Americas Migration Brief - March 10, 2025
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Table of Contents
Integration and Development
🇲🇽 Mexico
Since 2016, “More than 50,000 refugees who arrived in southern Mexico have been screened and granted asylum by the Government and successfully relocated to industrial cities through UNHCR’s Local Integration Programme, implemented in close coordination with the federal and local levels of government and the private sector. With access to formal employment, health services, education and housing, and by facilitating access to Mexican nationality, these refugees have achieved integration and stability,” says UNHCR, noting, “By focusing on stabilization and self-sufficiency through skill matching and enhanced local support, 94 per cent of working-age refugees secure formal employment within the first month, 88 per cent of school-age children enroll in school, and 60 per cent of families rise out of poverty within a year.”
🇨🇴 Colombia
Indigenous Wayuu migrants from Venezuela “face the greatest hardship” from worsening droughts and floods in northern Colombia, particularly in informal settlements, reports AP.
A Migración Colombia infographic summarizes currently available regularization mechanisms for Venezuelans in the country, including the special visitor’s V visa and the PEP Tutor permit.
🇨🇷 Costa Rica
“The wage gap between Nicaraguans in Costa Rica and Costa Ricans in 2024 was 35%, with Nicaraguans receiving lower salaries for similar jobs,” according to a new UNHCR report cited by Confidencial. Furthermore, “Of Nicaraguans of school age, that is, between 4 and 24 years old, only 72% receive formal education, compared to 92% of Costa Ricans.”
🇨🇱 Chile
Migrant women in Chile face unique challenges, explains El Mostrador, highlighting higher levels of unemployment and labor informality.
A Jesuit Migrant Service report explores the impact of mental health challenges on social inclusion and integration of migrant children in the Santiago metro region.
🇦🇼 Aruba
The president of Aruba’s Chamber of Commerce supports a regularization program for Venezuelans on the island, reports El País, highlighting the economic opportunity of Venezuelan migration and the challenges limited access to legal status.
Asylum, Protection, and Human Rights
🌎 Regional
“Soldiers are trained for combat. They exist to defend a state against aggression, or to keep order in extreme emergencies. Soldiers are not trained to be police, who are civilians charged with protecting and serving the population with minimal violence. They are not trained to be teachers, judges, or tax collectors. And soldiers are absolutely not trained to be migration agents,” says WOLA, expressing concern about the threat of human rights abuses by militaries responding to migration across the Americas, highlighting the cases of the US, Mexico, and Guatemala.
On a similar note, Guatemala is sending the infamous Kaibiles military unit to reinforce the country’s northern and southern borders and rebuff migration. The unit is known for brutal tactics and a history of human rights abuses. (El País)
“More than 100 organizations that protect the rights of the migrant population in Latin America and the Caribbean are at risk… Threats, stigmatization, xenophobia and lack of resources are the issues that most concern human rights defenders of the migrant population in the region,” warns CODHES.
“Canada and the United States offered to resettle 48 ethnic Uyghurs held in detention in Thailand over the past decade, sources told Reuters, but Bangkok took no action for fear of upsetting China, where they were covertly deported last week.” (Reuters)
A Jesuit Migrant Service report explores forced displacement trends and responses across the Americas in the second half of 2024.
🇨🇼 Curaçao
“Venezuelan migrant dies after boat capsizes [en route to] Curacao: 16 remain missing” (Diario Versión Final)
🇭🇹 Haiti
“Nearly 200,000 of the more than 500,000 displaced children in Haiti are estimated to be aged five or under - many of whom have been forced to flee multiple times. These small children are uniquely vulnerable, and while displaced, many will miss out on early childhood essentials – including vaccinations, clean water, healthcare, nutritious food, and adequate shelter from extreme heat and rain,” warns Save the Children.
🇨🇴 Colombia
At least 56,091 Colombians have been internally displaced by the violence in the Catatumbo region, per an OCHA update noting that nearly half of those displaced were received in Cúcuta.
🇦🇷 Argentina
A group of civil society organizations are requesting the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) “to urge the Argentine Government to repeal DNU 942/2024 because it affects due process guarantees and the right to request and receive asylum.” (CELS; see AMB 12/9/24)
🇲🇽 Mexico
“Mexico has seen more asylum applications over the last several weeks than at any time in recent memory,” reports Los Angeles Times, noting, “there are growing fears that Mexico’s asylum system is unprepared to deal with the increase. And matters have been made worse by the Trump administration’s 90-day freeze on U.S. humanitarian aid… The freeze is also expected to result in cuts to Mexico’s refugee agency, which was indirectly funded with U.S. money channeled through the United Nations,” in addition to impacts on NGOs and other service providers helping migrants and asylum seekers in Mexico.
“It appears that most of those seeking refuge here are among the estimated 270,000 people who were waiting in Mexico while they sought appointments at the U.S. border using a Biden-era cellphone application known as CBP One. Trump abruptly ended the program on his first day.”
🇺🇸 United States
“U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday that he would soon decide whether to revoke temporary legal status for some 240,000 Ukrainians who fled the conflict with Russia… Such a move would be a stunning reversal of the welcome Ukrainians received under President Joe Biden's administration and potentially put them on a fast-track to deportation,” reports Reuters.
A lawsuit against the Trump administration “seeks to reinstate humanitarian parole programs that allowed in 875,000 migrants from Ukraine, Afghanistan, Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela who have legal U.S. resident as sponsors,” reports AP, while Reuters notes that a separate lawsuit looks to reverse recent moves to cut short TPS for Haitians and Venezuelans.
“The Trump administration is finalizing a new ban on travel to the United States for citizens of certain countries that would be broader than the versions President Trump issued in his first term,” reports New York Times, noting, “the proposed red list currently consists mainly of countries whose nationals were restricted under versions of Mr. Trump’s previous travel ban. Last time, those countries included Cuba, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Venezuela and Yemen. The draft tentatively proposes adding Afghanistan to the group whose citizens would be categorically barred from entering the United States.”
ICE arrested Palestinian activist and recent Columbia University grad Mahmoud Khalil, reports Columbia Daily Spectator, noting, “The agents told Khalil that he was being detained due to the State Department revoking his visa despite Khalil being a lawful permanent resident.” Khalil’s wife and lawyer were unable to visit him in immigration detention in New Jersey and he has been moved to a not yet known location, possibly “as far away as Louisiana,” as reported by CBS. The arrest has sparked criticism and questions over legality.
“The Trump administration is required to provide a "status report" regarding efforts to reinstate refugee admissions as a follow up of a federal judge ruling last week, report Aleja Hertzler-McCain and Jack Jenkins of Religion News Service.” (via National Immigration Forum’s The Forum Daily)
WOLA’s Adam Isacson highlights stories related to the US-Mexico border and human rights at the Weekly Border Update, noting that “a giant spending measure moving haltingly through Congress” could remove funding bottlenecks for the Trump administration’s deportation efforts.
🇨🇦 Canada
“A family of four, including two children aged one and two, was rescued by the RCMP overnight Thursday after crossing the American border into Canada and becoming lost in the woods… the four were suffering from severe hypothermia,” reports CBC, noting that the family are applying for refugee status.
Migratory Institutions and Regional and Bilateral Cooperation
🌎 Regional
“Citizens of the Andean Community who require consular assistance in a location where there is no representation of their country will be able to receive guidance and advice on immigration issues, deportation and cases of vulnerability in any of the consular offices of Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador or Peru, the South American bloc announced.” (El Universo)
🌎🇺🇸 United States and Regional
“After weeks of lawsuits and human rights criticism, Panama on Saturday released dozens of migrants who were held for weeks in a remote camp after being deported from the United States, telling them they have 30 days to leave the Central American nation,” reports AP, noting, “international aid organizations said they would organize travel to a third country for people who didn’t want to return home.” The migrants have up to 90 days maximum to leave Panama, or else they will be deported, per a press release. (see last week’s AMB)
Álvaro Botero, a lawyer that helped advocate for the migrants’ release, notes on LinkedIn, “Mass deportations from the U.S. are likely to continue, and States in the region must ensure migrants' rights, including access to asylum. The struggle for these clients is far from over. We are committed to ensuring they receive the protection they deserve.”
“Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said on Saturday that scheduled flights to bring home [deported] Venezuelan migrants from the U.S. had been affected by ‘this unexplained, tremendous commotion,’ after the Trump administration canceled a license allowing Chevron to operate in the South American country,” reports Reuters. (see last week’s AMB)
“Ecuador President Daniel Noboa said on Sunday that his country will not receive deported migrants of other nationalities,” reports Reuters.
“El Salvador's offer to house deportees and U.S. citizens in its infamous prisons – for profit – signals a new and troubling escalation in the criminalization of migration, writes Timothy O’Farrell in Nacla. ‘The labeling of all migrants as criminals has become a key tactic to garner popular support for Trump’s mass deportation plan. Human rights groups fear that without due process and clear distinctions between these labels, innocent people targeted for deportation may end up in CECOT,’ El Salvador’s notorious massive prison, a facility with a capacity of 40,000 that is specifically designed to house terrorists.” (via Latin America Daily Briefing)
🇺🇸 United States
“About 40 of the more than 700 immigration judges in place when Mr. Trump took office have now been fired or agreed to leave. The judges, who are part of the administrative court system under the Justice Department rather than part of the judicial branch, make decisions about asylum claims and have the power to order someone removed from the country. Mr. Trump campaigned on a promise to hire more of them to address a growing backlog that can make cases stretch for years,” reports The New York Times, highlighting the magnitude and complexities of the backlog and the difficulty of hiring and training new judges.
Mother Jones warns of the politicization of the immigration court system, highlighting that firings have targeted Biden appointees, specifically.
🇱🇨 St. Lucia
“The Government of Saint Lucia, in collaboration with the International Organization for Migration (IOM), is taking a significant step towards enhancing its migration governance framework with the development of a National Migration Policy.” (press release)
Labor Migration
🇪🇨 Ecuador
“A total of 140 Ecuadorians traveled to Huelva (Spain) in a new cycle of the circular migration program between Ecuador and Spain to work temporarily in the agricultural sector… The Ecuadorian Foreign Ministry announced that the program with Spain has incorporated new sectors and that this year it is expected that around 100 Ecuadorians will travel to the Balearic Islands to work as lifeguards during the summer season,” reports EFE.
🇺🇸 United States
As the annual H-1B visa lottery opens for high-skilled immigrants, US businesses are facing higher registration costs and expecting greater scrutiny from the Trump administration, reports Bloomberg.
🇨🇦 Canada
“Canada announces new pathway to permanent residence for construction workers” (CIC News)
Migrants in Transit
🇲🇽🇺🇸 United States and Mexico
“The number of migrants crossing the U.S. southern border illegally in President Trump's first full month in office plunged to a level not seen in at least 25 years, according to preliminary government data,” reports CBS.
The Inter-American Dialogue explores why crossings are down in a Q&A with experts. CEDA’s María José Espinosa explains, “ Migrant encounters between U.S. border points of entry had already declined precipitously since December 2023. This was a result of several factors, including the Biden administration’s increase in legal pathways, the Mexican government’s increased efforts to control migration within its territory, an increase in access to the United States Refugee Admissions Program, and the use of the CBP One application to access asylum in the United States, among others.”
In Mexico, “shelters at the border have started to shut down. In Ciudad Juárez, 34 were open in November; by last month, that number had dropped to 29. Shelter operators say that not only are there significantly fewer arrivals but that they are losing backing from international groups such as the U.N. International Office for Migration, and UNICEF, which relied on foreign aid frozen under Mr. Trump.” (New York Times)
Borders and Enforcement
🇵🇦 Panama
Amid drastic decreases in migration through the Darien Gap, Panama is set to shut down reception shelters in the region, and Security Minister Frank Ábrego “warned that anyone who enters Panama through the jungle ‘will be immediately deported to their country of origin or to the country from which they entered Panama,’” per AFP.
Just 408 migrants passed through the Darien in February according to Panamanian data. (Migración Panamá)
🇺🇸 United States
The Trump administration is bringing back detention centers for migrant families and their children. (Washington Post)
“Frustration Grows Inside the White House Over Pace of Deportations: President Trump’s promise to launch the largest deportation operation in U.S. history is colliding with the practical difficulties of detaining people and transporting them across the globe.” (New York Times)
The Trump administration is suspending their practice of deportation flights on military planes due to high financial costs, and is similarly “rethinking” detention at Guantánamo Bay due to financial costs and legal and logistical hurdles. (WSJ, NBC)
Even still, the Trump administration is maintaining their use of the military for immigration enforcement, deploying 3,000 troops—including Struker combat vehicles—to the border. (Washington Post)
Real Instituto Elcano reviews many of the logistical challenges to the administration's deportation goals—and their efforts to overcome them. (parts 1 and 2)
“A group of prominent military contractors, including former Blackwater CEO Erik Prince, has pitched the Trump White House on a proposal to carry out mass deportations through a network of “processing camps” on military bases, a private fleet of 100 planes, and a “small army” of private citizens empowered to make arrests.” (Politico; via Mary Turck’s Immigration News)
“Private Prisons Are Ramping Up Detention of Immigrants and Cashing In” (New York Times)
Trump’s State of the Union speech included a call for more funding for his mass deportation agenda. (Axios)
“Nearly 110 state and local police agencies in 11 different states are now forming "task forces" and plan to work alongside the federal government to find and deport unauthorized immigrants, reports Tim Henderson of Stateline. "These agreements are intended to be the force multiplier they need in order to enact mass deportations," said Tom Wong, an associate professor and director of the U.S. Immigration Policy Center at the University of California San Diego. In the past, these kinds of agreements led to racial profiling lawsuits and some states that decades ago showed interest, now are being cautious, Henderson highlights.” (via The Forum Daily)
Employees from USCIS, which is focused on legal immigration channels, are being asked to support ICE’s enforcement efforts. (CBS)
More on Migration
🇺🇸 United States
“Religious workers who are not ministers coming to the U.S. on the EB-4 visa have until March 13 to have their visas honored, as the program ends the following day,” reports Newsweek.