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Table of Contents
Integration and Development
🇨🇱 Chile
“Today, more than 200,000 foreigners face alarming legal precariousness, trapped in informality and administrative clandestinity, which only favors labor exploitation and organized crime. This situation affects both migrants and our society, perpetuating exclusion, insecurity and gaps in social cohesion. It is urgent to implement a massive regularization process, not as a concession, but as a strategic tool to organize the immigration system” in Chile, writes Rodrigo Sandoval Ducoing to La Tercera.
The currently floated “limited” regularization process would target “some 180,000 people who registered voluntarily in 2023 and who also have work or family ties in the country,” according to an interview of the head of the Chilean Migration Service, Eduardo Thayer, by EFE.
USIP highlights the debate surrounding immigration in Chile ahead of the country’s elections later this year.
🇩🇴 Dominican Republic
Amid a mass deportation campaign aimed at Haitians (see last week’s AMB), “The Dominican Confederation of Micro, Small and Medium Construction Enterprises (COPYMECON) presented to the General Directorate of Migration (DGM) the “urgent” need to regularize the Haitian workforce,” reports Acento.
🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago
“Independent Senator Thompson-Ahye on Tuesday criticised Government’s policy only allowing migrant children who satisfy certain requirements to enter public schools,” reports Daily Express.
🇺🇾 Uruguay
A newly launched project from IOM and partners seeks to boost labor inclusion and social integration of migrants in the Montevideo metropolitan area. (IOM)
🇲🇽 Mexico
“Despite the fact that an article of the Constitution, five laws, the SEP regulations and at least two protocols dictate the right of children in situations of mobility to access free public education in Mexico without the need for identity documents or proof or apostilles of their education in another country, this is still denied due to a lack of knowledge on the part of school authorities, in most basic level schools,” reports El País.
“The Mexican government has announced the Mexico Embraces You program, which includes economic and social services for Mexicans deported from the United States,” reports Wired, explaining that in addition to an economic support of ~$100 USD, returnees reintegration will be supported through access to various services, including social housing support.
🇬🇹 Guatemala
“Guatemala is not only bracing for mass deportations from the U.S., but is also planning how to reintegrate migrants back into a society they fled, reports the New York Times.” (via Latin America Daily Briefing)
“The plan, which focuses on linking deportees to jobs and making use of their language and work skills, also aims to offer mental health support for people coping with the trauma of deportation. In practical terms, it means that when deportees step off the plane, government employees will extensively interview them, to get a detailed picture of those returning to the country, the help they need and the kind of work they could do.”
🇭🇳 Honduras
Honduras has launched the “Brother, return home” program for Honduran migrants returning or deported from the US. “The program will be based on three pillars: a solidarity bonus for migrants, food support and a massive employment program,” reports El Heraldo.
Asylum, Protection, and Human Rights
🇨🇴 Colombia
As of January 23rd, the UN and partners report that at least 41,000 Colombians have been displaced by armed conflict in the Catatumbo region. (see also last week’s AMB)
“The declaration of an internal commotion suggests that the government needs extraordinary powers to address the refugee crises inside Catatumbo, in Cucuta and in the south of the neighboring department, Cesar,” says Pirate Wire Services, explaining the context of the conflict driving displacement.
“Authorities in the Colombian border city of Cúcuta are scrambling to cope with an influx of internal refugees,” reports The Guardian.
In Venezuela, “the Maduro regime has kept border crossings blocked in some spots, but they are also preparing for a wave of refugees from the recent violence on the Colombia side and will use that to some propaganda advantage,” writes James Bosworth at Latin America Risk Report.
CDH-UCAB is calling for Venezuela to grant refugee status and protection to Colombians fleeing the conflict. The Venezuelan government has provided some humanitarian assistance thus far, per Proyecto Migración Venezuela.
🇧🇷 Brazil
“In January 2025, the Ministry of Justice and Public Security announced the accreditation of two civil society organizations to receive Afghan refugees through community sponsorship,” notes UNHCR, explaining Brazil’s reception and humanitarian visa policy for Afghans.
🇲🇽 Mexico
Women’s Refugee Commission highlights the challenges and protection needs faced by migrant mothers in southern Mexico. (via Forced Migration Current Awareness)
🇨🇦 Canada
“Canada is planning to set up a center to accommodate migrants from the US crossing the northern border into Quebec as the Trump administration pushes ahead with an immigration crackdown,” reports Financial Post. (see also CBC)
“Immigration Minister Marc Miller is offering an incentive to provinces and territories to accept asylum seekers, saying he may allow them to select more economic migrants if they agree to help shoulder the burden,” reports The Canadian Press.
On a similar note: “Provincial immigration ministers from both Manitoba and Newfoundland and Labrador have expressed their desire to welcome more immigrants than their 2025 allocation, in the face of greatly reduced provincial immigration targets,” reports CIC News.
Refugee advocates are calling for the Canadian government to facilitate access to asylum in Canada for transgender refugee claimants in the US. (The Canadian Press)
🇺🇸 United States
“The Trump Administration Has Killed Asylum at the US-Mexico Border,” says Mother Jones, while New York Times highlights the cancellation of the CBP One App. “Citing President Trump's extraordinary move to close the American asylum system, U.S. border agents have been instructed to summarily deport migrants crossing into the country illegally without allowing them to request legal protection,” reports CBS.
The Trump administration’s claims of immigrant invasion claim foreigners threaten “public health, safety, and national security.” Cato’s Alex Nowrasteh and Krit Chanwong investigate on Substack: “My [Alex Nowrasteh’s] research at the Cato Institute on crime and terrorism committed by illegal immigrants conclusively shows that they commit less crime than native-born Americans and have murdered zero people in domestic attacks since 1975. This post fills in the gap in Trump’s invasion declaration by analyzing how immigrants affect disease in the US. We find no statistically significant relationship between the size of the immigrant population, the illegal immigrant population, or the legal immigrant population and the spread of serious communicable diseases on the state level during the 2021-2023 period when America was supposedly being invaded by diseased immigrants. In other words, no reasonable disease prevention justification exists for the Trump administration’s declaration of an invasion.”
The Trump administration has passed a flurry of executive orders from the get go, including multiple limiting access to asylum or refugee status. An American Immigration Council fact sheet analyzes each of the new executive actions, and WOLA’s Weekly Border Update additionally breaks down some of the news and context related to various new policy moves.
Among the many changes, the Trump administration is ending the humanitarian parole program for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans, reports NPR. A special edition of the AMB last year explored access to the program.
An IRAP explainer addresses the suspension of the US Refugee Admissions Program. “The State Department abruptly canceled travel for thousands of refugees already approved to fly to the United States,” reports The New York Times, while CNN adds that groups receiving federal funds to provide services to already-arrived refugees are being told that “all work under those awards must end.”
“A federal judge has temporarily blocked President Donald Trump from restricting the right to automatic birthright U.S. citizenship,” deeming the effort “blatantly unconstitutional” and in violation of the 14th amendment, reports Bloomberg Línea. In addition, those affected by the policy if it were to be put in place could be at risk of statelessness, notes Austin Kocher in an explainer at his Substack.
The Trump administration’s move to designate Mexican cartels as terrorist organizations “could also affect migrants, who are regularly shaken down for protection money or forced to pay kidnap ransoms by human smugglers, as 'supporting' a terrorist organization, effectively barring them from claiming asylum in the United States,” reports Reuters.
“Immigration detention facilities—often run by private prison companies or by local counties under federal contracts—are notorious for rampant medical neglect, unsafe and inedible food, vermin infestations, and the denial of basic necessities, such as clothing and hygiene products,” explains Immigration Impact.
The use of private prisons for immigration detention is expected to grow, according to The Marshall Project.
“The acting head of the U.S. immigration court system and three other top officials were fired on Monday soon after President Trump took office, according to three people familiar with the matter, in a purge of the top echelon of a critical part of the government’s immigration system,” reports The New York Times, noting the potential impact on case backlogs.
Migratory Institutions and Regional and Bilateral Cooperation
🌎 Regional
Cooperation over deportation flights from the US have made many headlines across the hemisphere. While some countries have adopted a conciliatory approach, others have critiqued the method of deportations, particularly the use of military aircraft and handcuffing and chaining of deportees.
“Two US military planes carrying dozens of expelled migrants arrived in Guatemala on Friday,” reports AFP. “Last year, Guatemala received around seven deportation flights a week from the United States, according to migration officials, which translates to about 1,000 people. The government has told U.S. officials that it can accommodate a maximum of 20 such flights a week, or around 2,500 people, the officials said,” per The New York Times.
Bringing back the “Safe Third Country” agreements used during the first Trump administration, the US “is developing an asylum agreement with El Salvador's government that would allow the U.S. to deport migrants to the small Central American country who are not from there,” reports CBS. Trump and Salvadoran president Nayib Bukele spoke on the phone last week about migration, among other issues, per AP.
Last week, Mexico received a reported “record 4 deportation flights in 1 day,” but reportedly also rejected one deportation flight, per NBC. Although the US has announced the revival of the so-called “Remain in Mexico” policy to return asylum seekers across the border (see last week’s AMB), “Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum told reporters that such a move would require the country receiving the asylum-seekers to agree, and that Mexico had not done so,” per Reuters.
That said, “U.S. authorities on Friday removed dozens of migrants through a border crossing in Santa Teresa, New Mexico, and Mexican authorities immediately placed them on buses and drove them south, away from Juarez… This would be the first large group of non-Mexican citizens deported from the United States by land since President Donald Trump took office on Monday,” reports Border Report.
The Brazilian government has questioned the treatment of Brazilians deported by the US, reportedly requesting “clarification” from the US government, per O Globo. “In a statement published this Sunday (26/1), the Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MRE) states that the indiscriminate use of handcuffs and chains on deported Brazilians violates the terms of the agreement with the United States,” says Metrópoles.
After much controversy on social media, Colombia will continue to accept deportation flights from the US, reports EFE.
Initially, “Colombian President Gustavo Petro on Sunday said that his government wouldn’t accept flights carrying migrants deported from the United States until the Trump administration creates a protocol that treats them with ‘dignity’... Petro added that his country would receive Colombians in ‘civilian airplanes’ and ‘without treatment like criminals,’” reported AP. Petro also responded on social media by stating that over 15,000 US citizens are in Colombia irregularly, but that he invites these individuals to regularize their status; “You will never see me burning a US flag or carrying out a raid to return handcuffed illegal immigrants to the US,” he wrote, per EFE. Colombia had intended to pick up deported nationals from Honduras, noted The Hill. In response, the US had asserted it would close the visa processing section of the US embassy in Colombia, as well as implementing blanket tariffs and visa restrictions for Colombian government officials and “their allies,” per Semana and CBS.
Outside of the Americas, India is reportedly working to help the US identify Indian migrants living in the North American country without legal status, having already identified 18,000 such candidates for deportation. (The Guardian)
“India’s goal is to protect its legal pathways for immigration to the United States, like skilled-worker visas, and avoid the punitive tariffs Mr. Trump has threatened to impose over illegal migration,” reports The New York Times.
The Trump administration is shutting down the Safe Mobility Offices set up in Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, and Guatemala to conduct region-based processing. (CBS)
The Trump administration’s new Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, is set to visit Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Panama. Migration is an anticipated key topic of discussion. (El País)
Rubio called Costa Rica’s foreign minister last week to discuss migration, among other topics. (El Observador)
An alleged internal memo from Rubio leaked to journalist Ken Klippenstein and posted to Twitter says “The era of mass migration must end. (The State Department) will no longer undertake any activities that facilitate or encourage it. And diplomacy with other nations, especially in the Western Hemisphere, will prioritize securing America's borders, stopping illegal and destabilizing migration, and negotiating the repatriation of illegal immigrants.
Honduras, acting as President Pro Tempore of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), is calling an “urgent” meeting of the bloc’s heads of state to discuss migration. (N+)
“Latin America, meanwhile, faces a polarized political landscape, with key elections in countries such as Colombia, Peru, Chile, Honduras, Costa Rica, Ecuador and Brazil in 2025 and 2026. This could transform the region into an ideological “battlefield” around migration, with “blue states” aligned with Democratic visions and “red states” closer to Trump’s Republican policies. This polarization threatens to fragment regional cooperation efforts, weakening countries’ ability to collectively address migration challenges,” writes MPI’s Diego Chaves-González at Semana.
The Trump administration’s move to freeze all US foreign development assistance for 90 days would undermine the administration’s goal of reducing US-bound migration, as it would cut “‘root causes’ strategies creating employment, enabling nations to integrate migrants on their own, and attacking the corruption that strengthens the criminal groups that cause many to migrate,” explains WOLA in an analysis of the new US administration’s executive orders and their impacts on Latin America.
🇺🇸🇨🇦 Canada and United States
Washington Post reviews some of Canada’s efforts surrounding border enforcement and cooperation with the US, noting, “Canadian officials also plan to propose to their U.S. counterparts the creation of a joint task force to target organized crime groups responsible for irregular border crossings.”
🇧🇷🇲🇽 Mexico and Brazil
The presidents of Mexico and Brazil spoke on the phone about migration, as well as improving regional cooperation, among other topics. (EFE)
🇵🇦🇨🇷 Costa Rica and Panama
The foreign ministers of Costa Rica and Panama met to discuss migration, including Panama’s experience deporting migrants from the Darien Gap. (press release)
🇪🇨🇵🇪 Peru and Ecuador
Peruvian and Ecuadorian officials met to discuss cooperation through the Binational Mechanism for Migration and Human Mobility Issues. (press release)
🇳🇱🇸🇷 Suriname and Netherlands
“Government officials from Suriname and the Netherlands met recently to discuss the illegal migration of people from both countries,” reports Observer.
Labor Migration
🇺🇸 United States
“Employers register for hundreds of thousands of H-1Bs each year, competing for just 85,000 visas. But USCIS awards scarce visas by lottery, rather than to the most valuable workers. Random selection has created severely perverse incentives,” according to IFC.
“Trump Will Likely Cut Legal Entries More Than Illegal Entries” (Cato)
Migrants in Transit
🌎 Regional
A Georgetown ISIM report explores transit migration in the Americas, particularly through the Darien Gap and northbound across Central America and Mexico.
🇺🇸 United States
Smugglers are raising the prices to enter the US after the Trump administration’s moves to restrict legal entry to the country, reports Reuters.
Brookings looks at the threat climate change poses on sparking internal migration in the US, as well as the electoral and fiscal implications of such migration.
Borders and Enforcement
🇺🇸 United States
“Pentagon to Send 1,500 Additional Troops to U.S.-Mexico Border: The troops will join 2,500 Army Reserve and National Guard soldiers who’ve been called to active duty in recent months.” (New York Times)
“Trump administration officials are considering deploying as many as 10,000 soldiers to the U.S.-Mexico border and using Department of Defense bases to hold migrants awaiting deportation as they plan their dramatic crackdown on illegal immigration,” reports CBS.
Deportations during the first week of the Trump administration have been deemed “border theater” by some. Citing Witness at the Border’s Thomas Cartwright, Bloomberg reports that the military cargo planes used in some of the administration’s social media posts carry fewer deportees than the typically used charter flights; furthermore, “Cartwright said the US had already been sending an average of 10 deportation flights per week to Guatemala,” indicating no special increase in deportation numbers.
Creating fear through messaging is a goal on its own, says an MPI analysis of the Trump administration’s early moves: “Messaging is a critical part of achieving Trump’s desired outcomes. Administration officials are already tempering expectations for Congress and the public on issues such as mass deportations, knowing that they have limited time and funds, and face many constraints. Yet the first Trump term was a case study in the power of rhetoric to advance goals, even when critical policies were struck down in court or never fully implemented.”
At his Substack, Austin Kocher explores some of the numbers on immigration detention.
“Trump gives Ice power to deport immigrants who came legally under Biden” (The Guardian)
“Just hours after President Trump's inauguration, his administration revoked a Biden-era policy that prohibited arrests by U.S. immigration agents at or near schools, places of worship and other places deemed to be ‘sensitive locations,’” reports CBS.
An AP-NORC poll looks at the nuanced reality of the US public’s support for various immigration enforcement measures, noting, “Even Republicans aren’t fully on board — less than half favor arrests of children in schools or people at church.”
“The US justice department is ordering federal prosecutors to target state and local officials who resist the administration’s planned mass deportation campaign,” reports The Guardian.
The US Coast Guard is expanding efforts to deter maritime migration to the US, including to “prevent a maritime mass migration from Haiti and/or Cuba.” (press release, CNW)