Migration Management and Changes in Mobility Patterns in the North and Central American Region

Abstract

Since the beginning of the twenty-first century, changes have occurred in the regional dynamics of international migration and in the ways governments manage human mobility. This article argues that the migratory system connecting the three northern countries of Central America (Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras) with Mexico and the United States has not been accompanied by regional management of migratory flows. Instead, a succession of government plans and projects reveals a perspective marked by the effects of the “externalization” of US borders, leading to more complex migration routes and increased vulnerability of migrants. The article discusses how externalized control policies influence migratory spaces, routes, and timelines, and leave many stranded in transit countries before they eventually arrive at their intended destinations. Reconsidering the process of mobility in light of migration management policies would appropriately enlarge the traditional economic, social, cultural, and environmental factors that affect migration strategies.

Criminal Victimization of Central American Migrants in Transit Through Mexico

“…The importance of these characteristics lies in the fact that migrants carry out their journeys adopting certain travel patterns that are frequently repeated over the span of days, months, and years and that generate criminal opportunities. For years, criminal groups have examined the way in which migrants cross Mexico, have been drawn to the places where the volume of vulnerable migrants and their visibility are higher and have sought and deployed different criminal activities to take advantage of migrants (ITAM 2014; Casillas 2015; Merlín-Escorza, Davids, and Schapendonk 2021). If the conditions that force migrants to leave or flee from their countries are maintained, the flow of potential victims will continue.…”

COVID-19 and Protracted Displacement: a Scoping Review of Migration Policies in Mexico and Central America

“…Irregular migrants traversing Central America are extremely vulnerable to experiencing discrimination, violence, extortion, human smuggling, and other crimes because of their precarious migration status and living conditions (Faret et al, 2021 ). Many of these migrants live in constant fear of deportation and have limited access to health care services and legal employment possibilities (Faret et al, 2021 ).…”

“…Irregular migrants traversing Central America are extremely vulnerable to experiencing discrimination, violence, extortion, human smuggling, and other crimes because of their precarious migration status and living conditions (Faret et al, 2021 ). Many of these migrants live in constant fear of deportation and have limited access to health care services and legal employment possibilities (Faret et al, 2021 ). The COVID-19 pandemic and the associated policies have exacerbated the vulnerabilities of irregular immigrants in Central America (Bojórquez et al 2021b ), yet literature reviews on the effects of political decisions regarding COVID-19 on irregular migration in Central America and Mexico remain scant.…”

Health Through a Human Right Lens at the US-Mexico Border: Increasing Access to Healthcare for Central American Immigrants

“…Although the causes for migration may remain unchanged, the composition of populations migrating to the United States of America has changed repeatedly. Current waves of immigrants are increasingly coming from the Northern Triangle countries of Central America (Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador) ( 5 , 6 ).…”