Americas Migration Brief - May 27, 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
🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Costa Rica is creating a new special category to allow for the 2-year regularization of irregular migrants working in the country’s agricultural sector, reports Diario Extra. However, any applicants that are also seeking refugee status will have to withdraw their refugee application if they successfully receive the special category regularization.
“Refugee unemployment decreased from 9% in 2022 to 7.2% in 2023,” but “Refugee income was 11% lower in 2023 than in 2022,” according to a UNHCR fact sheet on economic inclusion in Costa Rica.
🇨🇴 Colombia
Colombia’s Constitutional Court issued a ruling to potentially reopen access to the PPT regularization program through new pathways to register for those who were unable to access the RUMV registration process due to “force majeure,” reports Infobae.
A separate Constitutional Court ruling eases access to the “right to work” for the migrant population, having called for the Central Board of Accountants to reassess one Venezuelan migrant’s registration application “without requiring additional requirements not contemplated by law.” (Dejusticia)
🇲🇽 Mexico
The government of Mexico and partners have been hosting job recruitment days for Haitian migrants in Mexico City. (Twitter)
🇨🇱 Chile
A Nómade Asesorías Migratorias study explores the role of articles 19 and 20 of Chile’s Labor Code, which sets a limit of 15% foreign-born hires in companies of more than 25 people—although some exceptions exist. The study notes that despite many proposals to alter the policy, there have been no changes.
🇩🇴 Dominican Republic
BBC highlights the contributions of Haitian migrants to the Dominican economy, noting that according to a 2017 study, Haitian workers contributed 7.4% of the country’s GDP.
🇪🇨 Ecuador
A World Bank report highlights the importance of title and degree recognition for the integration of Venezuelan migrants in Ecuador and their contribution to development.
🇧🇷 Brazil
“Heinz, the globally renowned condiment brand, has introduced an innovative initiative titled 'Reviews For Naturalisation,' designed to aid refugees in Brazil on their path to becoming naturalised citizens. This new program encourages customers at burger joints nationwide to leave positive reviews for immigrant staff, turning everyday feedback into powerful recommendations for naturalisation applications.” (LBB)
Haitian migrant women “bear the double burden of working within and outside of the household, having implications in their empowerment and integration in their host society,” according to a MIDEQ working paper.
🇨🇦 Canada
“Canada to restore right of citizens born abroad to pass citizenship to children also born outside country” (The Guardian)
Asylum, Protection, and Human Rights
🇨🇴 Colombia
“In 2023, armed conflict forced the displacement of at least 293,192 people, including 1.7% of migrants from Venezuela,” reports Humanitarian NGO Forum - Colombia, who conducted a survey of forcibly displaced persons in Colombia. “58% of displaced persons reported moving in groups of 10 households or more, indicating that such displacements often occur on a large scale from the onset. Indigenous and Afro-colombian communities are particularly vulnerable to collective displacement.”
However, “31% did not reach out to supporting institutions, leaving them at risk of not receiving any assistance.” The leading reason was fear (23%), followed by “finding the declaration (to authorities) unhelpful (18.4%), and lack of knowledge about how to submit the declaration (18%).”
🇧🇷 Brazil
An Inter-American Dialogue Q&A highlights Brazil’s recent floods, with Robert Muggah explaining, “The truth is that no one actually knows how many Brazilians are moving, because there’s no centralized registration system in place to count them… At a minimum, the forthcoming National Plan on Climate Change and Green Climate Fund should include provisions and pilots to address climate mobility. Brazil’s National Adaptation Plan is outdated and needs an upgrade. The National Center for Monitoring and Alert of Natural Disasters should monitor climate mobility as part of its mandate.”
🇩🇴 Dominican Republic
A USAID report explores gender-based violence (GBV) impunity as it pertains to Haitian migrant survivors in the Dominican Republic.
🇺🇸 United States
“The Department of Justice asked a court to partially terminate the decades-old [Flores] agreement that protects the rights of immigrant children earlier this month. The government argues that the Flores Settlement Agreement is no longer needed because a new Department of Health and Human Services regulation finalized on April 30 will provide sufficient protections to immigrant children in HHS care. Advocates fear that the end of the agreement and decades of oversight by Flores counsel could put children in danger,” explains Immigration Impact.
““There have been an unusually high number of migrants hospitalized, including young children, in Eagle Pass after coming into contact with the razor wire” that Texas state authorities have laid down along the Rio Grande, noted a USA Today report from the mid-Texas border city.” (via WOLA)
Texas’s Operation Lone Star “spends billions of dollars to racially profile and arrest people who pose no threat to public safety, then forces them into a separate and unequal legal system run by the state,” says ACLU in a new report.
“Civil Rights Complaint Details Physical Abuse And Solitary Confinement In South Louisiana ICE Detention” (National Immigration Justice Center)
WOLA’s Adam Isacson highlights stories related to the US-Mexico border and human rights at the Weekly Border Update, explaining, “For the second time this year, the U.S. Senate’s Democratic majority sought to bring to a vote a package of border legislation that would, among other provisions, implement Title 42-style suspensions of the right to seek asylum at the border when the number of migrants at the border exceeds certain thresholds. The “Border Act” failed by a 43-50 vote in the face of opposition from some Democrats uncomfortable with the asylum suspension, and nearly all Republicans, who argued that it was not aggressive enough. Media are reporting that the Biden administration plans to issue an executive order in June to enable a similar asylum “shutdown” mechanism at the border.”
🇨🇦 Canada
As of last week, “Haitians with valid temporary resident status in Canada can apply for a study permit, open work permit, or status extension at no cost. This includes foreign national family members, regardless of nationality, who arrived as temporary residents through assisted departures out of Haiti.” (press release)
🇬🇫 French Guiana
“In front of the Red Cross headquarters, 500 to 800 asylum seekers have been forming endless queues for around two weeks. A situation that the Red Cross reception office is managing with difficulty and which is causing exasperation among residents,” says Guyane1, reporting that the majority of these asylum seekers are Haitian.
French Guiana is “facing a six to ten increase in asylum requests,” reports France-Guyane, citing local officials and noting that “this is not an influx of people,” but rather largely based on an increase in asylum-seeking by irregular Haitian migrants that are not necessarily new residents.
🇬🇵 Guadeloupe
The 29 Haitians apprehended off the coast of Guadeloupe have been released from custody and taken in by the Red Cross. They will now be allowed to apply for asylum. (France-Antilles; see last week’s AMB)
Migratory Institutions and Regional and Bilateral Cooperation
🌎 Regional
A year after the introduction of the US Safe Mobility Offices for regional migration management, the program has received almost 190,000 applications, reports DW, noting that expanding eligibility criteria would improve access. “Of these applicants, more than 34,500 have been referred to the US Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP), with 8,800 successful resettlements in the United States and 18,100 arrivals through other legal routes. Additionally, around 300 people have been resettled in Spain through the office in Costa Rica.”
MPI highlights the advances of the LA Declaration in the last two years and the recent ministerial meeting in Guatemala, noting, “Governments made a few important announcements during the ministerial meeting, but there was also a series of official side meetings that sought to do problem-solving around the declaration’s four principles. In these side meetings, governments, civil-society organizations, migrant and refugee-led organizations, international financial institutions, private-sector actors, foundations, and researchers worked together to produce an agenda for practical action for the next year.” (see AMB 5/13/24 for more on the ministerial)
University of Bristol’s Free Move Hub explores free movement agreements across the world. The website is in development, but begins with South America.
🇵🇦🇨🇴 Colombia and Panama
“Colombia ‘would not agree’ with the closure of the border crossing in the Darién jungle on the border with Panama, as proposed in the campaign by the president-elect of that country, José Raúl Mulino, the Colombian foreign minister told AFP this Saturday.” (RCN Radio)
“Colombia and Panama sign Memorandum of Understanding for the protection of migrant children and adolescents” (press release)
🇬🇹🇨🇷 Costa Rica and Guatemala
Guatemalan and Costa Rican officials met to discuss migration with a focus on labor migration and labor rights, reports AGN.
🇲🇽🇧🇿 Belize and Mexico
Mexican and Belizean leaders met, announcing “the elimination of the $40 charge for Mexicans to enter Belize,” per Conexión Migrante.
🇲🇽🇺🇸 United States and Mexico
“The Biden administration is finalizing details of a new executive action that would let the president temporarily shut the southern border to migrants if necessary, and it is in talks with Mexican leaders to get their crucial buy-in before proceeding,” reports NBC, noting that waiting until after Mexico’s June 2 election will be key.
🇸🇻🇺🇲 United States and El Salvador
The US donated drones to El Salvador “with the aim of monitoring ‘illegal crossings’ of smugglers and irregular migrants,” reports El Universal.
🇰🇪🇺🇸 United States and Kenya
The US and Kenya presidents discussed migration and refugee reception and integration, among other topics. (joint statement)
Labor Migration
🇨🇦 Canada
Canada “is now accepting community applications for the Rural Community Immigration Pilot and the Francophone Community Immigration Pilot,” reports CIC News.
“United Food and Commercial Workers sees promise in the proposed reforms to Canada’s temporary and migrant labour force, outlined in a new Senate report, including the creation of a new Migrant Work Commission and the phasing out of employer-specific work permits.” (press release)
Migrants in Transit
🌎 Regional
R4V published its movements report for the first quarter of 2024. Findings include that for the first time more Venezuelans left Argentina than entered (likely due to economic conditions), “Exits of Venezuelans from Ecuador increased by over 33% compared to the same period last year,” and Brazil is the country with the largest number of net entries of Venezuelans in South America during the period.
“The documentary What Remains on the Way, which follows Lilian and her four young children on the dangerous journey from Guatemala to the U.S., brings a human face to the migration crisis, according to the Guardian.” (via Latin America Daily Briefing)
Pie de Página highlights concerns surrounding the use of social media and messaging apps by migrant smugglers and traffickers, finding a trend of mysterious, ghost-like ownership of accounts and that “alleged traffickers do not elaborate on logistical details in their ads.”
Primicias highlights the transit of Ecuadorian migrants to the US via El Salvador, including bribes solicited by government officials and irregular entry into Guatemala, followed by the threat of kidnappings and violence throughout the journey north.
🇺🇸 United States
“Illegal crossings along the U.S.-Mexico border in May are down by more than 50% compared to the record highs reported in December, giving the Biden administration an unexpected reprieve during a time when migration has historically surged,” reports CBS.
🇬🇹 Guatemala
Asociación Pop No’j presented a study on the migration of Indigenous Maya Mam and Popti women and girls from Huehuetenango, Guatemala. (report in Spanish and English)
🇲🇽 Mexico
MPI explores the history of Mexican emigration to the US, noting that while emigration has slowed, Mexico has grown into a country of greater transit and immigration.
Borders and Enforcement
🇺🇸 United States
As direct deportations to Venezuela are currently suspended, the US deports Venezuelan nationals to Mexico, notes El Pitazo. Direct deportation flights were conducted as recently as January 2024.
AZCIR highlights anti-immigration vigilante groups along the border and their at times illegal practices while attempting to engage in extrajudicial border enforcement.
More on Migration
🇲🇽 Mexico
IOM published a compendium on the nexus between migration and the environment and climate change in Mexico.
🇬🇹 Guatemala
An Inter-American Dialogue report explores remittances and financial inclusion in Guatemala with a focus on women, noting that although 60% of women have a relative abroad and receive remittances, only 12% own a savings account. However, “18% of women formalize their savings upon receiving financial advice, further reducing their economic vulnerability,” and “The percentage of people with an intention to migrate is lower among those who formalize their savings.”