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Americas

The Americas — comprised of North America, Central America, the Caribbean, and South America — would not be the culturally diverse region it is today if not for its long history of migration, particularly the immigration of large numbers of Europeans, Africans, and settlers from other parts of the world as far back as the 15th century. Contemporary migration patterns in the Americas are varied and continue to shape demographic, economic, and social realities for the region’s governments and citizens, as articles on this page make clear.

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Featured Articles
All Americas Articles

Chile: A Growing Destination Country in Search of a Coherent Approach to Migration

Unauthorized Immigrants in the United States and Europe: The Use of Legalization/Regularization as a Policy Tool

The Under-Registration of Births in Mexico: Consequences for Children, Adults, and Migrants

Capitol Vérité: Inside Immigration Policymaking

Backstage Pass: Q&A with Makers of Acclaimed, Fascinating Documentary on US Immigration Debate

Top 10 of 2011
Issue #2: Economic Malaise Makes Immigrants a Target for Restrictive Legislation, Public Backlash

Top 10 of 2011
Issue #3: Immigration in United States and Parts of Europe Gives Way to Increased Emigration

Top 10 of 2011
Issue #4: Highly Skilled Migrants Seek New Destinations as Global Growth Shifts to Emerging Economies

Top 10 of 2011
Issue #6: Heading into the 2012 Elections, Republican Presidential Candidates Walk the Immigration Policy Tightrope

Top 10 of 2011
Issue #7: Immigrant Detention under Scrutiny in Australia, United Kingdom, and United States

Top 10 of 2011
Issue #9: A Decade after 9/11, Enforcement Focus Prevails in the United States; Broader Immigration Reforms Remain Stalled

Top 10 of 2011
Issue #10: Caught between Two Migration Realities, Mexico Passes New Immigration Legislation

Migration and Occupational Health: Understanding the Risks

The Debate Over Multiculturalism: Philosophy, Politics, and Policy

Canada's Immigration Policy: a Focus on Human Capital

Pigments of Our Imagination: The Racialization of the Hispanic-Latino Category

Re-envisioning Security and the Movement of People

Unaccompanied Immigrant Children: A Growing Phenomenon with Few Easy Solutions

Top 10 of 2010
Issue #2: The Arizona Effect: When National Governments Fail, Others React

Top 10 of 2010
Issue #5: United States Still Stalled on Immigration Reform, Republican Victories in Midterm Elections Change Landscape

Top 10 of 2010
Issue #10: Natural Disasters in Haiti and Pakistan Highlight Diaspora Response

Plyler v. Doe: Still Guaranteeing Unauthorized Immigrant Children's Right to Attend US Public Schools

Time to Temper the Faith: Comparing the Migration and Development Experiences of Mexico and Morocco

Il est temps de tempérer les espoirs : Comparaison des expériences en matière de migration et développement au Maroc et au Mexique

Tiempo de moderar el optimismo: comparando experiencias de migración y desarrollo en México y Marruecos

Jamaica: From Diverse Beginning to Diaspora in the Developed World

On the Other Side of the Fence: Changing Dynamics of Migration in the Americas

Arrested on Entry: Operation Streamline and the Prosecution of Immigration Crimes

Hidden in Plain Sight: Indigenous Migrants, Their Movements, and Their Challenges

In Mexico, Mother's Education and Remittances Matter in School Outcomes

Mexico: A Crucial Crossroads

Immigration and the United States: Recession Affects Flows, Prospects for Reform

Top 10 Issues of 2009
Issue #6: Canada Bucks the Trend and Keeps Immigration Targets Steady

Moving to the Land of Milk and Cookies: Obesity among the Children of Immigrants

Uncovering the Emigration Policies of the Catholic Church in Mexico

The Basics of E-Verify, the US Employer Verification System

Hispanic Voter Attitudes and the 2008 US Elections

Women Migrants in Detention in Mexico: Conditions and Due Process

Twenty-First Century Gateways: Immigrants in Suburban America

Material Support to Terrorism — Consequences for Refugees and Asylum Seekers in the United States

Canada's Temporary Migration Program: A Model Despite Flaws

How Los Angeles Deflected Mexican Immigrants to the American Heartland

Mujeres Migrantes en Tránsito y Detenidas en México

Unauthorized Youths and Higher Education: The Ongoing Debate

El Salvador: Despite End to Civil War, Emigration Continues

Latin American Immigration to Southern Europe

After-School Institutions in Chinese and Korean Immigrant Communities: A Model for Others?

Ecuador: Diversidad en Migración

Refugee Resettlement in Metropolitan America

Women Migrants in Transit and Detention in Mexico

Ecuador: Diversity in Migration

Migration and Development: Lessons from the Mexican Experience

Second-Generation Latinos in Nebraska: A First Look

Singapore: Hungry for Foreign Workers at All Skill Levels

Becoming American/Becoming New Yorkers: The Second Generation in a Majority Minority City

The Second Generation in Early Adulthood: New Findings from the Children of Immigrants Longitudinal Study

America's Emigrants: US Retirement Migration to Mexico and Panama

Mexico's Presidential Election: Implications for US Immigration Policy

The People Perceived as a Threat to Security: Arab Americans Since September 11

Rethinking the Last 200 Years of US Immigration Policy

The US-Mexico Border

American Immigration Reform from a Scandinavian Perspective

Central Americans and Asylum Policy in the Reagan Era

Central America: Crossroads of the Americas

Migration and Development in El Salvador: Ideals Versus Reality

CAFTA: What Could It Mean for Migration?

Mexico: Caught Between the United States and Central America

Canada: A Northern Refuge for Central Americans

Guatemala: Economic Migrants Replace Political Refugees

Remittance Trends in Central America

National Policies and the Rise of Transnational Gangs

Second-Generation Mexicans: Getting Ahead or Falling Behind?

From Horseback to High-Tech: US Border Enforcement

Argentina: A New Era of Migration and Migration Policy

The Changing Face of the Gulf Coast: Immigration to Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama

Colombia: In the Crossfire

Immigrant Children, Urban Schools, and the No Child Left Behind Act

Canada: Policy Changes and Integration Challenges in an Increasingly Diverse Society

Unauthorized Migrants Living in the United States: A Mid-Decade Portrait

Solving the Unauthorized Migrant Problem: Proposed Legislation in the US

"One Face at the Border" - Is It Working?

Shaping Brazil: The Role of International Migration

The US Refugee Program in Transition

Bilingualism Persists, But English Still Dominates

Placing American Emigration to Canada in Context

The Oaxaca-US Connection and Remittances

Latino and Asian Voters in the 2004 Election and Beyond

Understanding Immigrant Politics: Lessons from the US

US Industrial Transformation and New Latino Migration

From Traitors to Heroes: 100 Years of Mexican Migration Policies

Chile: Moving Towards a Migration Policy

Argentina's Economic Woes Spur Emigration

Remittances, the Rural Sector, and Policy Options in Latin America

Immigration and National Security Post-Sept. 11: Updated Chronology

Consular ID Cards: Mexico and Beyond

Colombians Flee War Without End

Converging Realities of the US-Mexico Relationship

New Estimates of the Undocumented Population
in the United States

Chile: A Growing Destination Country in Search of a Coherent Approach to Migration
Unaccustomed to a large number of migrants, Chile has seen an increase in migrants in the past three decades. Cristián Doña-Reveco and Amanda Levinson examine how the country, still wedded to its dictator-era migration framework, is balancing shifting migration patterns with a piecemeal approach to migration policy.

Unauthorized Immigrants in the United States and Europe: The Use of Legalization/Regularization as a Policy Tool
Immigrant legalizations in the United States and Europe ("regularizations" in the EU context) have been used repeatedly for broad and discrete groups of immigrants. A look at how these programs have been implemented historically and the political and policy implications they face today.

The Under-Registration of Births in Mexico: Consequences for Children, Adults, and Migrants
An estimated 7 percent of people in Mexico were not registered with the government at birth and thus lack official record of their name, age, parentage, and citizenship. Without a birth certificate, unregistered Mexican children lack access to education, health care, and basic social services, while unregistered adults face significant economic and civic-integration challenges. Both groups are more vulnerable to being trafficked, exploited, or recruited into criminal groups. This article provides a primer on this important issue, with insight into the experiences of unregistered, unauthorized Mexican immigrants in the United States.

Capitol Vérité: Inside Immigration Policymaking
Documentary filmmakers Shari Robertson and Michael Camerini, the team behind the acclaimed How Democracy Works Now series that explores the battle over comprehensive immigration reform in the 2000s, discuss what it was like to experience Washington, DC and the policymaking process from an insider's perspective.

Backstage Pass: Q&A with Makers of Acclaimed, Fascinating Documentary on US Immigration Debate
In 2001, filmmakers Shari Robertson and Michael Camerini embarked on a journey that took them across the country and into the offices of the US Capitol, local town halls, high-level negotiations, election races, and activist rallies, all to tell one large and complex story: how the US policy process — particularly in immigration reform — really works. Joyce Matthews, editor of the Migration Information Source, recently caught up with Michael and Shari for a candid conversation about their ambitious project and what they took away from their six years filming the US immigration debate. Foreword by Demetrios G. Papademetriou, President of the Migration Policy Institute.


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