Americans seem to have a problem with repeating history. We have never learned from world, European, or American history that people will move away from problems or towards a better life. The Irish fled Ireland because of the Potato Famine. Various religions sailed the Atlantic for a place to peacefully practice their religions. Most probably came to make more money. The first people across the Bering Sea may have come for adventure. The Africans came without their consent. We move to other states for many of the same reasons.

Often people go back to where they left because the conditions there changed. I think most of the Syrians that left for Europe will return when the fighting is over. Some will go back to help in reconstruction. Others will wait until regular life has returned. When, and if, conditions and economies of Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador, and parts of Mexico improve, I think a large number of Central American migrants will want to go back to their origins.

Why do the people want to leave their ethnic home and move to Mexico, United States, and Canada? One reason is to make more money for themselves and their families. Another is the governmental corruption in their home country allowing rampant terrorism and preventing economic growth is the most stated reason when applying for entry. We may be at least partially, if not mostly, responsible for these problems.

Over the past century we have displaced democratically elected presidents and installed dictators who have terrorized and robbed their people. We helped the Panamanians to rebel against Columbia so we could build a canal and meddle in their politics until Bush I was forced to invade and capture our former spy asset Manuel Noriega.

My best friend built concrete “school houses” in Honduras, just yards from the Nicaraguan border. We supported the Nicaraguan rebels with guns from the Iran-Contra scandal.

We have supported American companies in those countries by bribery, political pressure, and rebellion. The term “Banana Republic” came from our help to keep Dole and Chiquita Bananas in business and not taken over. Peasant workers were little more than slaves causing anti-American hatred.

Violence in most of Central America would be the usual rebel and army retaliation with CIA or DEA implications. The Panamanian involvement with cocaine was so the DEA could track it. President Trump often talks about the MS-13 gangs coming across our southern border. He may not know MS-13 was born in Los Angeles and exported to Guatemala and other countries by our justice department.

Yes, the migrants want better lives for themselves and their families. Instead of trying to stop them at the border, maybe we should spend that wall money on fixing the problems our CIA and State department created. Maybe the people still there might stay and the caravans would be moving south instead.