Large Movements of Highly Vulnerable Migrants in the Americas from the Caribbean, Latin America and other Regions - October 2021

Migration in South and Central America has undergone significant changes in the last two decades. Intraregional migration continues to be the most important in South America, mainly due to the large-scale movements of Venezuelan migrants and refugees in the last five years. Meanwhile, migration from Central America has increased significantly in recent years. In addition, the range of nationalities of migrants has become more diverse, and includes nationals from Caribbean countries and from other continents such as Asia and Africa. This report seeks to account for the size, evolution and routes of these movements from other regions in recent years. It is not a sudden movement but is based on a set of factors and a diversity of migrants, and also on recent socio-economic, health and political changes and measures in their previous countries of destination in South America, as well as in the countries of origin and transit of this migrant population. Understanding these factors allows a proper analysis to be carried out for developing public policies and measures that can ensure orderly, safe and regular migration while protecting the human rights of migrants.