Americas Migration Brief - May 13, 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
🇨🇱 Chile
The World Bank study “Can migration benefit Chile?: Challenges and opportunities” shows the economic benefits of migration for Chile and emphasizes the potential demographic, macroeconomic, and fiscal value of the country’s migrant population. With a focus on Venezuelans, the study finds that 85% of Venezuelans in Chile intend to stay in the country. “According to the study, migrants in general contribute more to the Treasury than Chileans themselves… for every Chilean peso they receive in social benefits, a Venezuelan migrant pays 1.63 in taxes,” reports La Tercera.
Chile’s new work health and security policy explicitly recognizes its application for all workers, including migrant workers, regardless of status, notes Infomigra.
🇦🇷 Argentina
A resolution from the Argentine ombudsman highlights the difficulties Venezuelan migrants have in acquiring identification documents and how this impacts their ability to regularize their status. (see also El Pitazo)
🇲🇽 Mexico
Animal Político highlights the importance of labor inclusion for integration, as well as social cohesion and societal inclusion: “When you don't even have the opportunity to get a job interview, it is much more difficult to contribute.”
🇨🇦 Canada
“Canada offered hope for thousands of undocumented migrants with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau promising a major regularization program. But in just a few months, political winds changed, leaving dreams of residency in jeopardy… The government's latest statements have created confusion among undocumented migrants and the associations that support them, after years of regularization talks with officials. There are between 100,000 and one million undocumented migrants in Canada,” says France24.
Asylum, Protection, and Human Rights
🌎 Regional
The number of people internally displaced by recent heavy rains and floods in southern Brazil has jumped to over 400,000, reports AP. The rains and floods have also affected Uruguay, where almost 3,000 have been displaced, per El Observador. (see last week’s AMB)
“UNHCR estimates that over 41,000 refugees and other people in need of international protection living in Rio Grande do Sul may have been directly or indirectly affected by the floods.” (press release)
MigraMundo highlights perspectives from the immigrant community in southern Brazil, including concerns that there will be insufficient attention when it comes time to rebuild after the immediate crisis.
A government study from 2018 found that up to 3 million Brazilians may need to move their homes due to risk of extreme climate events, notes Metrópoles.
🇨🇱 Chile
In separate cases, a Bolivian and Venezuelan migrant were both found dead near the Chilean border in Colchane this past week—the fourth and fifth such incidents this year. (La Patria, La Nación)
“The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) expresses concern about the approval of Law No. 21,655, in Chile, which incorporates reforms to Law No. 20,430 on the protection of refugees and Law No. 21,325 on Migration and Immigration, by restricting real and effective access to the right to seek and receive asylum, and calls on the State to guarantee the rights of people in human mobility in accordance with its international obligations.” (press release; see AMB 2/19/24)
🇭🇹 Haiti
New York Times highlights stories of internal displacement in Haiti. They note, citing IOM, “At least 360,000 people — more than half of them in the capital or surrounding neighborhoods — have fled their homes in Haiti over the past year, and that number of internally displaced people is expected in the coming months to surpass 400,000.”
Women and girls are bearing the brunt of violence, conflict, and internal displacement in Haiti, say UN experts. (press release)
🇻🇪🇦🇼 Aruba and Venezuela
Venezuelan lawyer Kerrins Mavárez has denounced arbitrary detentions, persecution, and extortion of returnees and those deported from Aruba—as well as Curaçao—saying that “officials obtain the addresses of the victims' homes and their information when they arrive in the country through the airports and, later, go to their residences to intimidate the families,” reports Crónicas del Caribe.
🇪🇨 Ecuador
An Ecuadorian Constitutional Court ruling finds that the Ecuadorian state violated the rights to migration and family reunification of 4 unaccompanied minor migrants seeking to reunify with family in Peru, affirming in the ruling the obligations of the State in regards to the transit of unaccompanied children and adolescents in a situation of human mobility.
The New Humanitarian highlights the impact of violence and insecurity in Ecuador on aid groups’ ability to assist migrants, noting increasing emigration from the country. One group “also flagged an emerging and overlooked crisis on the border with Colombia, noting that the needs of Colombians entering Ecuador after fleeing violence back home had risen by 150% between August 2023 and March of this year.”
The Ecuadorian government and IDB published the “Action Plan against the Illicit Trafficking of Migrants (PACTIM 2024-2030)” (LinkedIn)
🇲🇽 Mexico
Animal Político highlights 10 recommendations from civil society to reform Mexican migration policy, including to prohibit immigration detention for more than 36 hours and to strengthen the capacity of the Mexican refugee commission.
IRC warns that “stranded asylum seekers are at risk of violence in informal settlements” in Northern Mexico.
🇺🇸 United States
“The Biden administration announced a new regulation Thursday aimed at allowing immigration officials to more quickly identify and deport migrants who are ineligible for U.S. asylum earlier in the process… It would instruct government asylum officers to apply certain barriers to asylum that are already part of U.S. law during so-called credible fear interviews, the first step in the years-long asylum process,” reports CBS. The policy would be aimed at a small number of the migrants arriving to the US-Mexico border and would “affect migrants who pose ‘significant threats’ to public safety and national security, such as suspected terrorists.” The DHS press release is available here.
An American Immigration Council fact sheet analyzes the proposed rule, noting concerns about lack of access to legal representation and that these bars “can be applied in an unfair and arbitrary fashion and are often based on evidence obtained from foreign governments, which immigration officials in the United States cannot independently verify and may be inaccurate.”
But in recent months, for every 1 person receiving a screening interview in which this bar could potentially be applied, “several more were released without one,” limiting the proposed rule’s potential impact.
More than 435,000 Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans have arrived to the US with humanitarian parole, as of April 17. (TalCual)
The Hill highlights efforts in Congress to “protect children in (immigration) proceedings” and to “establish a separate children’s court within the EOIR, with judges and court officials specialized in processing children.”
“DHS is piloting artificial intelligence to train officers who review applicants for refugee status in the United States,” reports Reuters, noting, “AI will not make immigration decisions themselves.”
An Amnesty International report examines the CBP One app and its use for seeking asylum in the US, arguing that its mandatory use in many cases “violates the right to seek asylum, as well as the principles of non-refoulement and non-penalization.” (press release; see also last week’s AMB)
“New data suggests political repression, slowing economy driving irregular Chinese migration to U.S.” (Niskanen Center)
🇨🇦 Canada
Canada’s Economic Mobility Pathways Pilot (EMPP)—which since 2018 “has helped 257 refugees and other displaced people fill job vacancies” and come to Canada—“is set to be expanded and then made permanent,” reports The Globe and Mail.
Canada “has introduced a new temporary policy to help permanent residence (PR) applicants from Hong Kong to remain in Canada while they wait for a decision on their application,” reports CIC News, noting that Canada has taken several measures to try to provide (complementary) protection for Hongkongers.
Migratory Institutions and Regional and Bilateral Cooperation
🌎 Regional
Last week, Guatemala hosted a ministerial for the Los Angeles Declaration on Migration and Protection with 22 nations from across the hemisphere in attendance.
A White House fact sheet outlines new announcements and successes since the declaration’s signing two years ago. I strongly encourage checking out the fact sheet for all the new announcements; some of them include:
The US “announced $578 million in humanitarian, development, and economic assistance to support partner countries and host communities in responding to urgent humanitarian needs, expanding lawful pathways, and supporting the regularization and integration of migrants.”
“USAID announced plans to launch a new regional labor mobility initiative — “Alianza de Movilidad Laboral para las Américas” or “Labor Neighbors” — to increase access to lawful temporary labor pathways for new migrant-source and destination countries. The initiative will work with international organizations and other partners to provide technical assistance to countries across the region to identify eligible workers to meet pressing labor needs.” (see also Prensa Libre)
“Mexico announced that, since 2022, it has issued over 17,500 temporary visas to individuals seeking international protection to address labor shortages in the country. Additionally, Mexico has launched a pilot program in collaboration with the Haitian Embassy, International Organization for Migration, and the Tent Partnership to expand labor pathways, offering job opportunities and work permits to Haitian migrants.”
“Ecuador announced that, under a new regularization program, those who have already registered will be able to complete their process to obtain a temporary resident visa and more migrants will be able to apply for a temporary visa.”
“Costa Rica committed to expand the Special Temporary Category regularization pathway and reduce barriers to access with continued assistance from the international community.” The reintroduction of the program is conditional on receiving international aid, though. (see also Confidencial)
Guatemala and Costa Rica both expanded the list of nationalities that can access the Safe Mobility Offices in their respective countries.
The US government has expressed “its commitment to work alongside partners to establish a permanent, regionally-driven Secretariat to ensure that coordinated progress is sustained under the Los Angeles Declaration.”
A civil society roundtable hosted by CEDA and PADF on the sidelines of the ministerial agreed that the LA Declaration signees should “Establish a dedicated technical secretariat to oversee the coordination and implementation of the LA Declaration’s objectives by the end of 2024” with the formal inclusion of civil society in its structure, among other calls to action. (press release)
The International Air Transport Association (IATA), and its member airlines released a statement committing to combating irregular migration in the Americas, noting, “Within the legal limitations, airlines could implement commercial measures to minimize the risk of irregular migration.” (Twitter)
The US, Mexico, and Guatemala met on the sidelines of the ministerial, agreeing to work together on border security and addressing the root causes of irregular migration, reports EFE.
Mexico, Guatemala, and Honduras signed an agreement on consular protection and sharing best practices. (AGN, El Universal)
Mexico has invested 133 million USD in working to address root causes of migration in Venezuela, Cuba, Haiti, Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador, reports Milenio.
Belizean and Guatemalan officials “agreed to enhance neighborly relations and cooperation on border challenges,” among other issues, reports Amandala.
Trinidad and Tobago hosted an Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) regional workshop on disaster displacement, disaster risk reduction, and human security. (Newsday)
“Forty years ago, the Cartagena Declaration renewed the international status of refugees, expanding the concept of refugee from the perspective of the Inter-American Human Rights System,” notes José Ignacio Hernández at his website, explaining the importance of 4 key principles: a human rights approach to mobility, complementary protection, vulnerable groups, and socioeconomic integration.
Various civil society organizations met last week in the context of organizing for the Cartagena+40 anniversary process. (SJM Chile)
🇧🇿🇲🇽 Mexico and Belize
Mexico and Belize’s presidents met in Mexico City to discuss migration and Central American integration, among other issues. (El Universal)
🇨🇳🇺🇸 United States and China
“Beijing and Washington have quietly resumed cooperation on the deportation of Chinese immigrants who are in the U.S. illegally, as the two countries are reestablishing and widening contacts following their leaders’ meeting in California late last year,” reports AP.
🇵🇪🇺🇸 United States and Peru
The US and Peru made agreements related to migration, among other issues, after an inaugural High-Level Dialogue in DC last week. (joint statement)
🇬🇹🇲🇽 Mexico and Guatemala
The presidents of Guatemala and Mexico will meet to discuss border security and development this week. (El Economista)
Labor Migration
🌎 Regional
ILO published a pair of reports mapping and analyzing labor migration bilateral agreements and programs across the Americas.
“PAHO highlights the need to prioritize investment, retention and ethical recruitment of the health workforce in the Americas at the G20” (PAHO)
🇨🇴 Colombia
German company Carelisto has made an agreement with the Colombian company Eficacia for the identification, training, title recognition, and recruitment of Colombian healthcare workers to fill labor gaps in Germany. (ConsultorSalud)
🇺🇸 United States
“Secretary of State Anthony Blinken announces that the United States is joining the ILO Fair Recruitment Initiative” (ILO)
Immigration Impact reviews the Department of Labor’s “new rule aimed at protecting workers on temporary H-2A visas and strengthening the agency’s oversight of their employers.”
Niskanen Center calls for the Department of Labor to revise the Schedule A list to include new qualifying professions from both STEM and non-STEM backgrounds. “Schedule A is a list of occupations that benefit from fewer administrative barriers to immigrant recruitment because the Department of Labor has determined that they lack sufficient qualified, willing, and available U.S. workers and that the introduction of immigrants into the field would not harm similarly-situated U.S. workers.”
🇧🇿 Belize
Government efforts to extend greater access to work permits mean that Belize is seeing fewer irregular labor migrants, reports LoveFM.
Migrants in Transit
🌎 Regional
The IOM World Migration Report 2024 includes coverage on Latin America and the Caribbean.
Borders and Enforcement
🇵🇦 Panama
José Raúl Mulino won the Panamanian presidential election on Sunday, May 5, reports BBC. Mulino had pledged to “shut down” the Darien Gap if elected, although it is unclear how this would actually be achieved. (see AMB 4/22/24)
“Experts agree that closing a border crossing like Darién would generate more illegal routes, an increase in the violation of human rights against migrants and even tensions between countries, and they agree that they are decisions that must be made jointly,” says VOA.
Some Colombian authorities are concerned about Mulino’s proposal and the potential of a buildup of migrants stranded on the Colombian side of the Darien, reports Efecto Cocuyo.
The UN human rights office had written an open letter to the presidential candidates ahead of the election calling for “the recognition of the inherent dignity of refugees and migrants” and “a change in narrative that avoids discrimination and xenophobia,” among other recommendations.
A US press release congratulating Mulino states interest in continuing collaboration on “cooperatively curbing irregular migration through the Darien.”
🇺🇸 United States
The US has sanctioned “executives of several Colombian transportation companies moving migrants by sea,” imposing visa restrictions on these individuals for their facilitation of irregular migration to the US. (press release)
🇲🇽 Mexico
Mexico is (re)introducing visa restrictions on Peruvian nationals after previously introducing and then postponing the policy in recent weeks. Although some suspect Mexico may introduce visa restrictions for Colombians, too, it seems less likely due to the friendlier relationship between Mexico and Colombia’s presidents, reports AP. (see AMB 4/22/24)
🇯🇲 Jamaica
Following suspicions of migrant smuggling and some potentially fraudulent documentation, the Jamaican government has returned a charter flight of more than 200 Indian nationals to Dubai. (Gleaner, The Wire, Radio Jamaica News)
🇬🇫 French Guiana
French Guiana detained 1,421 irregular migrants in 2023, an increase of 200 from 2022, reports Guyane1, adding that “a very large majority were men, and 41% of these people are of Haitian nationality. However, no Haitian has been sent back to their country of origin.” 468 of the 1,421 were deported last year.
“The new law of January 2024 on asylum and immigration, which came into force, makes it harder to obtain residence permits. The number of people in an irregular situation could thus increase further in the Matoury detention center.”
More on Migration
🌎 Regional
A CLACSO journal with several papers explores migration across the region with a focus on feminist perspectives.
🇨🇺 Cuba
A study by the Universidad de Oriente in Cuba “analyzed the consequences of migration on the educational performance of basic level students,” finding that “there is a problem of ‘idealization’ of migration among children and adolescents on the Island, who minimize their studies and downplay their importance because they do not think about becoming professionals in Cuba, but instead dream of emigrating,” reports Asere.