Regional Migration Study Group
More than any issue, migration shapes and defines the U.S. relationship with Mexico and, increasingly, much of Central America. Thus, getting migration and the issues that fuel and surround it right is vital to the region’s long-term stability, prosperity, and its competitiveness in a fast-changing and unforgiving global economy. Yet, there have been few systematic conversations about what a collaborative, regional approach to these issues might look like.
Co-chaired by former Mexican President Ernesto Zedillo, former U.S. Secretary of Commerce Carlos Gutierrez, and former Vice President and Foreign Minister of Guatemala Eduardo Stein, the Regional Migration Study Group from 2010-2014 brought together former officials, civil-society leaders, and experts from the United States, Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras to craft a collaborative regional vision on migration and human capital.
Serving as an on-call “virtual think tank,” the Study Group advised policymakers and promoted long-term strategies to strengthen education and workforce systems, harmonize standards, and turn migration from necessity into genuine choice. Its work culminated in a 2013 final report and a second phase focused on advancing its recommendations and human-capital initiatives.
The first phase was carried out in collaboration with the Latin American Program/Mexico Institute of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.
Regional Migration Study Group Members
CO-CHAIRS
Ernesto Zedillo, former President of Mexico (1994-2000)
Carlos M. Gutierrez, former U.S. Secretary of Commerce (2005-09)
Eduardo Stein, former Vice President of Guatemala (2004-08)
DIRECTORS
Demetrios G. Papademetriou, President, MPI
Doris Meissner, Senior Fellow, MPI
Andrew Selee, Director, Woodrow Wilson Center’s Mexico Institute
MEMBERS
Hugo Beteta, Director, Subregional Headquarters in Mexico, Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean
Lázaro Cárdenas Batel, former Governor of the State of Michoacán, Mexico
John Coatsworth, Dean, Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs
Luís de la Calle, Managing Director and Founding Partner, De la Calle, Madrazo, Mancera, S.C. (CMM)
Antonia Hernández, President and CEO, California Community Foundation
James R. Jones, Partner, Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP
Santiago Levy Algazi, Vice President for Sector and Knowledge, Inter-American Development Bank (IDB)
Monica Lozano, CEO, impreMedia
Jorge Luis Madrazo Cuéllar, former Attorney General of Mexico (1996-2000)
Eliseo Medina, International Secretary-Treasurer, Service Employees International Union
Diana Natalicio, President, University of Texas at El Paso
John D. Negroponte, former Director of National Intelligence, U.S. government
Rogelio Ramírez de la O, President, Ecanal
Andrés Rozental, former Ambassador of Mexico to the United Kingdom (1995-1997)
Luis Rubio, Chairman, Center of Research for Development (CIDAC)
James W. Ziglar, former Commissioner, U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service
PROJECT MANAGER
Victoria Rietig, Policy Analyst, MPI
Showing 11–20 of 24 results
Strengthening Health Systems in North and Central America: What Role for Migration?
Nursing shortages across five countries in North and Central America create a regional opportunity to leverage migration strategically for health workforce development.
In the Lurch between Government and Chaos: Unconsolidated Democracy in Mexico
Mexico's democratic transition left authoritarian structures intact, allowing organized crime and corruption to fill the governance vacuum and undermine development.
Crime and Violence in Mexico and Central America: An Evolving but Incomplete U.S. Policy Response
The U.S. policy response to crime and violence in Mexico and Central America has grown since 2007 but remains more developed toward Mexico than to northern Central America.
Manufacturing in the United States, Mexico, and Central America: Implications for Competitiveness and Migration
The maquiladora model has masked critical gaps in human capital and innovation, leaving Mexico and Northern Triangle manufacturers unable to move up the value chain.
Paying for Crime: A Review of the Relationships between Insecurity and Development in Mexico and Central America
Crime and insecurity in Mexico and Central America divert public and private resources from productive uses and erode the institutional trust essential for economic growth.
Border Insecurity in Central America's Northern Triangle
Border insecurity in northern Central America reflects chronic state neglect, not just trafficking. Governance-centered solutions, more than border controls, are necessary.
Transnational Crime in Mexico and Central America: Its Evolution and Role in International Migration
The growth of organized crime in Mexico and Central America has sharply increased risks for migrants crossing the region, who face kidnapping, extortion, and rape.
New Approaches to Migration Management in Mexico and Central America
Mexico's 2011 Migration Law marked a turning point in managing Central American transit migration. But conditions on the ground still fall well short of politicians’ migrant-rights rhetoric.
Understanding Mexico's Economic Underperformance
Despite three decades of market reforms, Mexico's sluggish economic growth traces to credit failures, informality incentives, input market inefficiencies, and Chinese competition.
Central American Development: Two Decades of Progress and Challenges for the Future
Central America's transformation into stable democracies and global exporters is threatened by persistent inequality, rising violence, and climate vulnerability.