Soldiers place a machine gun in a helicopter as they prepare for a flight to Huehuetenango's Mariscal Gregorio Solares military base from Guatemala City September 29, 2012. The military evacuated 44 villagers after they were threatened by the Zetas drug cartel for not assisting in drug trafficking, according to Ronald Vasquez, the base's third commander who was in charge of the operation. Jorge Dan Lopez/Reuters
Mexican marines escort head of the Gulf Cartel (CDG) Jorge Eduardo 'El Coss' Costilla Sanchez, as he is presented to the media in Mexico City September 13, 2012. The navy captured one of Mexico's most wanted drug leaders Costilla Sanchez, in what would mark a major victory in President Felipe Calderon's crackdown on organized crime. Tomas Bravo/Reuters
Police special forces train to operate against drug gangs in Salvador, Bahia State, March 28, 2013. One of Brazil's main tourist destinations and a 2014 World Cup host city, Salvador suffers from an unprecedented wave of violence with an increase of over 250% in the murder rate, according to the Brazilian Center for Latin American Studies (CEBELA). Lunae ParrachoReuters
Members of the Caravan for Peace, a group of friends and family who lost loved ones to the violence in the Mexican drug war, march with members of Occupy Wall Street through the financial district in New York, September 7, 2012. The Caravan for Peace with Justice and Dignity began its march on August 12 in San Diego and arrived in New York before finishing off in Washington September 12, marching to protest the failed war against drugs. Brendan McDermid/Reuters
A soldier stands guard on a street in the neighbourhood of Nezahualcoyotl in Mexico City, September 20, 2012. Mexico has sent soldiers to patrol a suburb of Mexico City for the first time to combat a rise in drug-related violence that is beginning to encroach on the capital. Bernardo Montoya/Reuters
Weapons handed over to authorities as part of a truce between gangs are laid on the ground in San Salvador May 27, 2013. Gang members handed over weapons in an effort to keep the truce between the country's two most powerful gangs, Mara 18 and Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13), following a truce treaty signed by both sides in March 2012, local media reported. Ulises Rodriguez/Reuters
A gang member looks out from behind bars during a visit of members of The Transnational Advisory Group in Support of the Peace Process in El Salvador to the prison of Quezaltepeque, El Salvador, July 22, 2012. Luis Romero/AP
The mother of one of the students found at a grave reacts in the municipality of Santa Tecla, on the outskirts of San Salvador July 20, 2012. Agents of the National Civil Police (PNC) discovered a grave containing the bodies of five high school students who were kidnapped and killed by gang members, local media reported. Ulises Rodriguez/Reuters
A police officer stands on confiscated packages of cocaine on the outskirts of Tegucigalpa, Honduras. Honduras is struggling with a huge narcotics problem. US drug agents, in a controversial move, have been assisting Honduran forces in carrying out drug raids, several of which have recently resulted in fatalities. Jorge Cabrera/Reuters
An aerial view shows drying coca leaves in Carrasco National Park in central Bolivia, where the government has started eradicating illicit plants. David Mercado/Reuters
A moon-suited antinarcotics worker disposes of a bag of confiscated cocaine by burning it in an incinerator in Lima, Peru. Mariana Bazo/Reuters
Investigators look for evidence after a home-made bomb exploded in a public bus in Guatemala City in this July 15, 2010 file photo. Central America is struggling to contain rising violence as powerful Mexican drug cartels, facing an escalating government crackdown at home, expand southward and intensify operations in neighboring nations. Daniel LeClair/Reuters/File
Backers of Bolivian President Evo Morales, who wants to expand legal markets for coca, chew leaves from the plant at a celebration in La Paz, Bolivia. David Mercado/Reuters
A neighborhood in Rio de Janeiro where police say crack cocaine users gather has been the source of an unusual probe: Authorities are looking into reports that a gang of drug traffickers is prohibiting crack sales in the area – so the police won’t come around. Ricardo Moraes/Reuters
The military carries out random checks of vehicles in search of illicit drugs and money in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, one of the most dangerous cities in the world. Sara Miller Llana/TCSM /File
Suspects accused of being members of the Los Zetas drug cartel, look on during sentencing in the Supreme Court of Justice in Guatemala City on June 27, 2012. 37 suspects of various nationalities accused of belonging to a group called 'Los Zetas,' are being sentenced in the Supreme Court on charges of kidnapping and murder. William Gularte/Reuters
The route to the US has become so risky and costly that increasing numbers of Central American migrants - fleeing violence and economic woes at home - are staying in Mexico, working illegally.
Long an advocate for immigrant rights in the US, Mexico is increasingly following its northern neighbor's footsteps, opting for apprehensions and heightened security along its southern border. It's there that hundreds of Central American migrants begin the treacherous journey north – a route that has become so risky that increasing numbers are choosing to try their luck in Mexico.
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