Human mobility and
protection obligations
Towards a subregional perspective
In the Northern subregion of Central America, Mexico and the United States, human mobility is presented as a complex, mixed, multi-causal phenomenon conditioned by political, economic, social and environmental aspects of the countries involved.
Income inequality and hunger, violence and insecurity, inefficient state institutions and impacts of climate events are some of the factors that drive the migration cycle of thousands of people seeking a more dignified and safe life..
Actors involved in the mixed migration process
People who make the decision to leave their country and culture in searchof better economic, work, life and development possibilities.
Some find legal ways to enter the destination countries (through visas), while others resort to irregular migration channels, which exposes them to risks in migratory transit and a situation of illegality and vulnerability in the countries of destination. transit and/or destination.
Personas que toman la decisión de abandonar su país y cultura en busca
de mejores posibilidades económicas, laborales, de vida y de desarrollo.
Algunas encuentran vías legales de ingresar a los países de destino (a través de visas), mientras que otras, recurren a canales irregulares de migración, lo que las exponen a riesgos en el tránsito migratorio y a una situación de ilegalidad y vulnerabilidad en los países de tránsito y/o de destino.
People compelled to flee their country of origin due to armed conflicts, political/ideological persecutions, and violations of their human rights, who exercise the right to seek asylum in another country.
The exponential increase in asylum requests and significant delays in responses from destination countries significantly prolong the transitional and unprotected status of asylum seekers.
Personas que toman la decisión de abandonar su país y cultura en busca
de mejores posibilidades económicas, laborales, de vida y de desarrollo.
Algunas encuentran vías legales de ingresar a los países de destino (a través de visas), mientras que otras, recurren a canales irregulares de migración, lo que las exponen a riesgos en el tránsito migratorio y a una situación de ilegalidad y vulnerabilidad en los países de tránsito y/o de destino.
People who have fled their countries because their lives, safety, or freedom have been threatened by widespread violence, foreign aggression, internal conflicts, mass violation of human rights, or other circumstances that have seriously disturbed public order. They have been received by a state of which they are not nationals, after seeking asylum due to the belief that their lives, safety, and freedom are in danger, and/or they feel persecuted on grounds of race, religion, nationality, opinion, or other reasons.
Although there is an increase in the number of people recognized as refugees, serious challenges still remain in guaranteeing access to adequate procedures for all people who require some type of international protection.
Personas que toman la decisión de abandonar su país y cultura en busca
de mejores posibilidades económicas, laborales, de vida y de desarrollo.
Algunas encuentran vías legales de ingresar a los países de destino (a través de visas), mientras que otras, recurren a canales irregulares de migración, lo que las exponen a riesgos en el tránsito migratorio y a una situación de ilegalidad y vulnerabilidad en los países de tránsito y/o de destino.
People fleeing their territory due to feeling threatened and/or being victims of a situation of abuse, violence, or jeopardizing their economic subsistence.
The desire to overcome the suffering experienced drives hundreds of people to seek a new country where they can find better living conditions.
Personas que toman la decisión de abandonar su país y cultura en busca
de mejores posibilidades económicas, laborales, de vida y de desarrollo.
Algunas encuentran vías legales de ingresar a los países de destino (a través de visas), mientras que otras, recurren a canales irregulares de migración, lo que las exponen a riesgos en el tránsito migratorio y a una situación de ilegalidad y vulnerabilidad en los países de tránsito y/o de destino.
Youth who are forced to leave their countries alone, without their families, due to a lack of development opportunities, violence, and various situations of vulnerability they face in their countries of origin.
The absence of solid and special protection networks for children and adolescents exposes them to suffering violations of their human rights throughout the migratory transit.
The large-scale displacement of migrant populations, asylum seekers in need of international protection, and returnees (either forcibly or voluntarily) resembles a circular movement—a dynamic of attraction and expulsion affecting individuals that, in the absence of comprehensive and sustainable migration policies, grows year after year.
Main causes of human mobility
Current situation and challenges in migratory transit
Click on each button to know the current state of the situation and the challenges that States must face
Common challenges for all involved countries
1) Solidarity and international cooperation
2) Adoption of a comprehensive perspective on the protection of people in international mobility (analysis diagnosis and response), that recognizes the multi-causal and subregional dimension of migration.
Essential principles and guarantees
Principle of Equality and Non-discrimination
Respect for this principle makes it possible to prevent differential treatment and discriminatory actions that result in violations of the rights and freedoms of migrants. It also encourage the adoption of measures to address situations of inequality experienced by individuals in human mobility, ensuring equal access to rights.
Principle of
Non-refoulement
Adhering to this principle is crucial for the displacement of individuals, as it prohibits States from rejecting, at a border, anyone seeking asylum or another form of international protection. This includes preventing the return to a country or territory where an individual would be sent to a place where their life, freedom, or personal integrity is at risk (indirect refoulement).
Due process Guarantee
Any measure and/or action aimed at migratory transit must guarantee the implementation of procedures that comply with the guarantees of due process in all immigration instances (entry to a country, presentation of an asylum application, immigration detentions, expulsions, etc.), to avoid violations of the human rights of migrants, asylum seekers or people who require some type of international protection.
Approaches
The integration of this perspective in the analysis, development and evaluation of migration policies is crucial given the increasing number of unaccompanied girls and adolescents, lone women with children and LGBTI people in human displacement.
This approach allows to prevent situations of physical and/or sexual violence, theft and disappearances they might face, while ensuring the protection of their rights throughout the entire migratory journey.
Gender and Diversity Perspective
The incorporation of an intersectionality approach in migration policies or measures helps address the multiple forms of intersectional discrimination often faced by migrant groups in countries of origin, transit, destination and return.
These people are discriminated against not only based on their national origin, migration status, or foreign status but also due to factors such as age, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, ethnic-racial identity, disability, poverty status, among others.
Intersectionality Perspective
In order to achieve migration policies and actions suitable for the diversity of people in displacement, it is crucial to incorporate an approach that is attentive to the specific needs of those groups facing a situation of particular vulnerability during the migratory journey (children, adolescents, the elderly, persons with disabilities, Afro-descendant people, LGBTI people, etc.).
Differentiated approach
International responsibilities to guarantee the human rights of people in the context of mobility
1. Addressing and overcoming the causes of forced displacement.
2. Guaranteeing conditions for orderly, safe and regular migration.
3. Ensuring access to migration, asylum and protection procedures.
4. Carry out returns of people in accordance with international standards.
Recommendations
1
Promote coordination among the States in the region to adopt a regional cooperation plan applicable to migration governance, considering the demographic, social and economic realities of each country.
5
Generate statistical data to understand the dimensions of international migration, especially for individuals utilizing irregular migration channels
9
Ensure access to migration, asylum, or international protection procedures that identify the needs of each individual arriving at the borders of states.
2
Enhance coordination and facilitate the exchange of information, best practices and lessons learned among States to safeguard the rights of people in situations of human mobility. Include the active involvement of international human rights and financial institutions, along with civil society organizations.
6
Eradicate the structural causes that drive forced displacement of people in countries of origin
10
Guarantee real access to justice and effective protection in an efficient, impartial and expeditious manner.
3
Incorporate a gender perspective and differentiated protection approach, based on an intersectional lens, into all measures, laws and applied migration policies.
4
Remove from legislation, public policies and state actions the criminalization of migrants who move irregularly and individuals providing humanitarian assistance to this population.
7
Expand regular, secure, accessible and affordable migration channels through the issuance of specific visas for multiple circumstances and actors.
8
Avoid the automatic detention of individuals in the context of human mobility and, when applicable, seek alternatives that are in line with human dignity.
11
Respect the principle of non-refoulement, including the prohibition of rejection at the border and indirect return, of any person whose life or freedom is in danger, or who is at risk of torture and/or degrading treatment.
12
Identify individuals in situations of greater vulnerability or with specific protection needs (women, children, adolescents, LGBTI people, indigenous peoples, Afro-descendants, and persons with disabilities)
13
Ensure the safeguarding of children, girls and adolescents throughout all migratory procedures that may have an impact on the preservation or exercise of their rights.
14
Develop and implement national and regional mechanisms for searching for missing, unlocated, kidnapped, trafficked, or otherwise deprived persons.
15
Ensure that returns are ordered within administrative or judicial procedures that guarantee due process, safely, in an environment that respects the human rights of this group of people.
16
Adopt measures to promote the social integration of people in contexts of human mobility, through the guarantee of economic, social, and cultural rights.
