Americas Migration Brief - December 16, 2024
Welcome to the Americas Migration Brief! If you find this newsletter useful, please consider sharing with a friend or colleague.
Se puede acceder aquí a una versión en español del boletín traducida por inteligencia artificial.
Consulte aqui uma versão em português do boletim traduzida por inteligência artificial.
Table of Contents
Integration and Development
🌎 Regional
In a new special edition of the AMB, I review migration trends from this past year and outline 5 trends to watch in 2025: (1) Trump’s “mass deportation” plans will ripple across the hemisphere; (2) The future of the LA Declaration is unclear; (3) Interest in labor migration is growing; (4) Peru faces a trio of pressures; and (5) Push factors for Cuban, Haitian, Nicaraguan, and Venezuelan migration persist.
🇨🇱 Chile
“The government of President Gabriel Boric is considering starting a limited regularization process for migrants… This is an initiative that would be directly related to the previous (biometric) registration carried out by the Executive - to which more than 180,000 foreigners were included - since those people who registered voluntarily would be the ones who could access the benefit,” reports La Tercera, noting that the regularization would be conducted for both security- and economic-related benefits.
Not all who took part in the biometric registration will necessarily be eligible, though, notes T13. Having a labor or family tie in Chile would be a potential requirement.
Juan Pablo Ramaciotti considers at La Tercera the recently proposed bill to alter Chile’s migration law—which has passed in the Chamber of Deputies but remains pending in the Senate—assessing pros and cons of the bill. El País reports about the bill, too, noting that it may increase the number of irregular migrants and promote social exclusion. (see also AMB 12/2/24)
Recent cases of xenophobia against Venezuelan migrants have been in the news: “Three men threw stones and eggs at (an elementary school) while shouting nationalist slogans and insults against Venezuelan students,” reports El Pitazo, adding, “This new case comes shortly after an attack by a Chilean woman against a Venezuelan taxi driver went viral.”
🇵🇪 Peru
“The National Immigration Superintendence has launched a virtual platform so that all accommodations and landlords must register foreign citizens to whom they provide services,” reports La República. (see AMB 10/28/24 on the announcement of the policy)
Venezuelans in Peru have committed crimes at lesser rates than their Peruvian counterparts and represent a smaller proportion of the jailed population than their proportion in the total population, according to an IOM report.
An IOM and Equilibrium report explores the Venezuelan population in Peru and their economic potential, finding that they are already projected to contribute USD 530 million to the country in 2024 but that the figure could rise to 797 million per year with improved regularization and formal labor market insertion. (press release)
🇲🇽 Mexico
IMUMI highlights “the challenges faced by transnational families who have been deported or returned, voluntarily or involuntarily, to Mexico to register the Mexican nationality of their daughters and sons born abroad, especially in the United States, who are often unaware of the procedures or lack access to adequate information… It should be noted that in April 2024, one of the main barriers to the registration of Mexican nationality, the apostille, was eliminated.”
🇩🇴 Dominican Republic
“UK not-for-profit cooperative Banana Link has joined unions and associations in Dominican Republic in calling for the regularisation of migrant workers in the country’s banana sector,” reports Eurofruit, noting that the banana sector employs an estimated 70,000 Haitian migrants.
🇺🇸 United States
“Some Democrats in Congress are open to working with Republican colleagues on immigration, reports Daniela Altimari of Roll Call. Daniella Diaz and Nicholas Wu report for Politico that some are cautiously willing to discussing a deal with the incoming Trump administration, too: "I am open to doing everything possible to protect Dreamers and other immigrants and so if there comes time to make a deal, I hope we are all open to that," said Rep. Veronica Escobar (D-Texas).” (via National Immigration Forum’s The Forum Daily)
“Trump Says He Would Let ‘Dreamers’ Stay. But He Once Tried to Gut the Program. President-elect Donald J. Trump’s stance on the immigrants who were brought to the country illegally as children is filled with contradictions,” says New York Times.
“The Department of Homeland Security released a rule yesterday that will automatically extend work authorization documents for immigrants whose documents expire while they have a renewal application pending, reports Andrew Kreighbaum of Bloomberg Law. "With this final rule, DHS has ensured that ... immigrants will not fall out of the workforce because of work permit processing backlogs," said Conchita Cruz, co-executive director of the Asylum Seeker Advocacy Project.” (via The Forum Daily; see also Immigration Impact)
Asylum, Protection, and Human Rights
🌎 Regional
As Europe pauses asylum processing for Syrians following the fall of the Assad regime, Syrians in the French overseas department of Guaiana face uncertainty, reports France-Guyane.
Canada has asserted it will continue processing asylum requests from Syrians. (Global News)
🇪🇨 Ecuador
3iSolution explores internal displacement in Ecuador through a survey across the country, estimating that over 80,000 were displaced by violence in the first ten months of 2024, 22% of whom were Venezuelan nationals that had lived in Ecuador for at least one year.
🇩🇴 Dominican Republic
“Cage-like trucks fitted with iron bars that appear designed to carry livestock line up every morning at the border between Haiti and the Dominican Republic. The vehicles at the Elías Piña border crossing are not loaded with cattle, but with Haitians being deported by the Dominican immigration authorities. They include young men, pregnant women, unaccompanied children and some people who have never lived in Haiti,” reports New York Times, highlighting abuses during the Dominican Republic’s current mass deportation campaign.
Following an incident in which a Haitian migrant shot a Dominican immigration official, Dominican agents have now been authorized to “make ‘proportional use of force’ to prevent attacks,” per Diario Libre.
🇬🇹 Guatemala
A Global Protection Cluster report explores protection and displacement in Guatemala.
🇺🇸 United States
“Democratic senators are urging President Joe Biden to extend temporary protections for migrants in the U.S. before he leaves office, warning that millions of people could be forced to return to unsafe countries once President-elect Donald Trump retakes the White House,” reports AP, noting calls for TPS for Nicaragua, Ecuador, and El Salvador.
MPI reviews the complex and nuanced legacy of the Biden administration on immigration.
“A court-ordered system for protecting the health of children detained at the southern border, put in place two years ago after several children died in custody, is set to expire nine days after Donald J. Trump takes office with plans to intensify the deportation of migrants,” reports New York Times.
Axios reviews TRAC data on asylum approval rates, noting that “for October, show asylum grant rates had declined to just 35.8%,” with Latin American nationalities among the groups with the lowest success rates.
“Immigration judges (IJs) are Department of Justice (DOJ) attorneys who lack independence and are particularly susceptible to political pressure,” according to a paper at Boston College Law Review, adding, “IJ experience and gender made a difference in case outcomes, with male IJs and IJs with enforcement backgrounds denying protection at higher rates.”
WOLA’s Adam Isacson highlights stories related to the US-Mexico border and human rights at the Weekly Border Update, explaining how “the 119th Congress will move by late January on a package of hardline border and immigration measures whose total cost could be more than $100 billion. As it will move under a special Senate rule called “reconciliation,” it could pass the chamber, where Republicans lead by a 53-47 margin, by a simple majority.”
“Trump's post-inaugural orders on the first day are expected to mostly focus on rolling back what Trump views as Biden's overly permissive border policies and preventing new surges of migration along the U.S. southern border with Mexico… He is expected to sign executive orders that give immigration officers more latitude to arrest people with no criminal records, send more troops to the U.S.-Mexico border and restart construction of the border wall,” notes Reuters.
🇨🇦 Canada
“A Uyghur woman is the first refugee from China’s persecuted minority groups to arrive in Canada under a federal government resettlement effort launched in 2023,” reports The Globe and Mail.
“Foreign workers in Canada who suffer abuse often endure this situation for a prolonged period of time before seeking help, as leaving an employer under a closed work permit risks immediate loss of work authorization,” according to a new report highlighted by FCJ Refugee Centre. The Vulnerable Workers Open Work Permit (VWOWP) program is relatively unknown by workers and faces continued challenges.
Migratory Institutions and Regional and Bilateral Cooperation
🌎 Regional
Meetings celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Cartagena Declaration on Refugees, bringing to a close the Cartagena+40 Process, culminated in the Chile Declaration and Plan of Action 2024-2034.
“The Chile Declaration and Plan of Action proposes a comprehensive approach to disaster-induced displacement. Moreover, it fosters formal employment through regional business networks and promotes the use of advanced technology, including the digitalization of asylum systems, as well as the use of biometric data to speed up refugee status determination procedures,” notes UNHCR.
Guyana is among the countries invested in full free movement in the Caribbean and embracing all of CARICOM’s CSME treaty obligations, per the Guyanese foreign minister, reports Stabroek News. (see AMB 12/2/24)
Colombia hosted the 12th South American Conference on Migration (CSM). Red Jesuita con Migrantes highlights the view from civil society.
“Just as many Latin American officials complained in recent decades about a narcotización of their relationships with the United States, as narcotics dominated all other subjects, regional ties may see a migratización in coming years, with tariffs and other punishments doled out to governments perceived as failing to stop the flow of migrants northward,” writes Brian Winter at Foreign Affairs, looking at the incoming Trump administration in the US and its relationship with Latin America.
🇵🇦🇨🇷 Costa Rica and Panama
Following a UN-facilitated cooperation meeting between Costa Rica and Panama on human trafficking, the two countries are developing “a roadmap for technical cooperation to improve binational coordination between the two countries and identify synergies and joint efforts.” (IOM)
🇵🇦🇺🇸 United States and Panama
“Panama's president appealed to US President-elect Donald Trump on Thursday to maintain the aid Washington gives his central American country for deporting US-bound migrants. The United States has contributed $1 million towards the cost of deporting over 1,000 migrants who tried to cross the Darien jungle from Colombia into Panama since July,” reports AFP, adding that these deportation flights have not included Venezuelans “because Panamanian planes have been barred from landing in Venezuela.”
🇨🇷🇺🇸 United States and Costa Rica
Costa Rica’s foreign minister visited DC to meet with US officials about migration, among other topics. (EFE)
🇨🇺🇺🇸 United States and Cuba
CEDA’s US-Cuba News Brief highlights recent US-Cuba migration talks. (see also last week’s AMB)
Labor Migration
🌎 Regional
An ILO technical note explores women's participation and protection in temporary labor migration schemes in Central and North America.
🇨🇴 Colombia
The World Bank explores Colombia’s system for labor emigration: “Colombia already has some tools to channel emigration, but it needs to continue using them in a coordinated way to improve the lives of Colombians, inside and outside the country.” (blog, report)
Migrants in Transit
🌎 Regional
Not including migrants taking irregular channels, an estimated 1,200 Venezuelans cross into Colombia through formal ports of entry to migrate every day, per El Pitazo.
Borders and Enforcement
🇵🇪 Peru
“Foreigners will be expelled from Peru if they do not identify themselves to the competent authority, according to an amendment to a legislative immigration decree approved this Sunday… The decree establishes that from now on, foreigners who enter Peru and do not comply with ‘the obligation to identify themselves before the competent authority’ will be expelled from the country,” reports El Universo.
🇨🇱 Chile
La Tercera highlights the costly expenses and logistics for conducting deportation flights from Chile.
🇦🇷 Argentina
Argentina will patrol the waters of its river-based border with Bolivia “for the first time,” reports EFE.
🇨🇦 Canada
“The Trudeau government is considering spending hundreds of millions of dollars to protect the Canada-U.S. border in an attempt to allay Donald Trump's concerns and avoid his threat to impose 25 per cent tariffs,” reports CBC.
🇺🇸 United States
“Nearly half of the 1.4 million people in the U.S. immigration system who have pending deportation orders cannot be sent back to their home countries, according to internal Immigration and Customs Enforcement data… Some orders can’t be carried out because the would-be deportee’s home country won’t take them or limits cooperation with ICE. Others identified for deportation are serving prison terms, or have received a reprieve or deferral from an immigration judge, due to a medical condition, a credible persecution threat or another extenuating factor,” explains Washington Post.
“President-elect Trump said in his TIME "Person of the Year" interview out Thursday that he would be open to using camps to hold detained immigrants in the US,” reports Axios. (see AMB 11/25/24)
New York Times looks at the need to coordinate with jails, prisons, and local governments (including sanctuary cities) in order to conduct mass deportations.
“Far-Right Militias Seek Role in Trump Deportation Plan: The incoming administration said it would not rely on outside groups to carry out its plan to deport millions of immigrants, but militias have a long record of inserting themselves into patrolling the border.” (New York Times)
““Trump’s promise to clamp down on undocumented migrants could play into the hands of criminal groups who stand to profit from higher prices and fresh opportunities if the chaos and confusion expected from his second administration transpire,” writes Steven Dudley in InSight Crime.” (via Latin America Daily Briefing)
More on Migration
🇲🇽 Mexico
A Mexican government report looks at remittances and migration numbers in the country from the past year.