E.g., 04/27/2024
E.g., 04/27/2024
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 Haitian child looks over his mother's shoulder in Panama
Commentaries

Addressing the Next Displacement Crisis in the Making in the Americas

The next major displacement of people in the Americas is in the making, and it is going unnoticed. The response to the steady emigration from Haiti seen since a devastating 2010 earthquake has been largely haphazard and may not stand the test of new spikes as the country unravels further. This commentary suggests a way forward, based on a model used for the Venezuelan displacement crisis.

A Venezuelan man holds a passport in front of a sign for Ecuador's regularization process

Featured

Venezuelan displacement has prompted countries across Latin America and the Caribbean to launch policies and programs to register, regularize, and support the integration of arriving Venezuelans. However, the extent to which regular status has helped Venezuelans find work has varied from country to country, as this report discusses.

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

How the Treacherous Darien Gap Became a Migration Crossroads of the Americas

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.

Recent Activity

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Reports
February 2013
Strengthening Health Systems in North and Central America: What Role for Migration?
By  Allison Squires and Hiram Beltrán-Sánchez
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Reports
January 2013
In the Lurch between Government and Chaos: Unconsolidated Democracy in Mexico
By  Luis Rubio
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Reports
January 2013
Crime and Violence in Mexico and Central America: An Evolving but Incomplete U.S. Policy Response
By  Andrew Selee, Cynthia J. Arnson and Eric L. Olson
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Reports
January 2013
Manufacturing in the United States, Mexico, and Central America: Implications for Competitiveness and Migration
By  Peter A. Creticos and Eleanor Sohnen
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Reports
December 2012
Paying for Crime: A Review of the Relationships between Insecurity and Development in Mexico and Central America
By  Eleanor Sohnen
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Reports
November 2012
Border Insecurity in Central America's Northern Triangle
By  Ralph Espach and Daniel Haering
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Reports
November 2012
Transnational Crime in Mexico and Central America: Its Evolution and Role in International Migration
By  Steven Dudley
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Reports
October 2012
New Approaches to Migration Management in Mexico and Central America
By  Francisco Alba and Manuel Ángel Castillo

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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.

Feature
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.

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Recent Activity

Reports
February 2013

Ripe with Change: Evolving Farm Labor Markets in the United States, Mexico, and Central America

This report assesses trends in U.S., Central American, and Mexican agriculture and their implications for farm labor markets, including the demand for skills and its effects on education and workforce development. 

Reports
January 2013

Manufacturing in the United States, Mexico, and Central America: Implications for Competitiveness and Migration

This report examines trends in manufacturing – with a focus on advanced manufacturing – in Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, and the United States. Although these countries’ manufacturing histories and contexts are different, the sectors are increasingly interdependent, and the sector potentially holds great promise for improving individual livelihoods and overall regional competitiveness.

Reports
January 2013

Crime and Violence in Mexico and Central America: An Evolving but Incomplete U.S. Policy Response

The U.S. government has increased its attention to public security issues in Mexico and Central America since 2007. This report suggest the policy emphasis has begun to shift away from the earlier focus on combating drug trafficking and transnational crime toward addressing the citizen security crisis.

Reports
January 2013

In the Lurch between Government and Chaos: Unconsolidated Democracy in Mexico

Over the past two decades, governing institutions in Mexico and parts of Central America have proven too primitive to cope with the volatility of democratic transitions. Organized crime has taken over key activities of various levels of government and corruption has become more entrenched. These regions must face the challenge of building democratic institutions capable of engaging in good governance.

Reports
December 2012

Paying for Crime: A Review of the Relationships between Insecurity and Development in Mexico and Central America

Crime and insecurity are undermining economic and social prosperity in Mexico and Central America, eroding public trust in government institutions. This report examines current economic, social, and political costs resulting from insecurity, and future implications.

Reports
November 2012

Transnational Crime in Mexico and Central America: Its Evolution and Role in International Migration

The growth of organized crime in Mexico and Central America has dramatically increased the risks that migrants crossing the region face. As this report outlines, migrants increasingly are forced to seek the assistance of intermediaries, and those unable to afford one are more likely to be abused along the way.

Reports
November 2012

Border Insecurity in Central America's Northern Triangle

This report outline the long-standing pattern of northern Central American governments' inattention to their borders – probing root causes that range from institutional, economic, and resource challenges to corruption and weak government structures.

 

Reports
October 2012

New Approaches to Migration Management in Mexico and Central America

This report outlines the long-standing pattern of government inattention to borders in Central America's Northern Triangle – probing root causes that range from institutional, economic, and resource challenges to corruption and weak government structures.

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