The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic at the beginning of 2020 has affected global and regional mobility, including mobility in the DTM REMAP project countries, through various travel disruptions and restrictions. To better understand how the pandemic affects global mobility, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) developed an online tool and database to register points of entry, exit and transit - such as airports and land and blue border crossing points - where mobility restrictions and preparedness and response measures are in place. To support these efforts, over a period of 24 months, the Displacement Tracking Matrix Regional Evidence for Migration Analysis and Policy (DTM REMAP) national teams mapped and gathered data on the locations, statuses and restrictions at Points of Entry (PoE) in the project countries. The information gathered allows more in-depth analysis to uncover specific trends related to the locations, statuses and restrictions of PoEs in these countries. During the reporting period, the number of assessed PoEs in the DTM REMAP project countries gradually increased from 155 to 209¹ PoEs. The most common type of PoE reported in February 2022 was land borders (111), followed by airports (73) and blue borders (25). Areas of interest, populations of interest and internal transit points were also assessed but were not taken into account for further analysis in this snapshot. 

Since 24 February 2022, refugees and third-country nationals (TCNs) continue to enter Romania as a result of the war in Ukraine. As of 28 June 2022, there were 83,301 Ukrainian refugees in Romania, whilst authorities have reported over one million arrivals from Ukraine (data via UNHCR and including in the context of those entering from Ukraine via the Republic of Moldova). This report is based on 6,029 interviews conducted by IOM Romania between 25 March and 28 June 2022 in Brașov, Bucharest, Constanța, Galați, Huși, Iași, Isaccea, Sighetu Marmației, Siret and Suceava.

The Horn of Africa and Yemen is one of the busiest and riskiest migration corridors in the world travelled by hundreds of thousands of migrants, the majority of whom travel in an irregular manner, often relying on smugglers to facilitate movement along the Eastern Route. This regional report provides monthly updates on the complex migratory dynamics through Djibouti, Somalia, Yemen and Ethiopia based on diverse data sources and consultations with key informants in the four countries. Moreover, it provides information on the main protection concerns for migrants along the journey, information on the spill over effects of the conflict in Northern Ethiopia observed at the border between Ethiopia, Kenya and Sudan, a specific focus on children and information on the returns from Saudi Arabia to Ethiopia, Somalia and Yemen.

293 nouveaux déplacements et 1 060 nouvelles arrivées de personnes déplacées internes ont été rapportés pendant la période d’évaluation dans les 182 quartiers évalués. Parmi les personnes déplacées qui sont arrivées dans la commune de Cité Soleil, 314 sont arrivées dans le quartier du Wharf Jérémie et 318 à Zone Industrielle. L'origine de la plus grande partie de ces personnes était le quartier de Brouklin à Cité Soleil. La plupart des nouveuax déplacements ont eu lieu dans la commune de Tabarre (quartier de Tapage). En matière de sécurité, la situation reste toujors tendue, avec 15 quartiers affectés par des violences généralisées et cinq par des violences ciblées. Durant la période d’évaluation de 9 - 15 juillet, la DTM estimait 2 448 nouveaux déplacements et 2 826 nouvelles arrivées de personnes déplacées internes dans 221 quartiers évalués.

In June 2022, a total of 24,058 movements were observed across five of Ethiopia's flow monitoring points (FMPs)*. This represents an 8% decrease in daily average movements in comparison with May 2022 when an average of 868 movements per day were observed.

Outgoing movements during June have continued to be higher (84.2%) than incoming movements (15.8%). A total of 20,265 outgoing movements were observed of which 9,895 (48.8%) were heading towards Saudi Arabia, 2,688 (13.3%) were going to Djibouti, 2,115(10.4%) were travelling towards Kenya, 1,478 (7.3%) to Somalia, 764 (3.8%) intended to reach Sudan, 637 (3.1%) headed to Yemen, 576 (2.8%) to South Africa and 576 (2.8%) to the United Arab Emirates while remaining movements were travelling to several Middle Eastern, European and North American countries.

At the same time, 3,793 incoming movements were observed, of which 1,367 (36%) had originated from Djibouti, while 1,011(26.7%) came from Sudan, 672 (17.7%) from Kenya, 519 (13.7%) movements from Somalia, 201(5.3%) from Yemen and the remaining from South Sudan, United Republic of Tanzania, Sweden, Zambia and Uganda. Almost all of these were Ethiopian nationals who were likely returning home.

Since 24 February 2022, an increasing number of people fleeing from Ukraine to the neighbouring countries has been observed, as a result of the war in Ukraine. As of 18 July 2022, 538,602 refugees from Ukrainian and other third country nationals (TCNs) were registered at border crossing points (BCPs) while entering from Ukraine into the Republic of Moldova. 

112,958 Ukrainians and TCNs, who have entered into the Republic of Moldova after 24 February, have since exited back to Ukraine (Source: General Inspectorate for Border Police).

This report presents the main findings of the displacement surveys commissioned by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in partnership with UN Women to CBS Axa Research. Data were collected before crossing to Ukraine at two main border crossing points (BCPs) – Palanca and Otaci – between 16 April and 18 July 2022. This report focuses on data collected between 07 June and 18 July 2022. Individuals crossing into Ukraine are not necessarily returnees and conclusions on definitive trends cannot be drawn. The sample is not representative of all persons crossing to Ukraine, and results should only be considered as indicative.

In May, the month covered by this report, information was gathered through field work consisting of migrant surveys, participant observation, and interviews with government and non-government counterparts. This was complemented by information obtained from written sources.

One event that has contributed to the growing number of migrants arriving in southern Mexico was the announcement in the United States of a potential end to Title 42 by May 23, resulting in many migrants seeking to enter Mexico with the idea of reaching the U.S. border.¹ In the city of Tapachula around one thousand migrants showed up at the offices of the Mexican Commission for Refugee Assistance (COMAR for its Spanish acronym) on May 9th, 10th, and 16th. Given the huge demand for services, many who were seeking to file for refugee status spent the night outside the COMAR office in order to be attended first thing the following day, but according to them they were arrested by migratory authorities under the premise that overnighting in public spaces was not permitted.

Shelters such as the Belen and the Jesus el Buen Pastor, which constitute the first line of reception for those without a place to spend the night, reported being oversaturated and having to operate in crowded conditions with immediate needs such as food, mattresses, bed sheets, and articles of personal hygiene. In the face of Tapachula’s obvious need for shelters, the Center for Migrant Support and Orientation (Centro de Apoyo y Orientación para Migrantes), a shelter coordinated by the religious association “Una Luz en el Camino Sin Fronteras A.C.”, the National Institute of Immigration (INM for its Spanish acronym), and the Universidad Instituto de Formación Académica del Centro y Sureste A.C., was reopened on May 19th.

Migrants who have been in Tapachula for several months are still trying to obtain documents that will allow them to travel through Mexico with a regularized status. During the first half of May large group departures to other cities were still being organized to ask authorities there for speedier processing of Visitor Cards for Humanitarian Reasons (TVRH for its Spanish acronym), since the migrants claimed they had been waiting months without a response from the authorities in Tapachula. Some of the migrant demonstrations have earned the attention of the INM, which has provided buses for taking migrants to cities such as Tuxtla Gutiérrez where they can continue with their applications. Others have been broken up by local residents demanding free circulation on the roads being blocked by crowds. So far in 2022 there have been seven mass departures organized by migrants. According to COMAR data, by the end of May a total of 32,858 applications for refugee status had been received in Tapachula alone, accounting for 67 per cent of all applications nationwide.²

A growing number of migrants from Central America and the Caribbean was also detected in Tenosique. These flows consisted to a large extent of families with children and adolescents. Unlike Tapachula, Tenosique has only one shelter, La 72, which is not enough to accommodate the daily arrival of migrants to this city. Migrants must wait until shelter space becomes available in order to enter and meanwhile settle in the shelter’s immediate vicinity.

In May there were reported incidents of discrimination and harassment among the migrants outside the La 72 shelter awaiting their turn to enter. As a result, some groups of migrants have chosen not to use the shelter and to spend the night in neighboring public spaces.

Added to the need for accommodations is the issue of transportation, which is extensively researched by migrants. It was found that the migrant population, primarily from Central America, need information on available transportation. Some mentioned taking the Tenosique route in order to board the train that ran through southern Mexico, but they hadn’t known that the train had stopped running years ago. Migrant women from Central America tend to seek information on bus routes to Monterrey, Nuevo León, along with bus schedules and fares. Migrants from Cuba and the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela tend to look for transportation to Mexico City and Tijuana.

Given the necessity for money to cover essential needs and continue along planned migratory routes, the job searching takes on a fundamental role. Young migrant men tend to seek masonry jobs, jobs loading and unloading trucks carrying a variety of merchandise, and jobs as farmers in the city’s vicinities. Children and adolescents also try to obtain an income by begging for money from drivers of cars stopped at stoplights in the city, mostly in the mornings. One of the requests made of the municipal authorities by migrants has been for courses and training in occupations that would help them expand their job skills and improve their possibilities of joining the labor market.

In May, the month covered by this report, information was gathered through field work consisting of migrant surveys, participant observation, and interviews with government and non-government counterparts. This was complemented by information obtained from written sources.

One event that has contributed to the growing number of migrants arriving in southern Mexico was the announcement in the United States of a potential end to Title 42 by May 23, resulting in many migrants seeking to enter Mexico with the idea of reaching the U.S. border.¹ In the city of Tapachula around one thousand migrants showed up at the offices of the Mexican Commission for Refugee Assistance (COMAR for its Spanish acronym) on May 9th, 10th, and 16th. Given the huge demand for services, many who were seeking to file for refugee status spent the night outside the COMAR office in order to be attended first thing the following day, but according to them they were arrested by migratory authorities under the premise that overnighting in public spaces was not permitted.

Shelters such as the Belen and the Jesus el Buen Pastor, which constitute the first line of reception for those without a place to spend the night, reported being oversaturated and having to operate in crowded conditions with immediate needs such as food, mattresses, bed sheets, and articles of personal hygiene. In the face of Tapachula’s obvious need for shelters, the Center for Migrant Support and Orientation (Centro de Apoyo y Orientación para Migrantes), a shelter coordinated by the religious association “Una Luz en el Camino Sin Fronteras A.C.”, the National Institute of Immigration (INM for its Spanish acronym), and the Universidad Instituto de Formación Académica del Centro y Sureste A.C., was reopened on May 19th.

Migrants who have been in Tapachula for several months are still trying to obtain documents that will allow them to travel through Mexico with a regularized status. During the first half of May large group departures to other cities were still being organized to ask authorities there for speedier processing of Visitor Cards for Humanitarian Reasons (TVRH for its Spanish acronym), since the migrants claimed they had been waiting months without a response from the authorities in Tapachula. Some of the migrant demonstrations have earned the attention of the INM, which has provided buses for taking migrants to cities such as Tuxtla Gutiérrez where they can continue with their applications. Others have been broken up by local residents demanding free circulation on the roads being blocked by crowds. So far in 2022 there have been seven mass departures organized by migrants. According to COMAR data, by the end of May a total of 32,858 applications for refugee status had been received in Tapachula alone, accounting for 67 per cent of all applications nationwide.²

A growing number of migrants from Central America and the Caribbean was also detected in Tenosique. These flows consisted to a large extent of families with children and adolescents. Unlike Tapachula, Tenosique has only one shelter, La 72, which is not enough to accommodate the daily arrival of migrants to this city. Migrants must wait until shelter space becomes available in order to enter and meanwhile settle in the shelter’s immediate vicinity.

In May there were reported incidents of discrimination and harassment among the migrants outside the La 72 shelter awaiting their turn to enter. As a result, some groups of migrants have chosen not to use the shelter and to spend the night in neighboring public spaces.

Added to the need for accommodations is the issue of transportation, which is extensively researched by migrants. It was found that the migrant population, primarily from Central America, need information on available transportation. Some mentioned taking the Tenosique route in order to board the train that ran through southern Mexico, but they hadn’t known that the train had stopped running years ago. Migrant women from Central America tend to seek information on bus routes to Monterrey, Nuevo León, along with bus schedules and fares. Migrants from Cuba and the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela tend to look for transportation to Mexico City and Tijuana.

Given the necessity for money to cover essential needs and continue along planned migratory routes, the job searching takes on a fundamental role. Young migrant men tend to seek masonry jobs, jobs loading and unloading trucks carrying a variety of merchandise, and jobs as farmers in the city’s vicinities. Children and adolescents also try to obtain an income by begging for money from drivers of cars stopped at stoplights in the city, mostly in the mornings. One of the requests made of the municipal authorities by migrants has been for courses and training in occupations that would help them expand their job skills and improve their possibilities of joining the labor market.

The DTM Emergency Event Tracking (EET) is deployed to track sudden displacement and population movements, provide more frequent updates on the scale of displacement, and quantify the affected population when needed. As a subcomponent of the new Mobility Tracking methodology in Sudan (Round Four), and activated on a need basis, EET utilises a broad network of key informants to capture best estimates of the affected population presence per location – a useful tool for humanitarian response planning and design.

The DTM Global Mobility Restrictions Overview provides updates on international air travel restrictions and conditions for authorized entry. This overview aims to understand how COVID-19 has impacted human mobility, detailing how global and regional trends in air travel measures have evolved since COVID-19 was declared a global pandemic in March 2020. The data presented focuses on the changes in public health-related immigration and border management measures. It provides information intended to support IOM missions and partners in targeted response planning and advocacy for vulnerable populations who may be affected by changes in global mobility.