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 21–24 of 24 results
The Development and Fiscal Effects of Emigration on Mexico
Mexico's fiscal balance benefits from emigration—GDP rose 8.8 percent and tax collection 7.4 percent between 1990 and 2000, driven by remittances and labor market effects.
U.S. Immigration Policy and Mexican/Central American Migration Flows: Then and Now
Migration from Mexico and Central America has surged and diversified since the 1970s, while U.S. policy choices since 1965 built unauthorized flows that now constrain reforms.
U.S. Immigration Policy since 9/11: Understanding the Stalemate over Comprehensive Immigration Reform
Post‑9/11 enforcement expansions, partisan polarization, and complex trade‑offs have stalled comprehensive U.S. immigration reform.
Evolving Demographic and Human-Capital Trends in Mexico and Central America and Their Implications for Regional Migration
Shifts in demographics and education in Mexico and Central America, combined with high U.S. unemployment, challenge past assumptions about future regional migration.