Working Paper Highlights Border, Migration Solutions
With an unprecedented number of families trying to reach the U.S.-Mexico border to seek asylum in the U.S., the National Immigration Forum has released policy recommendations on how to address the increase.
The paper proposes short-term solutions to manage and process Central American migrants arriving at the border, and long-term solutions to address the root causes driving migration.
Short-Term Solutions to Manage and Process Central American Migrants
1. Use resources effectively and increase resources as necessary to better manage the flow of migrants.
2. Maximize use of alternatives to detention (ATDs); detain security threats.
3. Ensure an orderly release of migrants who are not safety threats.
4. Inform migrants about U.S. asylum and immigration laws.
5. Partner with Mexico and Northern Triangle countries to counter human smuggling operations and increase intelligence cooperation.
Longer-Term Solutions to Address the Increase of Central Americans Fleeing to the Southern Border
1. Pass immigration reform to bring our immigration system into the 21st century.
2. Address the factors that lead Central Americans to leave their home countries.
3. The United Nations General Assembly and UNHCR should address the challenges the Northern Triangle countries face by:
a. Working with each of the Northern Triangle countries to establish in-country relocation areas/safe zones for those who are internally displaced. These zones would allow those fleeing persecution to stay in their home countries and at the same time protect them from the violence that forces them to leave home.
b. Advocating with the Northern Triangle countries to all adopt and implement the U.N’s “Comprehensive Regional Framework for Protection and Solutions” (MIRPS, its Spanish acronym). This framework helps countries develop a national plan that also recognizes the regional impacts of migration and provides opportunities for countries to learn from each other.
c. Engaging the Northern Triangle countries in signing and ratifying the “Arms Trade Treaty” the U.N. General Assembly adopted April 2, 2013, to better regulate the small arms flow into the countries.
4. Help Mexico improve its refugee and asylum systems.
5. Increase U.S. refugee admissions from Northern Triangle countries.
KJ