Migration & Development: Trends & Policy Options
Despite the economic importance of migration, Central American governments have lacked integral policies to leverage migration for development.
Trends in Central American Migration
Peter Haden / Flickr /CC BY 2.0
Although Central American immigration is a relatively new phenomenon, mostly dating from the late 1970s, its impact in the region and on foreign policy is quite significant. On the latter, it has come under renewed scrutiny since US President Donald Trump introduced his anti-immigrant rhetoric which targeted mostly Central Americans. The population of Central American migrants in the US has nearly doubled from 2000 to the present, but the trend has changed from 2009 onwards resulting from causes that stem from the impact of globalization. Though migration has continued, over the past five years, it has done so at a declining rate. Overall growth in the migrant population in the US has been offset by large numbers of deportations. In the long run, continued decline will affect economic growth and prosperity in the region.
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Read the full article in the Latin News- Latin American Regional Report, August 2018
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