Central America & the Caribbean

From Control to Crisis: Changing Trends and Policies Reshaping U.S.-Mexico Border Enforcement

Punitive enforcement-only measures failed to stem record flows of Central American families at the U.S.-Mexico border in 2019, underscoring the need for a new approach.

Soluciones estratégicas para afrontar la crisis migratoria en Estados Unidos y México

MPI y El Colegio de México proponen cinco estrategias para reducir la migración irregular centroamericana mediante reforma del asilo, vías legales e inversión en desarrollo.

Strategic Solutions for the United States and Mexico to Manage the Migration Crisis

MPI and El Colegio de México outline five strategies to address irregular Central American migration through asylum reform, legal pathways, and targeted development aid.

Spike in Unaccompanied Child Arrivals at U.S.-Mexico Border Proves Enduring Challenge; Citizenship Question on 2020 Census in Doubt

Approximately 11,500 unaccompanied children were apprehended at the U.S.-Mexico border in May, putting this year on track to exceed 2014's surge. As the U.S. government struggles to care for these child migrants, with public outrage mounting over reports of unsafe, filthy conditions in initial Border Patrol custody, the failure of the executive branch and Congress to plan for increased shelter and care demands are increasingly apparent, as this article explores.

International Experience Suggests Safe Third-Country Agreement Would Not Solve the U.S.-Mexico Border Crisis

European experience shows safe third-country agreements are hard to enforce and rarely deter asylum seekers, making them an unlikely fix for the U.S.-Mexico border crisis.

Policy Options for Responding to Changing Migration Flows at the Southwest Border

Remain in Mexico Plan Echoes Earlier U.S. Policy to Deter Haitian Migration

The Remain in Mexico policy echoes 1980s and 1990s Haitian interdiction strategies, with key legal distinctions that may determine whether it survives court challenge.

Caribbean Immigrants in the United States

Some 4.4 million Caribbean immigrants lived in the United States in 2017, with higher naturalization rates but lower median incomes than the overall foreign-born population.

Promising Strategies for Reintegration of Migrants Returning to Mexico and Central America

Authors of a year-long study of reception and reintegration services in Mexico and the Northern Triangle discuss the findings of their fieldwork, including the differing reintegration needs of individual migrant groups, promising reception and reintegration programs, ongoing challenges for origin communities, and policy recommendations to improve reintegration strategies. 

Creatividad dentro de la crisis: opciones legales para migrantes venezolanos en América Latina

Con más de 3 millones de venezolanos en el extranjero a fines de 2018, los países de América Latina han improvisado vías legales creativas, pero deben planificar a largo plazo.