Major Changes to US Migration Policy in the Americas

The new US administration is implementing radical changes to US migration policy. In the first days of his second term, President Trump signed Executive Orders and adopted other measures to accelerate the removal of undocumented migrants and stem the flow of new arrivals at the Southwest border. A dramatic increase in expulsions would have profound effects in the Western Hemisphere, reducing remittances, increasing unemployment, and straining US diplomatic relationships. The deportations would challenge the ability of governments to reintegrate returned citizens and disrupt regional cooperation mechanisms, including the Los Angeles Declaration for Migration and Protection. At the same time, by discouraging irregular migration, the new policies could help mitigate the regional migration crisis, should migrants opt to stay home rather than attempt the dangerous and costly trip to the United States, including the hundreds of thousands of migrants who yearly cross the deadly Darién Gap jungle between Colombia and Panama. How will Latin American governments react to sharply rising removals and demands for increased cooperation, including requests to accept deportees under the threat of economic punishment? How could the United States carry out these measures while preserving regional cooperation on migration?