The United States bears responsibility for the Latin American immigrant refugee problem (global hotspot) crisis | Global Compact on Immigration | Refugees
On August 8th, an immigrant rested on the ground near the US Mexico border in Juarez, Mexico. Xinhua News Agency/Reuters
According to a recent report by Efi, the Panamanian government has released a report stating that since 2023, nearly 249000 immigrants have crossed the Darien Trench, a number that has surpassed the entire year of 2022. The 265-kilometer-long Dalian Graben connects Panama to the north and Colombia to the south, making it a crucial passage for South American immigrants to travel to the United States through Central America. Previously, the Panamanian government had repeatedly stated that it was expected that over 400000 immigrants would cross this dangerous jungle this year.
In recent years, thousands of people from Latin American countries have traveled long distances in an attempt to enter the United States through the US Mexico border, with most of them stranded in Mexico and Central American countries, putting enormous pressure on the local economy and society.
"One of the most challenging immigration crises"
The United Nations recently issued a statement stating that Panama is facing one of the most challenging immigration crises in the past decade. This is part of an unprecedented wave of immigration in the Americas. "Currently, the number of immigrants we accept has broken the record for the total number in 2022," said Maria Isabel Saravia, head of Panama's immigration agency, recently. The Panamanian government has previously stated that it needs assistance from other countries in dealing with the immigration crisis that has crossed the Darian Trench, as the daily influx of large numbers of immigrants has overwhelmed local detention facilities.
The problem of large numbers of immigrants being stranded is particularly severe in Mexico, which borders the United States. The US Mexico border has always been a necessary passage for immigrants and refugees from Latin America to enter the United States by land. Since May this year, with the adjustment of US immigration policies, there has been another wave of immigration along the US Mexico border.
The Guardian website recently reported that US border officials have promised some asylum seekers that if they agree to be sent to Mexico and make an appointment for re-entry there, they are more likely to stay in the United States or be deported. However, when these immigrants were sent to the inland areas of Mexico far from the US Mexico border, they were unable to enter the US asylum system and could only stay there. According to a report by Efi, Juan Fiero, the head of a shelter in Mexico, said that immigrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela are stranded in Mexico. Receiving them, allowing them to transit to the United States, and handling political asylum procedures is certainly a good thing, but it may attract people from these countries with similar ideas, which may lead to chaos along the US Mexico border.
According to data from the United States Customs and Border Protection, the number of cross-border immigrants arrested by the United States at the border has increased sixfold since 2018, reaching a historic high of 2.4 million in 2022. According to statistics from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the Organization for Migration, the Latin American region has received nearly 20 million displaced persons.
"Currently, there are several new trends in immigration and refugee issues in Latin America." Yuan Dongzhen, Deputy Director of the Latin American Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, analyzed in an interview with our reporter. Firstly, the overall number of immigrants and refugees in Latin America has significantly increased, and the overall scale is constantly expanding. Secondly, the countries of origin for immigrants and refugees have added South American countries in addition to traditional Central American countries. Thirdly, immigrants and refugees are spreading from their source countries to neighboring developing countries such as Chile and Peru, and this trend is becoming increasingly evident. This also means that more Latin American countries have become transit and destination countries for immigrants and refugees, bringing significant pressure to local social security and economic stability.
The United States has "trapped" the Latin American economy in the low-end industrial chain
"After taking office, the Biden administration promised to comprehensively reform immigration laws, promote the legalization of illegal immigration, and improve relations with multiple Latin American countries. These measures sent positive signals to immigrants from Latin American countries, and the developed economic level, high labor wages, and relatively stable social environment of the United States have strong appeal to the people of Latin American countries themselves." Yuan Dongzhen analyzed that in contrast, countries of origin for immigrants such as Venezuela, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras have experienced sluggish economic development in recent years, low employment income, and multiple social problems such as high inflation and political instability. Under the joint action of the "pulling force" of the United States and the "pushing force" of our own country, a large number of Latin American people go to the United States. However, currently, the immigration policy of the United States has turned away a large number of Latin American immigrants, forcing most of them to stay in developing Latin American countries such as Mexico.
"Illegal immigrants and refugees actually serve as lubricants for adjusting the supply and demand relationship in the labor market in the United States." Song Quancheng, director of the Immigration Research Institute at Shandong University, analyzed in an interview with our reporter that the United States needs a large amount of relatively cheap labor to fill the relatively low-end labor market gap. Therefore, when the economic situation is good, the United States usually relaxes border controls, allows more illegal immigrants to enter the United States, and enriches the labor market. When the economic situation is sluggish, the United States tightens its immigration policy, expels or repatriates a large number of illegal immigrants, releases employment opportunities, and gains support from some voters by demonstrating a tough stance against illegal immigration. During the Trump administration, the United States adopted strict immigration policies to drive away illegal immigrants and refugees who had previously worked and lived in the United States, and to reduce the entry of illegal immigrants and refugees. The Biden administration's immigration policy is relatively relaxed, but there are still a large number of Latin American immigrants and refugees who find it difficult to open the door to the United States.
Democratic Congressman Ocasio Cortes directly pointed out the historical responsibility of the United States in the issue of immigration and refugees in Latin America: "In the past few decades, the United States has been responsible for the political instability in Latin America. We cannot set fire to someone's house and blame them for fleeing."
"The long-term interference of the United States in the internal affairs of multiple Latin American countries, which has' trapped 'the Latin American economy in the low-end industrial chain, is an important reason for the long-term political instability and sustained backwardness of economic development in the region. It is precisely because of this that a large number of immigrants and refugees seek asylum and livelihood opportunities in the United States. The United States has adopted a' carrot and stick 'approach, either forcefully expelling and repatriating illegal immigrants and refugees from Latin America, or signing bilateral agreements with transit countries such as Mexico to prevent a large number of immigrants and refugees from Latin American countries from entering the United States. A large number of immigrants and refugees stay on the way for a long time, which affects the endogenous driving force of sustainable development in Latin American countries." Song Quancheng said.
Multi party cooperation to jointly solve problems
According to a report by Effe News Agency, US National Security Assistant Sullivan recently issued a statement saying, "We announce our full support for the Mexican government's plan to establish a multi-purpose international space in southern Mexico, which will provide new shelters and work options for the most vulnerable groups currently in Mexico."
"In recent years, the United States has pledged to increase aid to countries of origin for immigrants, strengthen bilateral and multilateral cooperation with transit countries, and hope to reduce the entry of illegal immigrants and refugees into the United States. However, the actual results have been limited due to the fact that it is more of a 'mouth watering' approach. On the one hand, Latin American countries are unable to solve the survival and development problems of a large number of immigrants and refugees due to their relatively backward economic development level and limited social governance capabilities." Yuan Dongzhen said. On the other hand, the economic support and willingness of the United States to these transit countries for immigrants are insufficient, and international cooperation to address cross-border flows of immigrants and refugees is limited. The difficulties faced by these transit countries may be difficult to solve.
The United Nations Deputy High Commissioner for Refugees, Clements, recently called for more support from the international community for Latin American countries, which host the majority of the 20 million forcibly displaced persons in the Americas. Although the surge in the number of people traveling to the US border has attracted a lot of attention, what is more important is that the majority of forcibly displaced people still remain in Latin America. "We need to pay attention not only to the destination countries of immigrants and refugees, but also to their countries of origin and transit."
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the Organization for Migration recently pointed out that no country can solve the challenges posed by refugee and immigration movements alone. Only through joint efforts can real progress be made in addressing the issues of immigration and refugees in Latin America. These efforts include supporting the construction of communities that accommodate the majority of immigrants and refugees, providing opportunities for fair and effective asylum procedures and other legal residency arrangements, and providing safe and routine means of arrival in the destination country to replace dangerous journeys. The challenges facing the Americas require all stakeholders to abide by the Global Compact on Immigration and the Los Angeles Declaration on Immigration and Protection, and to cooperate on the basis of international law and true solidarity.
Song Quancheng said that to solve the problem of immigration and refugee retention in many Latin American countries from the root, on the one hand, it is necessary to enhance the endogenous development momentum of Latin American countries, improve the economic and social development level of immigrant source countries, and strengthen the local government's governance capacity for illegal immigration and refugee issues; On the other hand, it is also necessary to fully mobilize the efforts of countries of origin, transit, and reception of immigrants and refugees, support international organizations such as the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the International Organization for Migration to play a greater role, and work together through multi-party cooperation to solve problems.
People's Daily Overseas Edition
