A/HRC/43/3/Add.2 the key drivers of migration. While in 2019 none of the so-called “caravans” of migrants of the size observed in 2018 left Honduras, OHCHR estimates that on average around 400 Hondurans left the country daily for Guatemala, usually with the goal of reaching the United States.14 An estimated 600,000 Hondurans reside in the United States, around half of them undocumented, and 80,633 of them benefit from temporary protection status which, according to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, is to be extended until 4 January 2021 in some cases.15 19. By 13 December 2019, owing to the hardened immigration policies of the United States and Mexico, 104,099 Hondurans had been returned to the country, including 22,916 children, an increase of 38.3 per cent compared to 2018. No official information was available on the percentage of voluntary returns.16 The increase in returnees has a direct effect on poverty levels, weighing on scarce economic opportunities and social resources. 20. In September, Honduras signed an agreement with the United States on cooperation in the examination of protection claims. National and international actors expressed concern about the capacity of Honduras to guarantee adequate protection to asylum seekers.17 C. National emergencies related to health and water 21. During the year, the Government declared two emergencies related to economic and social issues, which are also linked to the effects of climate change. On 2 July, it declared a national health emergency owing to a dengue epidemic. As of 24 November, the Ministry of Health reported 105,513 cases of dengue nationwide, a figure more than 96 per cent greater than the same period in 2018. In September, prolonged low precipitation resulted in the declaration of a nationwide water emergency, which affected the availability of water for productive use and human consumption. Owing to rationing, households in poor areas of Tegucigalpa did not receive water through water pipes for up to 43 days. The costs associated with having to replace household water provision through the purchase of water from tankers represented a serious financial burden for poor families, who had to pay almost 10 per cent of the minimum income for a barrel of water. 22. The water emergency took place in a context of high environmental vulnerability, as the country is greatly exposed to the effects of climate change. That was evidenced by the expansion of the so-called “dry corridor”, which covers the lowlands of Central America and stretches out from Panama to Guatemala including Honduras. The corridor covers 132 municipalities in the southern and central part of Honduras and is extremely prone to recurrent droughts and severe rainfall and floods. IV. Violence and insecurity A. Context 23. Between January and October, the national police recorded 3,083 violent deaths, 25 per cent of which took place in the departments of Francisco Morazán and Cortés, which host the cities of Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula respectively and is a higher figure than 14 15 16 17 This estimate is based on information gathered by OHCHR through its monitoring missions and meetings with civil society and the Honduran National Institution for Migration. See www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2014/08/11/5-facts-about-honduras-and-immigration/ and www.uscis.gov/humanitarian/temporary-protected-status. See www.conmigho.hn/direccion-general-de-proteccion-al-hondureno-migrante/retornados-2019/ (in Spanish). See www.acnur.org/noticias/press/2019/10/5db06d9a4/posicion-del-acnur-frente-a-laimplementacion-del-acuerdo-de-asilo-bilateral.html (in Spanish). 5