Return migration, to the point from which a person left, is as old as the phenomenon of migration itself. On the one hand, there is voluntary return, whether independent or assisted, that is, with the support of a State or organization. On the other, there is the forced or involuntary return.
Under Title 42, the immigration policy adopted by the government in Washington during the COVID-19 pandemic, forced return prevailed. According to data from the United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP), during fiscal years 2020 to 2023 there were a total of 2.9 million expulsions, up to April 30.
Multiple expulsions of one person
Jorge Gallo, regional communications officer of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) for Central America, North America and the Caribbean, clarifies that, as a consequence of the high rate of re-migration, The exact number of people who were expelled from the US is not known.
“Due to the multiple attempts to enter the US – given that expulsions under Title 42 did not carry any legal consequences for the person who had been intercepted – the figure of 2.9 million expulsions includes multiple expulsions of the same person,” he explains. to D.W.
The vast majority of those deported, some 1.7 million, were Mexican nationals.to. CBP also returned some 367,000 people from Honduras, 402,000 from Guatemala, 139,000 from El Salvador, and 11,000 from Nicaragua.
What has been the fate of deported migrants?
With 2.86 million, the vast majority of expulsions under T42 were by land to Mexico, says Jorge Gallo. Currently, the Mexican authorities agree to receive people from Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Venezuela, Haiti, Cuba and Nicaragua.
“In the beginning, most of the expulsions were through Mexico, but after the massive arrival of Haitians at the border, in September 2021, the US also expelled more than 20,000 people to Haiti by air,” account Maureen Meyer, of the Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA), adding that she also there was an increase in flights to Guatemala, El Salvador and Hondurasas well as, to a lesser degree, Colombia, Peru, Ecuador and Brazil.
According to the expert, especially the lack of diplomatic relations between Washington and the governments of Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua, complicated the return of migrants to those countries.
Between 2020 and 2022, the Mexican authorities deported, in turn, about 297,000 people to their country of origin, the vast majority, to the Northern Triangle of Central America.
It is easier to guarantee reception than reinsertion
“Any country that receives returned migrants must have a minimum reception program,” says the WOLA expert.
These programs, he explains, must guarantee that the returned person receives the necessary documentation for their entry into the country, which allows them to work and access public services, guidance on support and reinsertion programs, including job opportunities. Another important aspect is advice on family reunification issues and on what to do with your assets in the other country, as well as help to return to your country of origin or another place in the host country.
“Reception services are easier to guarantee than a good reintegration program. Another big challenge is securing the funds to give these supports”, says Meyer.
Assisted Voluntary Return
For its part, through the specialized Assisted Voluntary Return (RVA) project, the IOM “provides logistical, administrative and financial support on an individual basis for those people in vulnerable situations who wish to return to their countries of origin voluntarily, safely and with dignity. ”, underlines Jorge Gallo.
From 2020 to April 2023, more than 5,000 people of 21 nationalities among Latin American countries have taken advantage of this free program. The IOM notes a general increase in deportations from several countries. However, with some exceptions, he criticizes “a lack of support for reintegration, which means that Many returnees will remain in situations of high vulnerabilitysays the IOM regional communications officer.
IOM has observed that many returnees decide to emigrate again. He has also registered a high level of trauma among those who return voluntarily or involuntarilyas a consequence of their experiences during the migratory journey.
sustainable reintegration
For Gallo, “it is key to invest more in sustainable reintegration”, which promotes “synergies between the different activities carried out in the fields of humanitarian assistance, community stabilization, sustainable development, migration management, broader policy coherence and development cooperation”.