Migration data collection and management in a changing Latin American landscape

Abstract

While many Latin American countries have a tradition of receiving migrants, including the countries selected as case studies, there are no institutionalized mechanisms for the integration and settlement of migrants. The objective of this article is to explore how to improve migration data collection and management in a region that does not have many migration integration policies in place. I assess the state of migration data collection and management in three case studies: the city of Cucuta in Colombia, the North Huetar Region in Costa Rica, and the city of Monterrey in Mexico. The three countries publish data exclusively at the national level, rather than the local or municipal. Despite all case studies having a variety of administrative data, mainly in the form of entries and exits by nationality, these data are not enough to properly identify the sociodemographic characteristics of migrant populations in a country, and much less in specific cities. I make recommendations divided into three main themes to improve migration data in Latin America.

Accelerating and enhancing the generation of socioeconomic data to inform forced displacement policy and response

“…New applications of existing data should be stress-tested for trade-offs between the benefit of additional socioeconomic insight and potential harm. Well-documented data and consistent systems for cataloging and searching datasets are key to keeping up with emergent data responsibility risks (Cervantes-Macías, 2022). Teams should likewise continuously assess the potential for algorithmic bias to cause harm and reduce the usefulness of analytical outputs.…”