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.
Migration has emerged as a critical policy issue for Mexico and Central America during the past three decades. This report traces the history of migration and transmigration trends and policy in Mexico and Central America, and examines Mexico’s sweeping 2011 immigration law and implementation challenges. While typically most policy attention has focused on Mexican migration to the United States, Central American transit migration through Mexico has gradually increased in size and visibility.
The report examines the evolving response of the Mexican and Central American governments to Central American transit migration through Mexico. It is organized around four main themes:
- A brief background on the migration phenomena in Mexico and its traditional regulatory framework.
- Case studies of migration management in Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras.
- Analysis of Mexico’s attempts in recent years to create a formal framework for migration management.
- A discussion of the implications of emerging national institutional frameworks on the management of regional migration issues.
Table of Contents
I. Introduction
II. Migration Policy in Mexico
A. Background
B. Conflicting Demands on Migration Management
C. An Outdated Institutional Framework
D. Civil Society’s Role as Advocate for Migrants’ Rights
III. Migration Policy in Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras
A. Background
B. Migration Policies in Central America
IV. Migration Issues in Intraregional Relations
The Evolution of Regional Cooperation
V. Toward a New Migration Law in Mexico
A. Domestic and International Pressures to Update Migration Laws
B. Provisions of the 2011 Ley de Migración
C. Domestic and International Implications
D. Criticism
VI. Conclusion
About the Regional Migration Study Group
This forward-looking initiative focused on shaping collaborative migration and human-capital strategies in North and Central America.
About the U.S. Immigration Policy Program
The U.S. Immigration Policy Program provides analysis of U.S. immigration pathways, the impacts of enforcement and other policies, and the characteristics of immigrant populations.
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