Since a 1979 coup, El Salvador has been ruled by a civilian-military junta supported by the oligarchy; officially, the junta is committed to social and economic reforms. Civilian guerrillas oppose the government which they believe is not interested in real reform. The United States supplies financial and military aid to the junta and believes the guerrillas to be Cuban and Soviet incited and supported and therefore a threat to U.S. national security. Fear for their lives and the inability to make a living have forced many Salvadorans to leave their country and become refugees in Central America, nearby Honduras, Guatemala, and Mexico. Recently, efforts have been made to remove refugees from Honduras in order to clear the boarders of guerrilla sympathizers. Thousands of Salvadorans attempting to enter the U.S. have been denied political asylum because U.S. policy supports the Salvadoran government. Those Salvadorans who have been apprehended for entering the U.S. illegally are jailed, denied due process, and in most cases forcibly returned to El Salvador where they face possible death. Salvadorans in U.S. detention centers have to deal with enormous psychological pressures, poor living conditions, and inadequate legal advice and assistance. A humane concern for Salvadorans, whose lives would be endangered by deportation, ought to override political considerations concerning action in El Salvador. (Author/MJL)