Towards a typology of social protection for migrants and refugees in Latin America during the COVID-19 pandemic

Espinoza, Marcia Vera; Rosas, Victoria Prieto; Zapata, Gisela P.; Gandini, Luciana; Ahedo, Alethia Fernández de la Reguera; Herrera, Gioconda; Villamil, Stéphanie López; Gómez, Cristina María Zamora; Blouin, Cécile; Montiel, Camila; Gálvez, Gabriela Cabezas; Palla, I.

doi:10.1186/s40878-021-00265-x

Cited by 35 publications

(36 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…New migration policies across Latin American countries point in a direction of growing divergence (e.g., acceptance of the external-ization of migration policies in Central America, a variety of humanitarian of responses to intra-and extra-regional flows in South America) (Brumat, 2021). This heterogeneity in the region has been confirmed as of late by a detailed analysis of the social policy responses to migrant and refugee populations during the COVID-19 pandemic (Vera et al, 2021).…”

Section: Introduction mentioning

confidence: 82%

Is there "Latin American" approach to migration governance?

Margheritis¹,

Pedroza²

2022

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Innovative migration governance mechanisms have been rapidly evolving in Latin America in the last two decades. More recently, new policies have emerged to address both longstanding and unexpected pressing issues, such as the vast and sudden flows from Venezuela and Central America. Focusing on two main sub-regions (Central and South America) and five main areas of state involvement (irregular immigration, border control, diaspora engagement policies, multilateral management of intra-regional mobility, and forced migration), we revisit the argument that a distinctive Latin American approach emerged at the turn of the century. We document growing policy divergence across countries and subregions, which is rendering the region increasingly in line with global trends.

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Section: Introduction mentioning

confidence: 82%

Is there "Latin American" approach to migration governance?

Margheritis¹,

Pedroza²

2022

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“…Pandemic control measures taken in 2020 led to the temporary closing of borders and the suspension of services, including the shutdown of asylum receptions at the US border under Title 42 of the US Code. In Mexico, migrant and refugee shelters were temporarily closed, refugee applications paused, and working opportunities disappeared (see Gandini, 2020;Vera Espinoza et al, 2021). While it is not possible to include the full array of implications into the analysis at this point, previous fieldwork showed the main lines of exclusion and problematic processes of re-victimisation encountered by refugee women and their families in the current migration regime.…”

Section: Discussion: Deservingness Uncertainty Waitingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Negotiating Survival: Central American Refugee Women in Mexico and the Politics of Deservingness

Willers

2022

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This article aims to analyse the difficulties Central American refugee women face when applying for refugee protection in Mexico and how they negotiate survival during this process. Claiming refugee protection is an important legal mechanism to ensure survival, but managing this process successfully is difficult, not only because of the bureaucratic complexities but also because of structural and political constraints. Research has addressed the difficulties migrant women face while in transit and in the United States, but there is less analysis on the limitations in accessing refugee protection in transit countries such as Mexico. Therefore, this article examines the main barriers women face by considering the social and spatial specifics of two different reception sites, the southern Mexican city of Tapachula and Mexico City, in the centre of the country. Drawing on ethnographic field research and interviews with refugees and practitioners, this research seeks to understand women’s agency in dealing with adversity in reception contexts. Analysis showed that women need to engage in micro‐level negotiations with gatekeepers in host communities to gain access to humanitarian assistance and social rights. In addition, it has showed that access to scarce resources depends on personal performance in terms of vulnerability and “deservingness.” This demonstrates the complexities refugee women encounter in the local context, but also the role of institutional constraints to humanitarian attention in contrast to an integral understanding of rights. Furthermore, the obstacles faced by refugees and the generation of uncertainty and waiting must be analysed as a political strategy to prevent effective access to asylum in Mexico.

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“…At the same time, the recently reformed and exceptionally progressive legal structures were not designed with the expectation of having to respond to a displacement phenomenon of this magnitude (Acosta & Freier, 2015). The COVID‐19 pandemic further contributed to countries’ increasingly restrictive migration policies, as evidenced by the implementation of border militarization efforts, to curb migratory flows, as well as the exclusion of Venezuelan migrants and refugees from state‐led socio‐economic assistance policies (Acosta & Brumat, 2020; Herrera, 2021; Vera Espinoza et al, 2021).…”

Section: Context and Backgroundmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Across the region, the COVID‐19 pandemic revealed the lack of sustainable inclusion and integration policies for migrant and refugee populations (Bengochea et al, 2020; Freier & Vera Espinoza, 2021; Vera Espinoza et al, 2021). More specifically, exploring policy and political responses in Chile and Peru, Freier and Vera Espinoza (2021) argue that the pandemic has led to legislative projects that exacerbate the socio‐economic and legal exclusion of immigrants in both countries.…”

Section: Previous Workmentioning

confidence: 99%

Introduction: Latin American Political and Policy Responses to Venezuelan Displacement

Freier

Doña‐Reveco

2022

International Migration

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As of December 2021, Venezuela's political, humanitarian and economic crisis has led to the departure of over 6 million of its citizens, rendering it the second biggest and fastest escalating displacement scenario worldwide, which will likely soon surpass the Syrian exodus. Most Venezuelan migrants and refugees have remained in Latin America, often facing situations of precarity, both during the migration journey and in receiving countries. The images of thousands of Venezuelans walking across the continent, sleeping along highways, in parks and in other public spaces, as well as experiencing increasing incidences of xenophobic violence fuelled by criminalizing narratives in the media (UP & ACNUR, 2021a), showcase the increasing vulnerability of this population. The exponential growth of Venezuelan displacement over the years, as well as the increasingly negative public opinion towards this group (UP & ACNUR, 2021b), has put regional immigration and refugee policies to the test. This special issue contributes to the literature on both domestic and regional immigration and refugee policies, by offering a comparison of Latin American governments' political and policy responses to the Venezuelan exodus.The rapid increase in the arrival of Venezuelans, which accelerated in 2016, led to a range of policy responses, and, in some cases, provoked restrictive changes in countries' immigration and refugee legislation. Acosta et al.(2019) classified initial policy reactions into six groups: Those that: (1) (Unilaterally) extended residence agreements of two regional blocs -the Southern Common Market (Mercosur) and the Union of South American Nations (Unasur) -to Venezuelan citizens (Argentina, Brazil, Ecuador and Uruguay); (2) Implemented special temporary residence permits (Chile, Colombia and Peru); (3) Developed no specific immigration policies (Costa Rica and Paraguay); (4) Applied the 1984 Cartagena Declaration refugee definition (Brazil and Mexico); (5) Executed regularization processes for Venezuelans already living in their territories (Bolivia and Panama) and (6) Enforced sanctions and expulsions (predominantly Caribbean countries).Thus, instead of systematically applying the regional Cartagena refugee definition, or the Mercosur 2002 Residence Agreement (Brumat & Freier, 2021), governments haphazardly responded to the Venezuelan displacement phenomenon with a series of ad hoc policies that were often torn between wanting to protect Venezuelans

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Towards a typology of social protection for migrants and refugees in Latin America during the COVID-19 pandemic

Cited by 35 publications

References 25 publications

Is there "Latin American" approach to migration governance?

Is there "Latin American" approach to migration governance?

Negotiating Survival: Central American Refugee Women in Mexico and the Politics of Deservingness

Introduction: Latin American Political and Policy Responses to Venezuelan Displacement

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