Marvin Cordova’s mother hides her face with a picture of her son, who she says was not in a gang but was killed by police while working on a farm in Santa Teresa, El Salvador. (Fred Ramos for The Washington Post)It was a rare moment for the tiny Central American nation, and the authorities touted the news: In a span of 24 hours, El Salvador had no killings. In the first 11 days of 2017, 99 homicides have been reported, averaging nine violent deaths a day, Cotto said. Cotto pointed out that by this date last year, El Salvador had recorded more than 250 slayings in a country smaller in area than Massachusetts. The violence is one of the main reasons migration from El Salvador to the United States has surged.

Source: Washington Post January 13, 2017 10:48 UTC