E.g., 06/07/2026
E.g., 06/07/2026
Migration Information Source - Articles by 'Central America & the Caribbean' Term

Articles - Central America & the Caribbean

The backs of two people on a motorbike; above them a sign notes the Guatemala border

Migration patterns from and through Central America are changing in fundamental ways amid rising immigration enforcement and a reduction in global humanitarian aid. These twin developments are putting new pressures on governments in the region and reshaping migrant experiences, as this article explores.

Families from Venezuela in Trinidad and Tobago.

Many Venezuelan migrants in Trinidad and Tobago have found that their situation is more complex than expected as the Caribbean country has largely adopted an enforcement-first approach. Many Venezuelan migrants face stigma and precarity—issues complicated amid escalating tensions between Venezuela and the United States, as this article details. 

The Little Havana neighborhood of Miami.

The United States is by far the top destination for international migrants from the Caribbean. Roughly one in ten U.S. immigrants was born in the Caribbean, coming chiefly from Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, or Haiti. Compared to other foreign-born groups, these individuals are more likely to be naturalized U.S. citizens and to have arrived since 2010, as this article details.

A woman receives a cash transfer in Sierra Leone.

Some countries with large diasporas have sought to maximize incoming remittances and channel them into particular sectors. Diaspora engagement policies are not always successful, but research shows that they are generally accompanied by increased remittance sending. This article explains the connection and explores some of the factors affecting remittance levels.

Migrantes venezolanos esperan procesamiento en Brasil.

Un nivel histórico de migración está transformando las sociedades y la política en América Latina y el Caribe, dando paso a una etapa definida por la volatilidad. Este artículo analiza estas dinámicas en el Caribe y Centroamérica y Sudamérica, y analiza la probabilidad de que la región se acerque a un punto de inflexión en la gestión de la migración.

Venezuelan migrants wait for processing in Brazil.

Amid unprecedented migration that began in 2010, Latin America and the Caribbean have entered a new era best defined by volatility. The success of initial policy responses to the displacement of millions of Venezuelans and other migration patterns has dimmed, given incomplete integration outcomes and other pressures. This article details these dynamics across the Caribbean and Central and South America.

Una mujer de Honduras en un desfile en Washington, DC.

Las personas de América Central representan casi uno de cada diez inmigrantes en los Estados Unidos, una población en rápido crecimiento. La mayoría de los inmigrantes centroamericanos provienen de El Salvador, Guatemala o Honduras. Este artículo proporciona información sobre la población inmigrante centroamericana en los Estados Unidos.

A woman from Honduras in a parade in Washington, DC

Central Americans comprise one of the fastest-growing immigrant groups in the United States, and now account for nearly one in every ten immigrants. Most Central American immigrants come from either El Salvador, Guatemala, or Honduras. Notably large shares are in the U.S. labor force and arrived since 2010. This article provides useful current and historical data and other information about this population.

Un hombre portando la bandera de Guatemala en un desfile en Washington, DC

Los guatemaltecos representan alrededor del 3 por ciento de todos los inmigrantes en Estados Unidos, pero el dinero que ellos y otros envían a sus seres queridos en Guatemala en forma de remesas constituye un pilar de la economía del país. Este artículo ofrece abundantes datos para entender a este grupo de inmigrantes.

A man carrying the flag of Guatemala in a parade in Washington, DC.

Guatemalans account for about 3 percent of all immigrants in the United States, but the money that they and others send back to loved ones in Guatemala as remittances forms a pillar of the country's economy. This article provides a wealth of data to understand this understand this growing immigrant group.

A student at a school in Yemen attended by many displaced children.

Children and youth who are displaced by climate events face unique barriers to accessing and completing school. Children comprise a disproportionately large share of the world’s forcibly displaced people, and even temporary displacement can have permanent ramifications for their education, livelihood prospects, and well-being. This article explores the connections between climate change, mobility, and education.

Migrants being deported from the United States to Mexico.

Do large-scale deportations lead to safer communities, better jobs, and less irregular migration? Research shows the answer is less clear than leading voices may suggest. This article provides an overview of research about the impacts of removals on destination and origin countries alike, focusing in particular on deportations from the United States to Latin America.

People in South Sudan fleeing conflict in Sudan.

The international humanitarian protection system built amid the ashes of World War II has come under increasing strain, as record numbers of people flee internationally and travel farther distances. New barriers to protection in destination countries have captured public attention, but governments are also experimenting with ways to offer sanctuary, which could signal a remaking of the global system, as this article explains.

President Joe Biden in Mexico City.

The U.S. immigration enforcement system increasingly depends on other countries to help halt irregular movements through the Americas and accept the return of unauthorized migrants. Foreign governments play a crucial and yet underappreciated role in migration management, and can either aid or frustrate U.S. border-control aims, as this article explores.

A woman and child walk in the Somali region of Ethiopia.

Is climate change a major driver of migration and displacement? From where are people leaving, and where are they going? This informative primer, a Climate Migration 101 of sorts, provides answers to basic questions about climate change and migration, starting with how and where climate change triggers human movement.

A Haitian-American book fair in Miami's Little Haiti neighborhood

The United States is the world’s top destination for Haitian migrants, who in recent years have fled an array of disasters and crises. Compared to other immigrant groups in the United States, the nearly 731,000 Haitians are more likely to be naturalized citizens, arrive through family-based pathways, and work in the service industry, as this data-rich article details.

The U.S. Coast Guard interdicts a vessel with Cuban migrants.

Amid the highest Caribbean maritime migration levels in a generation, the Biden administration is relying on a carrot-and-stick strategy it honed amid record unauthorized migration at the U.S.-Mexico border. The approach, combining limits on asylum, expanded legal pathways, and international enforcement partnerships, could be increasingly important if maritime migration rises, as this article explains.

Migrantes en la aldea de Canaán Membrillo, en el Tapón del Darién, Panamá.

El paso por el Tapón del Darién ha transformado la migración en las Américas. Cada día, más de 1.000 personas cruzan lo que no hace mucho era un tramo de selva poco transitado entre Colombia y Panamá, la mayoría con la esperanza de llegar a Estados Unidos o Canadá. Es un viaje increíblemente arriesgado. Los gobiernos se han esforzado por responder al creciente movimiento, que se espera que supere los 500.000 cruces en 2023.

Migrants in the Darien Gap village of Canaan Membrillo, Panama.

Passage through the Darien Gap has transformed migration across the Americas. Hundreds of thousands of people have taken the incredibly perilous journey across the remote jungle between Colombia and Panama, risking exposure to hazardous terrain, criminal groups, and other dangers. As this article outlines, governments have struggled to respond to the growing movement, expected to top 500,000 crossings in 2023.

Haitians at a medical site in Jeremie, Haiti.

The Haitian diaspora has swelled since a massive earthquake in 2010 and in the wake of violent riots that culminated in a political crisis in 2018 and the 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse. Poverty, natural disasters, political crisis, and insecurity have historically driven Haitian migration. Destination countries have often rejected these arrivals and sought to deport Haitian migrants in large numbers.

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