E.g., 01/19/2021
E.g., 01/19/2021

South America

South America

With the exodus of more than 4. 5 million Venezuelans, South America is experiencing major change in migration flows and policies. Beyond the immediate migration crisis, the region has experienced more movement in recent years, chiefly for labor reasons, with Brazil the preferred destination for migration from outside the continent. Migration beyond South America is chiefly to the United States and Europe. The articles offered here sketch the dynamism of South America's migration trends and policies.

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MPI publishes its content most on point to migration policies, trends, and immigrant populations in Latin America and Spain in Spanish. You can access all of our Spanish-language content, including reports, commentaries, multimedia, and press releases, here, as well as sign up for updates when we publish Spanish-language content and learn more about our Latin America and Caribbean Migration Portal.

Venezuelan migrants and refugees at the border between Colombia and Ecuador
Policy Briefs

Venezuelan Migration, Crime, and Misperceptions: A Review of Data from Colombia, Peru, and Chile

More than 4 million Venezuelans have moved to other countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, raising concerns about how these arrivals are affecting receiving communities. Some politicians and pundits have asserted that migration is leading to an increase in crime—a claim this issue brief finds misplaced based on examination of official data from Chile, Colombia, and Peru.

Venezuelans waiting at the Peru border for their documents to be processed
Fact Sheets

Venezuelan Migrants and Refugees in Latin America and the Caribbean: A Regional Profile

As Latin American and Caribbean countries face a dual challenge—managing large-scale Venezuelan arrivals alongside the COVID-19 pandemic—reliable data on the characteristics of newcomers are essential to policymaking. This MPI-IOM fact sheet offers a profile of refugees and migrants in 11 countries in the region, including their demographics, labor market participation, remittance sending, access to health care, trip details, and intention to return to Venezuela.

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The Migration Portal is the first comprehensive website that tracks developments on immigration policy in Latin America and the Caribbean, presenting authoritative research, data, and analysis produced by MPI, governments, international organizations, researchers, and civil society.

Recent Activity

Articles
May 1, 2006
Detailed Characteristics of the South American Born in the United States in 2000
By David Dixon, Julia Gelatt
Articles
February 1, 2006
Argentina: A New Era of Migration and Migration Policy
By Maia Jachimowicz
Articles
November 1, 2005
Colombia: In the Crossfire
By Myriam Bérubé
Articles
June 1, 2005
Shaping Brazil: The Role of International Migration
By Ernesto Friedrich Amaral, Wilson Fusco
Articles
February 1, 2004
Chile: Moving Towards a Migration Policy
By Cristián Doña, Amanda Levinson
Articles
July 1, 2003
Argentina's Economic Woes Spur Emigration
By Maia Jachimowicz
Articles
February 1, 2003
Latino Remittances Swell Despite U.S. Economic Slump
By Roberto Suro
Articles
December 1, 2002
Colombians Flee War Without End
By Hiram Ruiz

Pages

Profile
November 1, 2005
Colombia: In the Crossfire
Colombia's ongoing armed conflict has caused millions to leave the country, both as economic migrants and as refugees; millions more have been internally displaced. While the government struggles with these issues, it is also courting Colombians abroad. Myriam Bérubé reports.
Profile
June 1, 2005
Shaping Brazil: The Role of International Migration
South America's largest country has experienced waves of immigration and, more recently, emigration. But Brazil has not proactively addressed new migration patterns, including increases in illegal immigrants. Ernesto Friedrich Amaral of the University of Texas at Austin and Wilson Fusco of Universidade Estadual de Campinas report.
Profile
February 1, 2004
Chile: Moving Towards a Migration Policy
Chile's economic growth, political stability, and increased immigration are spurring the development of a new migration policy, according to Cristián Doña and Amanda Levinson.
Feature
July 1, 2003
Argentina's Economic Woes Spur Emigration
MPI's Maia Jachimowicz maps out the challenges ahead for Argentina, which is witnessing an outflow of people amidst continuing economic hardships.
Feature
February 1, 2003
Latino Remittances Swell Despite U.S. Economic Slump
Director of the Pew Hispanic Center, Roberto Suro, looks at how the flagging U.S. economy has not kept Latino immigrants from sending money back to their homelands.

Pages

archive >

Recent Activity

Articles
May 1, 2006

Detailed Characteristics of the South American Born in the United States in 2000

The majority of South American born counted in the 2000 census were from Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. MPI's David Dixon and Julia Gelatt look at the social and economic profiles of the foreign born from this region.

Articles
February 1, 2006

Argentina: A New Era of Migration and Migration Policy

Despite skilled emigration outflows, Argentina consistently attracts new economic migrants from its neighbors in the southern cone of Latin America. Maia Jachimowicz of Princeton University reports.

Articles
November 1, 2005

Colombia: In the Crossfire

Colombia's ongoing armed conflict has caused millions to leave the country, both as economic migrants and as refugees; millions more have been internally displaced. While the government struggles with these issues, it is also courting Colombians abroad. Myriam Bérubé reports.
Articles
June 1, 2005

Shaping Brazil: The Role of International Migration

South America's largest country has experienced waves of immigration and, more recently, emigration. But Brazil has not proactively addressed new migration patterns, including increases in illegal immigrants. Ernesto Friedrich Amaral of the University of Texas at Austin and Wilson Fusco of Universidade Estadual de Campinas report.
Articles
February 1, 2004

Chile: Moving Towards a Migration Policy

Chile's economic growth, political stability, and increased immigration are spurring the development of a new migration policy, according to Cristián Doña and Amanda Levinson.
Articles
July 1, 2003

Argentina's Economic Woes Spur Emigration

MPI's Maia Jachimowicz maps out the challenges ahead for Argentina, which is witnessing an outflow of people amidst continuing economic hardships.
Articles
February 1, 2003

Latino Remittances Swell Despite U.S. Economic Slump

Director of the Pew Hispanic Center, Roberto Suro, looks at how the flagging U.S. economy has not kept Latino immigrants from sending money back to their homelands.
Articles
December 1, 2002

Colombians Flee War Without End

Over half a million Colombians abandon their homes every year as a result of the country's long-running internal strife, creating a flood of internally displaced persons. Hiram Ruiz of the U.S. Committee on Refugees analyzes the roots of the crisis and the difficulties ahead.

Pages