--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We have a problem that we have to fix in…" description: "\"We have a problem that we have to fix in El Salvador - We have been sending migrants to the United States and elsewhere since the '80s and now we have ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be4/nayib-bukele-18722_el-salvador_we-have-a-problem-that-we-have-to-fix-in_534171.jpg" --- # We have a problem that we have to fix in El Salvador - We… ![“We have a problem that we have to fix in El Salvador - We have been sending migrants to the United States and elsewhere since the '80s and now we have almost a quarter of our population living abroad.” quote by Nayib Bukele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be4/nayib-bukele-18722_el-salvador_we-have-a-problem-that-we-have-to-fix-in_534171.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be4/nayib-bukele-18722_el-salvador_we-have-a-problem-that-we-have-to-fix-in_534171.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be4/nayib-bukele-18722_el-salvador_we-have-a-problem-that-we-have-to-fix-in_534171.jpg) > “We have a problem that we have to fix in El Salvador - We have been sending migrants to the United States and elsewhere since the '80s and now we have almost a quarter of our population living abroad.” [Nayib Bukele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nayib-bukele/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. El Salvador faces a demographic crisis due to decades of emigration; the nation must create opportunities to retain citizens. **In simple terms:** Mass migration has emptied the country. Key Takeaway Develop local jobs and improve living standards. Themes migration demographics policy economy Mood concerned hopeful Type political strategic When to use this quote - government planning - education reform - investment incentives - community projects Key Concepts brain drain national development Questions to Reflect On - What can be done to make staying at home attractive? - How can diaspora resources be leveraged? A Different Perspective Economic reforms take time and may face resistance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [El salvador](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/el-salvador/) [Immigration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/immigration/) [Living abroad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/living-abroad/) [Migrants](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/migrants/) [Problem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/problem/) [Salvador](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/salvador/) ## Related quotes > [I will continue sending migrants home until the last migrant reunites with his family and loved ones.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonu-sood/i-will-continue-sending-migrants-home-until-the-last-migrant-reunites/) [Sonu Sood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonu-sood/) > [I started with the job of sending migrants back home the day lockdown started, and I will not end this task till the last…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonu-sood/i-started-with-the-job-of-sending-migrants-back-home-the-day-lockdown/) [Sonu Sood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonu-sood/) > [El Salvador needs to be friends with the United States. It is an imperative for us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nayib-bukele/el-salvador-needs-to-be-friends-with-the-united-states-it-is-an/) [Nayib Bukele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nayib-bukele/) > [Rather than focusing on my attempts to protect the Salvadoran people, the media should focus on why the National Assembly continues failing the people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nayib-bukele/rather-than-focusing-on-my-attempts-to-protect-the-salvadoran-people/) [Nayib Bukele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nayib-bukele/) > [I think there, there also had been just before I got to Honduras a rather spectacular capture of an arms shipment that from Nicaragua…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-negroponte/i-think-there-there-also-had-been-just-before-i-got-to-honduras-a/) [John Negroponte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-negroponte/) > [During the Reagan Administration, so much attention was devoted to fighting Marxism in Nicaragua and El Salvador that Washington lost sight of longer-term challenges…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-kinzer/during-the-reagan-administration-so-much-attention-was-devoted-to/) [Stephen Kinzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-kinzer/) > [I don't claim to know Israel. I don't speak Hebrew; my contacts are pretty limited. But I didn't know Vietnam; I didn't know Nicaragua,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-finkelstein/i-don-t-claim-to-know-israel-i-don-t-speak-hebrew-my-contacts-are/) [Norman Finkelstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-finkelstein/) > [“Postwar El Salvador, which another Salvadoran has described as a “casi nación” (an almost nation) sometimes seems like a small geographic space at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-ching/postwar-el-salvador-which-another-salvadoran-has-described-as-a-casi/) [Erik Ching](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-ching/) > [I don't think the government (of El Salvador) was responsible. The nuns were not just nuns; the nuns were political activists. We ought to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeane-kirkpatrick/i-don-t-think-the-government-of-el-salvador-was-responsible-the-nuns/) [Jeane Kirkpatrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeane-kirkpatrick/) > [I have my three brothers, and then I have my adopted sister from El Salvador, who is actually the oldest. My brother and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-coon/i-have-my-three-brothers-and-then-i-have-my-adopted-sister-from-el/) [Carrie Coon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-coon/) > [The US condones violence in El Salvador.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-quayle/the-us-condones-violence-in-el-salvador/) [Dan Quayle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-quayle/) > [Also, people are not often aware of the way the United States' policies influence what happens in places like Haiti or El Salvador or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwidge-danticat/also-people-are-not-often-aware-of-the-way-the-united-states-policies/) [Edwidge Danticat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwidge-danticat/) > [El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras have all agreed to send additional consular officers from Guatemala, from Honduras, from El Salvador, send them to the U.S.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-biden/el-salvador-guatemala-honduras-have-all-agreed-to-send-additional/) [Joe Biden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-biden/) > [I love soccer. My father is from Argentina and my mother is from El Salvador. I grew up watching Argentinean soccer. I get really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-pardo/i-love-soccer-my-father-is-from-argentina-and-my-mother-is-from-el/) [J. D. Pardo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-pardo/) > [Children are my pet cause. I have a foster child in El Salvador, and whenever I'm home, I work for the Adam Walsh Foundation,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-badler/children-are-my-pet-cause-i-have-a-foster-child-in-el-salvador-and/) [Jane Badler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-badler/) ## More by Nayib Bukele > [If the cost is lowering one's ego and a bit of money, so be it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nayib-bukele/if-the-cost-is-lowering-one-s-ego-and-a-bit-of-money-so-be-it/) [Nayib Bukele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nayib-bukele/) > [El Salvador needs to be friends with the United States. It is an imperative for us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nayib-bukele/el-salvador-needs-to-be-friends-with-the-united-states-it-is-an/) [Nayib Bukele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nayib-bukele/) > [Everybody wants to be home. People will rather stay at their home with little than risk everything to try to find more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nayib-bukele/everybody-wants-to-be-home-people-will-rather-stay-at-their-home-with/) [Nayib Bukele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nayib-bukele/) > [The police is using decaying equipment. The military, which has also been on the front lines in combating domestic terrorism, has been doing so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nayib-bukele/the-police-is-using-decaying-equipment-the-military-which-has-also/) [Nayib Bukele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nayib-bukele/) > [It is obvious, our country has failed to provide two basic things which are the two main drivers of immigration, which are the lack…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nayib-bukele/it-is-obvious-our-country-has-failed-to-provide-two-basic-things/) [Nayib Bukele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nayib-bukele/) > [I think migration is a right, but it should be an option, not an obligation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nayib-bukele/i-think-migration-is-a-right-but-it-should-be-an-option-not-an/) [Nayib Bukele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nayib-bukele/) > [Lawmakers are scandalized when they see a soldier, but they were not scandalized when gang members entered the Legislative Assembly to negotiate the lives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nayib-bukele/lawmakers-are-scandalized-when-they-see-a-soldier-but-they-were-not/) [Nayib Bukele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nayib-bukele/) > [We're trying to challenge the gangs, not by repression, but by competing to get the young people to our side.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nayib-bukele/we-re-trying-to-challenge-the-gangs-not-by-repression-but-by/) [Nayib Bukele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nayib-bukele/) > [We have said it loud and clear: Regardless of whether it involves someone from our party or any other party, whoever it is, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nayib-bukele/we-have-said-it-loud-and-clear-regardless-of-whether-it-involves/) [Nayib Bukele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nayib-bukele/) > [When you have your own people fleeing their homes it's not because they found a job somewhere else... then you have something to fix…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nayib-bukele/when-you-have-your-own-people-fleeing-their-homes-it-s-not-because/) [Nayib Bukele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nayib-bukele/) > [What is at risk are the lives of hard-working Salvadoran families. In fact, unchecked violence was one of the main drivers of immigration from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nayib-bukele/what-is-at-risk-are-the-lives-of-hard-working-salvadoran-families-in/) [Nayib Bukele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nayib-bukele/) > [If the U.S. government is serious about fighting irregular migration, it should support and encourage legal migration.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nayib-bukele/if-the-u-s-government-is-serious-about-fighting-irregular-migration/) [Nayib Bukele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nayib-bukele/) > [China does not play by the rules; they do not respect the rules. They develop projects that are not feasible, leaving countries with huge…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nayib-bukele/china-does-not-play-by-the-rules-they-do-not-respect-the-rules-they/) [Nayib Bukele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nayib-bukele/) > [There's a clamor among the Salvadoran people to combat corruption.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nayib-bukele/there-s-a-clamor-among-the-salvadoran-people-to-combat-corruption/) [Nayib Bukele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nayib-bukele/) > [We want to be friends with China, but China has to be friends with us. I don't mean money or investment, but respect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nayib-bukele/we-want-to-be-friends-with-china-but-china-has-to-be-friends-with-us/) [Nayib Bukele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nayib-bukele/) [Explore all 34 Nayib Bukele quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nayib-bukele/) ## More El salvador quotes > [“The rank and file members of the guerrillas and their civilian sympathizers paid some of the heaviest prices during the war and a recurrent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-ching/the-rank-and-file-members-of-the-guerrillas-and-their-civilian/) [Erik Ching](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-ching/) > [You want a lesson? I'll give you a lesson. How about a geography lesson? My father's from Puerto Rico. My mother's from El Salvador.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-esposito/you-want-a-lesson-i-ll-give-you-a-lesson-how-about-a-geography-lesson/) [Jennifer Esposito](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-esposito/) > [I'm post-cynical on this stuff. I look at the El Salvador model as the glory days: Why don't we just fund the death squads…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-hastings/i-m-post-cynical-on-this-stuff-i-look-at-the-el-salvador-model-as-the/) [Michael Hastings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-hastings/) > [I have seen children shot in El Salvador, Algeria, Guatemala, Sarajevo, but I have never before watched soldiers entice children like mice into a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hedges/i-have-seen-children-shot-in-el-salvador-algeria-guatemala-sarajevo/) [Chris Hedges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hedges/) > [“Tuesday, March 3 \[Meetings with economist Arthur Burns regarding China, and with President Ford on economy; message from Pope John Paul II expressing general…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/tuesday-march-3-meetings-with-economist-arthur-burns-regarding-china/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [Children are my pet cause. I have a foster child in El Salvador, and whenever I'm home, I work for the Adam Walsh Foundation,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-badler/children-are-my-pet-cause-i-have-a-foster-child-in-el-salvador-and/) [Jane Badler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-badler/) > [In our times, significantly, the three outstanding voices against violence have been silenced by murder - Mahatma Gandhi in India, Archbishop Romero in El…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/millicent-fenwick/in-our-times-significantly-the-three-outstanding-voices-against/) [Millicent Fenwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/millicent-fenwick/) > [El Salvador needs to be friends with the United States. It is an imperative for us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nayib-bukele/el-salvador-needs-to-be-friends-with-the-united-states-it-is-an/) [Nayib Bukele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nayib-bukele/) > [“Guadalupe Fuentes: --They're not paid to kill honest people, to shoot for no good reasons. Rubenia Fuentes: --Ah, my little girl, then why do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manlio-argueta/guadalupe-fuentes-they-re-not-paid-to-kill-honest-people-to-shoot-for/) [Manlio Argueta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manlio-argueta/) > [“Christians should put survival of the planet ahead of national security...Here is the mystery of our global responsibility: that we are in communion with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-j-m-nouwen/christians-should-put-survival-of-the-planet-ahead-of-national/) [Henri J.M. Nouwen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-j-m-nouwen/) > [“Life gets harder and harder. They say we have a lot of people in this country. And the most abundant are the poor. Hordes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manlio-argueta/life-gets-harder-and-harder-they-say-we-have-a-lot-of-people-in-this/) [Manlio Argueta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manlio-argueta/) > [My middle name is Nicole. It's so weird because my mom is from El Salvador, but my sisters and I have Irish names -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christy-turlington/my-middle-name-is-nicole-it-s-so-weird-because-my-mom-is-from-el/) [Christy Turlington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christy-turlington/) > [I love soccer. My father is from Argentina and my mother is from El Salvador. I grew up watching Argentinean soccer. I get really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-pardo/i-love-soccer-my-father-is-from-argentina-and-my-mother-is-from-el/) [J. D. Pardo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-pardo/) > [El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras have all agreed to send additional consular officers from Guatemala, from Honduras, from El Salvador, send them to the U.S.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-biden/el-salvador-guatemala-honduras-have-all-agreed-to-send-additional/) [Joe Biden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-biden/) > [“ (Note: The following was written in 2003, before the full implication of US military commitment in Afghanistan and Iraq could be fully appreciated.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-lewis/note-the-following-was-written-in-2003-before-the-full-implication-of/) [Bernard Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-lewis/) [Browse all 66 El salvador quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/el-salvador/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We have a problem that we have to fix in El Salvador - We have been sending migrants to the United States and elsewhere since the '80s and now we have almost a quarter of our population living abroad.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Nayib Bukele" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nayib-bukele/we-have-a-problem-that-we-have-to-fix-in-el-salvador-we-have-been/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "El salvador" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nayib-bukele/we-have-a-problem-that-we-have-to-fix-in-el-salvador-we-have-been/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be4/nayib-bukele-18722_el-salvador_we-have-a-problem-that-we-have-to-fix-in_534171.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be4/nayib-bukele-18722_el-salvador_we-have-a-problem-that-we-have-to-fix-in_534171.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be4/nayib-bukele-18722_el-salvador_we-have-a-problem-that-we-have-to-fix-in_534171.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“We have a problem that we have to fix in El Salvador - We have been sending migrants to the United States…” — Nayib Bukele", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Nayib Bukele", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nayib-bukele/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "We have a problem that we...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nayib-bukele/we-have-a-problem-that-we-have-to-fix-in-el-salvador-we-have-been/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nayib-bukele/we-have-a-problem-that-we-have-to-fix-in-el-salvador-we-have-been/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```