While the US wrestles with immigration reform, the topic of
migration policies is also making headlines in the rest of America. As regional immigration increases in volume,
countries that are not accustomed to the social, political and economic impacts
of immigration have to grapple with this difficult issue. In Latin America this phenomenon is clearly
defined both in terms of countries that are emerging as new destinations for
regional migrants, as well as countries that serve as transition points for
migrants moving through on their way to somewhere else. In South America, for example, the emergence of Chile
as a new destination for regional migration has heralded new political and
social consequences for the once-isolated country. In Central America, the flow of migrants
toward Mexico and the US has forced governments there to respond with stronger
administrative agencies and the dedication of more resources to deal with the
impact of migratory flows through the region.
Recent developments include:
The Bolivian parliament
has passed a large migration law that hopes to regulate the entry, passage
and settlement of migrants in that country.
The law appears to be a technical response for coordinating
administrative efforts at regulation by creating a National Council on
Migration. The law also includes
measures that seek to protect the rights of immigrants. For example, the law proposes to assure the
ability of foreigners to attend universities for free in Bolivia, on par with
Bolivian nationals.
Meanwhile, Brazil has sent a delegation of lower house
members to Bolivia to discuss issues related to migration concerning both
countries. Human trafficking and slavery
in and around Sao Paolo are among the issues discussed by the delegation. There are an estimated 100,000 Bolivians
living in conditions of slavery due to their undocumented status in
Brazil. A commission in the lower house
also discussed the need for Brazil
to finance “work centers” in Bolivia to stem the tide of migrants into
Brazil.
In Columbia, the migration regulation agency has been attempting to
issue new identification cards to immigrants, but has delayed
release of the new cards. The delay
has caused doubts among immigrants who are unsure if their old cards are still
valid, as well as frustration because new cards have been announced repeatedly
but have not yet been released. The Colombian
government also has special migratory relationships through the Comunidad
Andina and MERCOSUR regional integration schemes.
Similarly in Ecuador, the government is under fire for slow
and insufficient immigration inspection at its principle airport in
Guayaquil. While the airport has
recently been rated as one of the best in the world for its size, serving
between 2 – 5 million passengers annually, complaints abound because of the
long lines and wait period for passengers to pass through immigration
checkpoints.
The Mexican lower house
unanimously passed legislation that seeks to protect children and
adolescent migrants travelling alone. The bill instructs the National Migration
Institute to direct detained youth to family development-oriented agencies
where these youth can obtain housing and other attention. The intent of the bill is to increase the
protection of the rights of young unaccompanied migrants.
Guatemalan Nobel Peace Prize Winner Rigoberta
Menchú is calling on government to make immigration an integral part of
their work. She noted that embassies in
the region are not responsive to the needs of migrants and governments should
not leave all of the work to under-financed NGOs.
In Honduras, President Lobo has given a presidential
commission 60 days to reorganize the National Department of Foreigners and
Migration quoting the need to bolster the agency to confront the threat of
terrorism and organized crime. Among the
goals of the commission is the strengthening of documents to prevent fraud,
especially in the face of heightened
demand for passports by the Honduran populace.
Costa Rica´s immigration agency has recently been called to task
after a newspaper
report revealed the illicit trafficking of Nicaraguan migrants to work on
the orange harvest in the border area.
The director of the agency said an investigation of the situation would
be undertaken and at least 115 people have been identified in the exploitive
trafficking of laborers.
The government of the Dominican Republic is taking measures to
provide documentation to Haitians living along the border between the two
countries in a push to enforce an “ordered,
restrictive and legal” migration policy.
The regularization seeks to introduce governmental regulation into a
largely irregular and uncontrolled border area.
