E.g., 10/01/2023
E.g., 10/01/2023
Latin America and Caribbean Initiative

Latin America and Caribbean Initiative

MPI’s Latin America and Caribbean Initiative acts as a policy laboratory to develop evidence-based research and innovative, effective policy solutions for the migration challenges facing Latin America and the Caribbean.
A map showing Mexico, Central America, South America, and the Caribbean highlighted in teal
Once thought of primarily as a region of emigration, countries across Latin America and the Caribbean are confronting new and increasingly complex migration and humanitarian pressures, including the integration of millions of Venezuelan migrants and asylum seekers who have fled their country since 2014 and the management of regional migration flows across Central and North America.

The Initiative produces research, trends and policy analysis, and policy design; provides technical assistance; and organizes private convenings and public events to inform the decisions of policymakers, the private sector, civil society, and other stakeholders as they respond to evolving trends and policy developments.

Current focus areas include legal pathways, immigrant integration, migration and development, and regional cooperation on migration management.

Para leer las investigaciones de la Iniciativa en español, haga clic aquí.

A Venezuelan woman receives a visa in the Dominican Republic

Featured

Countries in Latin America and the Caribbean have pragmatically tapped a variety of policy tools to provide legal status to at least half and as many as two-thirds of the more than 6 million displaced Venezuelans in the region. This report explores the extent to which Venezuelans have been able to obtain legal status in the top 15 host countries, their access to labor markets and public services, and where gaps remain.

Venezuelan migrants at the Colombian border.
Articles

In a Dramatic Shift, the Americas Have Become a Leading Migration Destination

Political and economic crises, new free-movement arrangements, and other trends are transforming countries across Latin America and the Caribbean, a region once known primarily for its emigration. The number of immigrants living in the region has nearly doubled since 2010, an incredible change in a short period of time. This article makes sense of a profound transition underway in the Western Hemisphere.

Two Haitian women stand in front of a mural in Mexico

Featured

Although Caribbean migration is often discussed in terms of movement to North America and Europe, migration within the region has increased notably in recent years. With people on the move for work or study, to join family, and to seek safety from natural disasters or persecution, this mobility takes many forms. This report explores Caribbean migration trends and the policies and institutions put in place at national and regional levels to manage them.

Recent Activity

ColombiaIDP BHeger UNHCR
Articles
April 13, 2017
As Colombia Emerges from Decades of War, Migration Challenges Mount
By Dayra Carvajal
BorderBus AntAndCarrieColeman Flickr
Articles
February 16, 2017
The Evolving and Diversifying Nature of Migration to the U.S.-Mexico Border
By Jessica Bolter
OntheRoad MathiasDepardon UNHCR
Articles
December 8, 2016
Migrants and Smugglers Get Creative to Circumvent Immigration Enforcement
By Caitlin Katsiaficas and Ariel G. Ruiz Soto
MexicanGirl CurtCarnemark WorldBank
Articles
November 16, 2016
The Impact of Mexican Maternal Migration on Children’s Future Ambitions
By Gabrielle Oliveira
HaitiansRoad MarionDoss Flickr
Articles
October 26, 2016
United States Abandons its Harder Line on Haitian Migrants in the Face of Latest Natural Disaster
By Muzaffar Chishti and Sarah Pierce
worldbank bogota traffic
Articles
August 23, 2016
Free Movement in South America: The Emergence of an Alternative Model?
By Diego Acosta
JamaicanDeportees NODM
Articles
August 16, 2016
Rebuilding Self and Country: Deportee Reintegration in Jamaica
By Bernard Headley and Dragan Milovanovic
GuatemalaDrought ECHO HAvril Flickr
Articles
February 18, 2016
Increased Central American Migration to the United States May Prove an Enduring Phenomenon
By Muzaffar Chishti and Faye Hipsman

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Profile
July 26, 2007
El Salvador: Despite End to Civil War, Emigration Continues

Thousands of Salvadorans fled the country during its civil war in the 1980s, many of them to the United States. The government is focused on engaging its diaspora but also must deal with immigrants from neighboring countries and issues around human trafficking.

Feature
March 1, 2007
Women Migrants in Transit and Detention in Mexico

Since 2000, Mexico has further intensified efforts to detain and deport irregular migrants. Gabriela Diaz and Gretchen Kuhner investigate the experiences of women migrants, the majority of them from Latin America, who have been detained in Mexico en route to the United States.

Feature
February 1, 2007
Migration and Development: Lessons from the Mexican Experience

Mexico has often been cited as a successful example of the positive relationship between migration and development. But Raúl Delgado-Wise and Luis Eduardo Guarnizo show why Mexico's model is unsustainable.

ec map
Profile
February 1, 2007
Ecuador: Diversity in Migration

Thousands of Ecuadorians live in the United States and Spain, making migration-related development policy a major issue for the government. At the same time, the country has received economic migrants from Peru but has done little to address the Colombian refugee situation, as Brad Jokisch of Ohio University explains.

Feature
September 1, 2006
Mexico's Presidential Election: Implications for U.S. Immigration Policy

Both of the leading presidential candidates said during the campaign that Mexico needed to create more and better jobs to stem migration - but their approaches to the problem differ. Susan Gzesh of the University of Chicago reports.

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Recent Activity

Articles
April 13, 2017

As Colombia Emerges from Decades of War, Migration Challenges Mount

Colombia has more internally displaced persons (IDPs) than any other country in the world, the result of a 52-year civil war. Beyond improving the lives of its 7.3 million IDPs, the country faces a number of crucial migration issues as it works to achieve stability in the wake of an historic peace accord signed in late 2016. This country profile examines historical trends and current and future migration challenges in Colombia.

Articles
February 16, 2017

The Evolving and Diversifying Nature of Migration to the U.S.-Mexico Border

Two significant migration shifts at the U.S.-Mexico border have been obscured by talk of walls and further border security: Mexicans no longer represent the top unauthorized crossers, replaced by Central Americans seeking protection, and flows are diversifying with increased arrivals of Cubans, Haitians, Asians, and Africans. This article sketches the evolving trends, which have key implications for U.S. and regional migration policy.

Articles
December 8, 2016

Migrants and Smugglers Get Creative to Circumvent Immigration Enforcement

Smugglers and migrants adapted their paths in light of changing conditions in 2016, including the construction of walls and closure of borders. Cuban and Haitian migrants increasingly chose to make their way to the United States through South and Central America rather than by sea. Meanwhile, migrant flows to Europe have splintered into a wider range of routes, seeking new openings through the Western Balkans.

Articles
November 16, 2016

The Impact of Mexican Maternal Migration on Children’s Future Ambitions

While Mexican women account for a significant share of migration flows to the United States, there has been little focus on their movement and effects on children in Mexico. This article, based on survey data of children in Puebla, Mexico, explores the impact of maternal Mexican migration on educational experiences and aspirations of the children left behind.

Articles
October 26, 2016

United States Abandons its Harder Line on Haitian Migrants in the Face of Latest Natural Disaster

In the wake of a hurricane that has once again devastated Haiti, the United States quickly reversed its toughened policy toward the thousands of Haitian nationals arriving at the California-Mexico border without prior authorization. This Policy Beat examines the shifts in U.S. admission and deportation policy toward Haitian migrants since the 2010 earthquake, and other national and state developments on immigration.

Articles
August 23, 2016

Free Movement in South America: The Emergence of an Alternative Model?

In contrast to increasingly restrictive approaches to migration in the global North—and recent skepticism towards Europe's free mobility project—South America is taking steps in the other direction, toward free movement for regional migrants. This article examines the emerging South American model and discusses its implications for migration in the region and for free movement in general.

Articles
August 16, 2016

Rebuilding Self and Country: Deportee Reintegration in Jamaica

More than 100 Jamaicans are deported on average each month from the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada, and are returned to a country grappling with high levels of crime and poverty. This article explores the constructive role that deported migrants, who are often socially stigmatized upon return, can play in rebuilding their lives while contributing to the larger project of national development in Jamaica.

Articles
February 18, 2016

Increased Central American Migration to the United States May Prove an Enduring Phenomenon

The complex push and pull factors driving child and family migration from Central America to the United States have changed little since the 2014 crisis. Despite some fluctuation in arrival numbers, recent trends suggest the characteristics of an enduring phenomenon. This Policy Beat explores the latest developments in U.S. policy responses, including enforcement operations, development assistance, and family detention.

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