Thread by @nytopinion

From Sonia Nazario: Trump calls immigrants criminals — drug dealers and rapists intent on plundering America. But the truth, as I saw so clearly over a monthlong reporting trip in Honduras, is that migrants are fleeing a society controlled by criminals. nyti.ms/2UjDYNC

Understanding what is going on in Honduras is crucial to understanding, and solving, what is going on at the United States border. nyti.ms/2UjDYNC

Honduras is locked in a war of grisly one-upmanship, and women’s bodies are the battlefield. nyti.ms/2UjDYNC

Unlike in much of the world, where most murdered women are killed by their husbands, partners or family members, half in Honduras are killed by drug cartels and gangs. nyti.ms/2UjDYNC

On March 29 Trump announced he was halting aid to Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador. Mick Mulvaney, the acting White House chief of staff, defended the decision by saying: “If it’s working so well, why are the people still coming?” nyti.ms/2UjDYNC

"Whatever the Trump administration says, the women are not criminals; they are victims. And we are perfectly capable of saving their lives."

Read more from the Pulitzer-Prize winning writer @SLNazario, reporting from Honduras. nyti.ms/2UjDYNC