E.g., 06/07/2026
E.g., 06/07/2026
Central America & the Caribbean

Central America & the Caribbean

The countries of Central America's Northern Triangle (El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras) have seen a significant number of their citizens migrate to the United States. Immigrants from the Caribbean represent half of all Black immigrants in the United States. As such, the ties between these countries and their diasporas have taken on new importance, as has the integration of these immigrants in their country of settlement. Research here explores the demographics, migration flows, human-capital development, interconnected policy realities, and outcomes for immigrants from Central America and the Caribbean. (For research specific to Mexico, see North America.)

Recent Activity

The backs of two people on a motorbike; above them a sign notes the Guatemala border
Articles
Climate Displacement from Indigenous Lands
Multimedia
February 23, 2026
Families from Venezuela in Trinidad and Tobago.
Articles
The Little Havana neighborhood of Miami.
Articles
A woman receives a cash transfer in Sierra Leone.
Articles
Migrantes venezolanos esperan procesamiento en Brasil.
Articles
Cover image for Consideraciones clave para futuros programas de protección temporal...
Reports
June 2025
By  Diego Chaves-González, María Jesús Mora, Ana Alanis and Natalia Banulescu-Bogdan
Cover image for Key Considerations for Future Temporary Protection and Regularization Programs...
Reports
June 2025
By  Diego Chaves-González, María Jesús Mora, Ana Alanis and Natalia Banulescu-Bogdan
Cover image for Engaging Local Communities for More Effective Climate Mobility Programming
Policy Briefs
October 2024
By  Lawrence Huang and Camille Le Coz
Cover image for Displacement and International Protection in a Warming World
Policy Briefs
September 2024
By  Samuel Davidoff-Gore and Lawrence Huang
Cover image for U.S. Legal Pathways for Mexican and Central American Immigrants
Fact Sheets
August 2024
By  Ariel G. Ruiz Soto and Andrew Selee
Cover image for Managing International Protection Needs at Borders
Reports
July 2024
By  Lucía Salgado, Susan Fratzke, Lawrence Huang and Emma Dorst
Cover image for Construyendo vías regulares para abordar presiones migratorias...
Reports
June 2024
By  María Jesús Mora, Ariel G. Ruiz Soto and Andrew Selee
Cover image for Building on Regular Pathways to Address Migration Pressures in the Americas
Reports
June 2024
By  María Jesús Mora, Ariel G. Ruiz Soto and Andrew Selee
The backs of two people on a motorbike; above them a sign notes the Guatemala border

Migration patterns from and through Central America are changing in fundamental ways amid rising immigration enforcement and a reduction in global humanitarian aid. These twin developments are putting new pressures on governments in the region and reshaping migrant experiences, as this article explores.

Families from Venezuela in Trinidad and Tobago.

Many Venezuelan migrants in Trinidad and Tobago have found that their situation is more complex than expected as the Caribbean country has largely adopted an enforcement-first approach. Many Venezuelan migrants face stigma and precarity—issues complicated amid escalating tensions between Venezuela and the United States, as this article details. 

The Little Havana neighborhood of Miami.

The United States is by far the top destination for international migrants from the Caribbean. Roughly one in ten U.S. immigrants was born in the Caribbean, coming chiefly from Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, or Haiti. Compared to other foreign-born groups, these individuals are more likely to be naturalized U.S. citizens and to have arrived since 2010, as this article details.

A woman receives a cash transfer in Sierra Leone.

Some countries with large diasporas have sought to maximize incoming remittances and channel them into particular sectors. Diaspora engagement policies are not always successful, but research shows that they are generally accompanied by increased remittance sending. This article explains the connection and explores some of the factors affecting remittance levels.

Venezuelan migrants wait for processing in Brazil.

Amid unprecedented migration that began in 2010, Latin America and the Caribbean have entered a new era best defined by volatility. The success of initial policy responses to the displacement of millions of Venezuelans and other migration patterns has dimmed, given incomplete integration outcomes and other pressures. This article details these dynamics across the Caribbean and Central and South America.

A Guatemalan man reflects on his migration to and back from the United States
Short Reads
April 2025
By  María Jesús Mora and Ariel G. Ruiz Soto
Un hombre guatemalteco reflexiona sobre su migración hacia y desde Estados Unidos.
Short Reads
April 2025
By  María Jesús Mora and Ariel G. Ruiz Soto
Migrants and community members at a local clinic in Panama
Short Reads
December 2024
By  Susan Fratzke, Meghan Benton and Andrew Selee
Leaders at 2023 U.S.-Mexico High-Level Security Dialogue
Short Reads
October 2024
By  Andrew Selee and Doris Meissner
A Haitian child looks over his mother's shoulder in Panama
Short Reads
October 2023
By  Valerie Lacarte
Graphic representation of law enforcement personnel taking individuals into custody
Explainers
February 2025

El control migratorio en los Estados Unidos se lleva a cabo en sus fronteras, así como en el interior del país. Esta guía informática tiene respuestas a preguntas comunes sobre la función del Servicio de Inmigración y Control de Aduanas (ICE, por sus siglas en inglés) de EE. UU., en la identificación de personas para arresto, detención, y deportación a través del sistema de justicia penal y las operaciones en lugares de trabajo y dentro de comunidades estadounidenses.

Expert Q&A, Audio
May 18, 2026

Cuba's collapsing economy and shrinking immigration pathways to the United States are redirecting Cuban migration flows across the Americas, as this World of Migration episode explores with María José Espinosa Carrillo, Executive Director of the Center for Engagement and Advocacy in the Americas (CEDA).

Climate Displacement from Indigenous Lands
Expert Q&A, Audio
February 23, 2026

What happens when climate change and other factors force Indigenous people off their ancestral homelands? Environmental scientist Jessica Hernandez, a climate justice and Indigenous advocate, joins this episode of the Changing Climate, Changing Migration podcast to discuss the factors compelling migration for Indigenous communities, their experiences after migration and the dearth of Indigenous voices in policy discussions.

River in Udaipur region during the dry season. Several families have lost their houses
Video, Audio
January 27, 2026

This webinar focuses on how climate change is altering human mobility and offers insights into on-the-ground experiences of climate change and migration in East Africa, South Asia, and other global contexts.

Book-On the Move: Rapidly Evolving Migration Trends and Policies in Latin America and the Caribbean
Video, Audio
September 8, 2025

This timely and thought-provoking conversation on migration in the Americas features discussion of the new book On the Move: Migration Policies in Latin America and the Caribbean, surprising patterns, and the urgent policy questions facing Latin America and the Caribbean today.

Small Islands, Big Challenges: Climate Change and Migration in the Caribbean
Expert Q&A, Audio
June 26, 2025

The small islands of the Caribbean are incredibly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. Is that prompting greater migration and displacement? This episode of Changing Climate, Changing Migration speaks about these issues with migration expert Natalie Dietrich Jones.

Recent Activity

Articles

Migration patterns from and through Central America are changing in fundamental ways amid rising immigration enforcement and a reduction in global humanitarian aid. These twin developments are putting new pressures on governments in the region and reshaping migrant experiences, as this article explores.

Expert Q&A, Audio
May 18, 2026

Cuba's collapsing economy and shrinking immigration pathways to the United States are redirecting Cuban migration flows across the Americas, as this World of Migration episode explores with María José Espinosa Carrillo, Executive Director of the Center for Engagement and Advocacy in the Americas (CEDA).

Expert Q&A, Audio
February 23, 2026

What happens when climate change and other factors force Indigenous people off their ancestral homelands? Environmental scientist Jessica Hernandez, a climate justice and Indigenous advocate, joins this episode of the Changing Climate, Changing Migration podcast to discuss the factors compelling migration for Indigenous communities, their experiences after migration and the dearth of Indigenous voices in policy discussions.

Video, Audio, Webinars
January 27, 2026

This webinar focuses on how climate change is altering human mobility and offers insights into on-the-ground experiences of climate change and migration in East Africa, South Asia, and other global contexts.

Articles

Many Venezuelan migrants in Trinidad and Tobago have found that their situation is more complex than expected as the Caribbean country has largely adopted an enforcement-first approach. Many Venezuelan migrants face stigma and precarity—issues complicated amid escalating tensions between Venezuela and the United States, as this article details. 

Articles

The United States is by far the top destination for international migrants from the Caribbean. Roughly one in ten U.S. immigrants was born in the Caribbean, coming chiefly from Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, or Haiti. Compared to other foreign-born groups, these individuals are more likely to be naturalized U.S. citizens and to have arrived since 2010, as this article details.

Articles

Some countries with large diasporas have sought to maximize incoming remittances and channel them into particular sectors. Diaspora engagement policies are not always successful, but research shows that they are generally accompanied by increased remittance sending. This article explains the connection and explores some of the factors affecting remittance levels.

Articles

Un nivel histórico de migración está transformando las sociedades y la política en América Latina y el Caribe, dando paso a una etapa definida por la volatilidad. Este artículo analiza estas dinámicas en el Caribe y Centroamérica y Sudamérica, y analiza la probabilidad de que la región se acerque a un punto de inflexión en la gestión de la migración.