of the family are here to stay, it has yet to be seen what many of the 18-25 year olds in the family will decide to do. It is a hard conversation to have, mostly because of pena on my end. See, I know the importance that immigrants play in the American economy, especially professionals. So part of me want's to see them come to the US, and add their skill sets for the benefit of my country, but on the other hand it is also clear the negative impact that this will have on Honduras. So I'm effectively torn.

Anyway, the reason for the topic of this post was an article posted in Honduras Weekly the other day, which by the way I've found to be the best source of English news regarding Honduras. In the article, "The Other Exiles," the return of Honduras' most famous exile, Manual Zelaya, is discussed, but the author points out that while Zelaya might be the most famous, he is by far not the only one who was waiting to come back to the land of baleadas. Here's an excerpt:

"We constantly hear that every Honduran anywhere in the world has the right to return to Honduras without fear, and that Mr. Zelaya is no different. There are more than a million Hondurans living in exile. Some 10-15 percent of Hondurans live outside their native country. Some are very successful doctors, lawyers, engineers, economists, architects, teachers, and entrepreneurs. Many have left because of lack of educational or economic opportunities in Honduras. Many others are blue collar workers, but have made a success of their lives and provide a decent life for their families while regularly sending money to their families back home -- as much as US$2.5 billion per year. 

Perhaps now that the most famous of all the exiles has finally returned to Honduras, the government will have time to come up with solutions to the many serious problems that prevent the other million-plus exiles from flying back. Honduras desperately needs educated and hard working citizens who have had a vision of the world from outside of Honduras, where nothing ever seems to change. Honduras needs more of those citizens who can clearly see that when you keep doing the same thing, you'll keep getting the same results -- something that none of Honduras' governments seem able to comprehend."

http://www.hondurasweekly.com/editorial/3777-the-other-exiles

So where do most Hondurans settle when they arrive in the United States? It's a fair question to ask, because location is often indicative of larger trends.

Top 10 U.S. communities with the most residents born in Honduras are:[4]

1. Wallace, North Carolina 11.6%
2. Magnolia, North Carolina 8.7%
3. Loch Lomond, Florida 6.6%
4. Pleasureville. Kentucky 6.0%
5. Selma, North Carolina 4.8%
6. Morristown, New Jersey 4.5%
7. Miami, Florida 4.5%
8. Chelsea, Massachusetts 4.2%
9. New Brunswick, New Jersey 4.2%
10. West Little River, Florida 3.9%
43. Waukegan, Illinois 2.0%

Like you, I was just as confused by the the fact that Duplin County, North Carolina had such a high percentage of Honduran born residents. A little digging though reveals that Duplin County is an important home to major players of the chicken and meat industries, and that the county has more  hogs than any other county in the United States—2.2 million. If you've eaten processed chicken or beef lately, it's a good bet that it went through one of the factories located in this area, and that it was processed by an immigrant of Central America. Think about that the next time you eat any cheap burger or chicken product. Quick side note, the hypocrisy of some immigration opponents, who claim immigration is killing the United States, is borderline ridiculous. These meat processing jobs are by far some of the most dangerous, unsafe, and difficult jobs in the country, but immigration, and the low-wages these workers receive, allow us to feed--pardon the pun--our addiction to cheap meat and protein. In many ways it is the work of these immigrants that keep our food costs down and our fast food restaurants brimming. While the arguments on both sides of the immigration are intrinsically much more complicated, I just wanted to make that quick point.

So there you have it. Like all stories in Honduras there are two competing narratives. On the one hand, Honduras obviously needs more qualified professionals and dedicated laborers to strengthen it's national economy, but on the other, this is a country that heavily relies on remitances from abroad, and decoupling that aspect of the economy is unfathomable at this point. I know that this post jumped around a lot, but hopefully it's demonstrated another angle regarding immigration from Honduras and the brain drain that is slowly killing this country.