E.g., 06/05/2024
E.g., 06/05/2024
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

Articles
February 1, 2004
Chile: Moving Towards a Migration Policy
By Cristián Doña, Amanda Levinson
cover NAFTA04
Reports
January 2004
NAFTA's Promise and Reality: Lessons from Mexico for the Hemisphere
By  Demetrios G. Papademetriou, John J. Audley, Sandra Polaski and Scott Vaughan
Articles
July 1, 2003
Argentina's Economic Woes Spur Emigration
By Maia Jachimowicz
cover smartersafer
Policy Briefs
June 2003
Does 'Smarter' Lead to Safer? An Assessment of the Border Accords with Canada and Mexico
By  Deborah W. Meyers
Articles
June 1, 2003
Remittances, the Rural Sector, and Policy Options in Latin America
By Manuel Orozco
Articles
April 1, 2003
Consular ID Cards: Mexico and Beyond
By Kevin O'Neil
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

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Recent Activity

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.

Reports
January 2004

NAFTA's Promise and Reality: Lessons from Mexico for the Hemisphere

During the 1990s, NAFTA was promoted by both U.S. and Mexican officials as a means to spur economic growth and job creation in Mexico and thereby reduce the number of unauthorized migrants entering the U.S. from Mexico each year. This report takes a critical look at NAFTA’s impact on regulating migration from Mexico to the United States.

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
June 1, 2003

Remittances, the Rural Sector, and Policy Options in Latin America

Manuel Orozco of Inter-American Dialogue examines the increasing relevance of economic ties between diasporas and home country economies in Latin America.

Policy Briefs
June 2003

Does 'Smarter' Lead to Safer? An Assessment of the Border Accords with Canada and Mexico

The events that unfolded in the U.S. on September 11 generated a renewed sense of urgency over border management. Bilateral Smart Border agreements were reached between the U.S. and Canada as well as the U.S. and Mexico in December 2001 and March 2002. This report tracks the implementation of these border accords and seeks to evaluate their effectiveness.

Articles
April 1, 2003

Consular ID Cards: Mexico and Beyond

The Sept. 11 attacks prompted greater government scrutiny of undocumented immigrants in the United States. MPI Research Assistant Kevin O'Neil takes a look at how many Mexicans living in the U.S. without authorization have turned to a Mexican government ID called the "matrícula consular" to better establish their identity.

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.

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