The term ‘mixed migration’ is often used as a means of reflecting a more complex understanding of the causes and motivations of people’s migration. While this term can be useful in overcoming binary interpretations between voluntary and forced migration in explaining current flows in South America, it may also have some unintended consequences when applied to migration policy. What effects does this understanding of migration have on the regularization of new migrants? Does the term allow or rather prevent forced migrants from accessing refugee status? We analyze these questions by examining Haitian, Colombian and Venezuelan migrants in Ecuador. On one side, we examine how the concept of mixed migration can render invisible some forms of forced displacement resulting from political, environmental or economic factors and, on the other side, we examine the type of policies undertaken by the state to address these displacements that do not fit either pure economic migration or asylum as defined by the 1951 Geneva Convention. We find that an uncritical use of the term, may favor the fall of these populations into irregular processes.
This introduction examines the relationship between new patterns of migration, inequalities, and border controls in present-day South America. It starts with a historical overview of migration patterns in the twentieth century, and then focuses on the multiplication of flows in the past twenty years. A second part discusses the character of new mobility patterns, such as forced, transit, and circular migrations, and their connections with extractive industries, informality, and labor exploitation. Next, it discusses the link between these migration patterns and changes in state migration policies towards border control. The introduction ends with a description of the book chapters.
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