Gilberto and Hermiña are the fourth-generation owners of a successful 'tienda', a combination general store and small department store. They are not wealthy, by any means, but they are solidly middle-class. They are not 'political', nor has the family ever been so, something that has allowed the family to prosper largely unmolested for 60+ years.

Although they have never been threatened directly, several friends have been. For that reason, Gilberto and Hermiña made the agonizing decision to urge/coerce their children and grandchildren to leave Honduras, depleting their life's savings to finance the journeys. Believe it or not, they consider themselves fortunate, because even though they are now teetering on the edge of bankruptcy from helping to support the children abroad, they know that the children are safe.

Life in Honduras is pretty f*cked up.

I've spent quite a bit of time in Honduras. The people are absolutely lovely, and what's going on now is a tragedy.

...and have no social safety net to keep them from starving, even the middle class looks wealthy. For the young men who have been given little to no education, and have no hope of finding employment, no hope of being able to start and support a family, what exits for them but immigration or crime?

Feudalistic capitalism. The 1% have their private armies to protect them, but the small professional/entrepreneur class cannot afford that, and they become the prey to those whose choices are starvation or crime.

Life in the third world sucks. And we seem intent on joining them.