Epigmenio Centeno had hoped to cross the Mexican border into the United States in the coming months, but he and his wife have shelved their plans for fear of being separated from their two sons under U.S. President Donald Trump's "zero tolerance" immigration policy.
The family's quandary mirrors life-changing decisions being made all the way from Central America to the Mexico-U.S. border, as migrant families en route to the United States take pause to consider whether losing sight of their children is worse than the violence back home.
A postal courier from El Salvador, Centeno, 40, began his journey north with his family more than a year ago when he found himself targeted in a brutal territorial battle between Central America's two most violent gangs, MS-13 and Calle 18.