Americas Migration Brief - December 2, 2024
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Table of Contents
Integration and Development
🇨🇱 Chile
El País reviews a new bill approved by Chile’s Chamber of Deputies to alter the country's migration law. Not yet approved by the Senate, the bill would “point to a toughening of the current immigration policy,” says El País, pointing to policy changes such as increasing the minimum period of residence required for citizenship and expanding the possible reasons for deportation. The bill also considers limiting access to education, health care, and housing, although those provisions reportedly may be removed in the Senate process.
Interior Minister Carolina Tohá criticized the bill for potentially incentivizing labor informality through penalties for the (formal) hiring of irregular migrants, as well as for potentially inhibiting employers from regularizing their workers, reports Interferencia, further highlighting other lawmakers and actors’ concerns with the bill. (see also last week’s AMB for critiques from civil society on some of the bill’s provisions)
World Vision Chile’s Juan Pablo Venegas Gormaz critiques the bill’s limiting access to education, arguing, “it is essential not to make children ‘compete’ for a school place, but rather the State must guarantee enrollment for every child who requires it, since it is their right.” Further considering impacts of the proposed bill on children, Venegas Gormaz also critiques changes for unaccompanied migrant children, questioning, “the approved proposal sees a threat where the need for protection is evident. What risk can a child who arrives alone seeking refuge or a better place to live imply for the country?” (G5 Noticias)
🇦🇷 Argentina
Buenos Aires Herald highlights issues of discrimination for Peruvian migrants in Argentina, reporting, “accessing primary healthcare is often an ordeal fraught with discrimination and neglect. The issue has become even more problematic with current Argentine President Javier Milei’s government. In fact, the government in Salta province began to charge non-resident foreigners for health care, an unconstitutional move permitted due to the declared economic emergency in the province. As a result, the number of foreigners attending Salta hospitals has dropped by more than 80%. Alarmingly, other provinces and even the country could soon follow suit, as in June, the Argentine Senate approved Milei’s controversial Ley Bases, granting the president extraordinary legislative powers in four different areas for one year by declaring a similar “public emergency.””
🇬🇾 Guyana
The New Humanitarian highlights the challenges faced by Venezuelan migrants in Guyana, including extortion, exploitation, and limited access to good paying jobs. Many Venezuelans live in isolated rural areas with limited access to services, which has also impacted access to regular legal status and permit renewals. (check out this special edition of the AMB from February on misperceptions of Venezuelan migrant criminality in Guyana)
🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago
Recent anti-immigrant and anti-Venezuelan comments by opposition leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar have received widespread criticism and comparisons to Donald Trump, including sharp condemnation by multiple government officials and a pair of opinions at Newsday.
“Since 2023, IOM has equipped nearly 1,450 migrants and local community members with essential skills facilitating pathways for sustainable employment or self-employment opportunities” in Trinidad and Tobago, says IOM, highlighting efforts to both build job opportunities and social cohesion in the country.
🇪🇨 Ecuador
In the first three days, 495 Venezuelans have applied for Ecuador’s new regularization program for those unable to obtain a Temporary Residence Visa of Exception (Virte) during the country’s previous regularization initiative, reports Expreso. An estimated 90,000 may be eligible. (see also AMB 8/26/24)
🇵🇪 Peru
Pulitzer Center highlights the challenges of labor informality for Venezuelan migrants in Lima.
🇧🇷 Brazil
Recent articles in the Travessia journal look at Venezuelan migrant children’s experiences in the Brazilian border state of Roraima, issues of accessibility and inclusion for Venezuelan migrants with autism in Brazil, and the experiences of Indigenous Warao migrants from Venezuela in Brazil.
🇺🇸 United States
ProPublica “interviewed dozens of long-established Latino immigrants and their U.S.-born relatives in cities like Denver and Chicago and in small towns along the Texas border. Over and over, they spoke of feeling resentment as they watched the government ease the transition of large numbers of asylum-seekers into the U.S. by giving them access to work permits and IDs, and in some cities spending millions of dollars to provide them with food and shelter.” A chief concern for these long-time immigrants: a lack of immigration reform to provide access to documentation and work permits for long-time residents without legal status.
Asylum, Protection, and Human Rights
🌎 Regional
The OECD’s annual migration report finds that Venezuelans (273k), Colombians (203k), and Haitians (129k) were the 1st-, 2nd-, and 5th-leading nationalities for asylum claims in OECD countries in 2023.
🇸🇻 El Salvador
Elsalvador.com reveals how the country’s “state of exception” to combat gangs has resulted in human rights abuses and indiscriminate arrests and jailings, in turn leading to some young Salvadorans fleeing for protection abroad due to persecution by the state.
🇳🇮 Nicaragua
Nicaragua has moved to amend the country’s migration law in order to facilitate the stripping of citizenship of opposition members, thus provoking statelessness. (Confidencial)
The reform also includes an increase in fines for irregular migrants. “Prior to the reforms, migrants had to pay 150 dollars for ‘entering or leaving through unauthorized border posts.’ Now, a fine of 1,000 dollars was created for “evading border control for illegal purposes.” This sum must be paid by both foreigners and Nicaraguans. However, they do not specify what would be considered ‘illegal purposes.’”
🇨🇴 Colombia
Despite regulations permitting the use of expired Venezuelan passports, Colombian migration officials are denying Venezuelans with such passports the ability to leave the country on flights to the US through the Safe Mobility Initiative program, reports Semana.
AP highlights the risk of displacement for Indigenous Colombians threatened by armed conflict; “In Bogotá, there are still around 1,600 indigenous people - 600 of them children - in an unhealthy shelter waiting to be relocated to their own land or returned to their territory with guarantees of education, health and security.”
Amid an increase in asylum applications in recent years and delays in application processing, Colombia plans to soon issue a decree to modify access to refugee status in the country. (press release, El Espectador, La Silla Vacía)
🇧🇷 Brazil
“The United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) announced that over the past three years, more than 12,000 Afghans have entered Brazil on humanitarian visas after the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan,” reports Afghanistan International. (UNHCR)
🇬🇫 French Guiana
“Asylum applications have tripled in one year in French Guiana. Since January 1, more than 20,000 people have been received at the First Reception Structure for Asylum Seekers (SPADA). The majority of applicants are Haitian nationals already living in French Guiana. This massive influx leads to longer waiting times to be granted asylum, due to a lack of sufficient reinforcements at the One-Stop Shop for Asylum Seekers at the prefecture,” reports Guyane1, noting that current asylum appointment availability is for July 2026.
🇨🇦 Canada
“Canada is pausing private refugee sponsorships from groups of five or more people and community organizations to help clear a backlog of applications… The pause is effective immediately and runs until Dec. 31, 2025,” reports The Canadian Press, noting, “there are over 85,000 pending refugee claims as of the end of October.”
“Canada's immigration minister says he plans to propose measures to reform the country's refugee system, potentially fast-tracking refusals of cases deemed to have little chance of succeeding,” reports Reuters, noting, “Experts and advocates warned that could violate asylum-seekers' right to due process and could be challenged in court.”
🇺🇸 United States
IRAP reviews the state of the US-led Safe Mobility Initiative (SMI) as the Biden administration comes to a close in the US, noting that “over 260,000 individuals submitted initial registrations on the Movilidad Segura web portal… over 23,000 individuals have arrived in the United States as refugees through the SMI, including around 13,000 Venezuelans, 5,000 Guatemalans, 3,000 Nicaraguans, and 1,000 Colombians.”
As the Trump administration is expected to suspend refugee resettlement processing, “While it is unknown exactly how such efforts will impact the SMI, any broad suspension of refugee processing may result in SMI cases being suspended, delayed, or denied.”
As for now: “As of November 27, 2024, the Movilidad Segura registration page is not accepting new registrations in Colombia or Ecuador. However, the Movildad Segura registration page continues to accept new applications in Costa Rica and Guatemala, where registrations have been lower in general.”
Migratory Institutions and Regional and Bilateral Cooperation
🌎 Regional
Donald Trump is promising that upon inauguration on January 20th, “he would impose a 25% tariff on imports from Canada and Mexico until they clamped down on drugs, particularly fentanyl, and migrants crossing the border, in a move that would appear to violate a free-trade deal,” per Reuters.
Trump and Mexican president Claudia Sheinbaum spoke shortly after the tariff threat was made: “President-elect Donald Trump declared a win on stopping illegal immigration through Mexico on Wednesday after talking with that country's leader. But Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum suggested Mexico was already doing its part and had no interest in closing its borders… Sheinbaum indicated on social media that she'd "explained" to Trump that Mexico is already "taking care of" migrant caravans, calling it an "excellent conversation," but indicating no major changes in her government's policies.” (CBS)
The New York Times highlights how migrant crossings into the US from Canada have increased of late—largely driven by Indian migration—but still remain a fraction of the arrivals at the US-Mexico border.
“Colombian President Gustavo Petro sent a letter to U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, in which he points out that issues such as anti-drug policy and migration require a multilateral approach,” reports EFE.
Ecuador is hosting a Regional Meeting on LGBTIQ+ Human Mobility in Latin America and the Caribbean. (EFE)
CARICOM has yet to agree upon and implement the full free movement promised for the Caribbean region last year, reports Stabroek News, noting comments from CARICOM Chairman and Prime Minister of Grenada Dickon Mitchell: “I want to call it the coalition of the willing. There are still one and two countries that have some technical issues they have to iron out, but for those of us who don’t have those issues, we have committed to the free movement.” (for more check out this special edition of the AMB from last year)
🇪🇨🇨🇴 Colombia and Ecuador
Colombian and Ecuadorian officials met for the second edition of a binational roundtable to discuss cross-border issues and migration. (Diario del Cauca)
🇬🇧🇨🇴 Colombia and United Kingdom
Colombia and the UK have had a minor diplomatic spat over visa requirements, with the UK introducing visa requirements for Colombians because of a recent rise in asylum claims by Colombian tourists. Colombia, in turn, will now introduce visa requirements for the UK. (AP)
🇭🇳🇧🇴 Bolivia and Honduras
Bolivia and Honduras are now implementing a mutual visa waiver, per Fragomen.
Labor Migration
🇪🇸🇪🇨 Ecuador and Spain
“The Ecuadorian government announced Thursday that a total of 146 compatriots will travel to Spain to work in temporary activities in the agricultural sector, within the framework of the circular migration program,” reports EFE.
🇺🇸 United States
“In 2015 the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) implemented a policy permitting certain H-4 visa holders—spouses of H-1B skilled workers—to apply for an employment authorization document (EAD),” explains Fwd.us, calling for the preservation, and expansion, of the program.
Migrants in Transit
🇺🇸 United States
“Unlawful crossings at the U.S.-Mexico border are on track to drop to a new low for the Biden administration in November,” reports CBS.
“The Migrant Caravans Trump Derides Rarely Make It Close to the U.S.” (New York Times)
To that point: “Activists say Mexican immigration authorities have broken up two small migrant caravans headed to the U.S. border,” reports Washington Post.
Borders and Enforcement
🇩🇴 Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic deported 55,723 foreigners (presumably Haitians) between October 1 and November 15, including 15,500 in the first 15 days of November. (press release; for more on the mass deportation campaign, see AMB 11/4/24)
Diario Libre reports on life in Dajabón at the DR-Haiti border, reporting that the border crossing and local market has become more organized and stable in recent weeks.
🇨🇱 Chile
The Chilean government is considering a proposal to introduce “detention centers for foreigners with pending expulsion orders,” reports Emol.
🇺🇸 United States
The Conversation warns of the risk of militias taking part in mass deportation campaigns and immigrant roundups during the Trump administration, noting “Some militia units in border states have been engaged in deportation efforts for a long time. They typically patrol the border, sometimes detain migrants and regularly call the U.S. Border Patrol to report their findings.”
“U.S. farm industry groups want President-elect Donald Trump to spare their sector from his promise of mass deportations, which could upend a food supply chain heavily dependent on immigrants in the United States illegally. So far Trump officials have not committed to any exemptions,” reports Reuters.
“President-elect Donald Trump will return to power next year with a raft of technological tools at his disposal that would help deliver his campaign promise of cracking down on immigration — among them, surveillance and artificial intelligence technology that the Biden administration already uses to help make crucial decisions in tracking, detaining and ultimately deporting immigrants lacking permanent legal status,” reports AP.
“The United States Coast Guard (USCG) reported on Friday that it has transferred 19 migrants of various nationalities to the Bahamas after intercepting two attempts at irregular migration.” (CiberCuba)
🇨🇦 Canada
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police “says it's looking to redeploy up to one-quarter of its eastern region workforce to areas considered an operational priority, including to the Canada-U.S. border,” reports The Canadian Press.
🇵🇦 Panama
In an interview with Eco, Panama’s director of migration reported that recent deportation flights from the Darien Gap to India and Vietnam have cost $800,000 and $1 million per flight. “To date, Panama has made two extracontinental flights and spent approximately $2.2 million, with the intention of making at least three flights a week.”
More on Migration
🌎 Regional
An International Migration paper exploring the links between remittances and political unrest in Latin America and the Caribbean finds that “remittance recipients do not vary from non-recipients in their support for peaceful and legal modes of protest. However, compared to non-recipients, those receiving remittances are more approving of citizens collectively acting outside of formal mechanisms or institutions, thus justifying unlawful and disruptive protest behaviour… support for violent protests among recipients is linked to their dissatisfaction with political parties and politicians, especially when these actors rely on patronage and clientelist exchanges to sway voter turnout.”