Statement on the migration scenario during the pandemic. CLACSO Forum: Emergencies and resistance in times of COVID-19

Following border closures at the beginning of the pandemic, and in response to the increase in unemployment, poverty and violence unleashed by the socio-health crisis, we have observed the intensification of mobility through migration corridors throughout Latin America, at different regional scales and with different profiles (deported migrants, stranded migrants, transit migrants, migrants waiting, asylum seekers, migrants intending to return and imprisoned migrants) and new violations throughout the region.

The world has experienced particularly turbulent times in recent years: a pandemic, popular uprisings, and socioeconomic and political crises. These upheavals also impacted migration processes, motivating or attempting to impede them, and influencing their forms, routes, rhythms, and conditions. Some of these migratory movements gained greater visibility due to the number of people and territories they reached, such as the mass political exile embodied in the caravans of Honduran families or the massive and accelerated migration of the Venezuelan population. Others took the form of “silent exoduses,” such as that of Haitians. In the Southern Hemisphere, new corridors are emerging that replicate the lethality of borders in older corridors. But whether more or less visible, all these migratory dynamics were marked by human rights violations. The lethality of borders has increased the proliferation of criminal gangs that not only expel people but also traffic in migrants. Conversely, these structural and contingent forms of violence generated forms of organization and resistance.

In parallel, countless researchers in academia have sought to understand and address the impacts of the pandemic on immigrant populations, while also reflecting on research practices and the impact of our work. In this regard, the various sessions of this Forum emphasized the importance of advocating for a self-critical, non-extractive, respectful, and committed academic environment dedicated to the well-being of migrant populations. Ultimately, the discussions highlighted the diverse range of individuals involved with the migration cause in different spaces and ways. Participants also noted the impacts on migrant populations of border closures and militarization, increasingly restrictive immigration measures, arbitrary detention and deportation that separates entire families, as well as the expulsion of migrants and the risks they face when crossing closed and militarized borders.

Migrant organizations emphasized the rise in expressions of xenophobia, racism, and classism in various Latin American countries, as well as the increase in violence associated with these sentiments. These expressions were used in several cases as central themes in political campaigns or mobilizations surrounding disputes over vaccines, for example. They also highlighted the increased workload these organizations have faced in the context of the pandemic, addressing the growing and more complex problems faced by migrants. In this regard, they cited compelling data on the rise in femicides of migrant women, the increase in domestic violence, cases of trafficking and vicarious violence, and the deterioration of mental health. The organized voices also addressed the difficulties migrants have encountered in accessing the special aid provided by some states in response to the pandemic.

In recent days, we have observed how the visa regime and entry controls in Mexico have also affected colleagues and congresspeople participating in the IX CLACSO Conference 2022. Colleagues and congresspeople from Cuba, Colombia, Brazil, Bolivia, and Central America have been detained at the airport upon arrival in Mexico City, subjected to mistreatment and violent practices by the Mexican National Institute of Migration. Some have even been deported. From our perspective, this further reinforces the need for outreach and the development of academic advocacy projects for and with migrant communities.

Faced with this situation, the migrant and pro-migrant social organizations present at this Forum, together with the CLACSO Working Groups “Borders: Mobilities, Identities and Trades”, “South-South Migration” and SUDIMER/UNAM, express our total repudiation of the institutional and racist violence of States and the serious human rights violations experienced by migrants from and within the territories that make up our region. We challenge States, international organizations, bodies linked to regional cooperation spaces, and market actors who benefit from the precariousness of labor based on foreignness and collaborate in the management of the externalization of borders by states of the Global North, to adopt the necessary measures to prevent these violations and to recognize the urgency of an articulated response to a situation that transcends national borders.

As teachers, researchers, activists, and advocates, we say out loud: “Mistreatment, precariousness, outlawing, detention, and deportation, NOT IN OUR NAMES!!!”    

     Long live the migrant struggle! Enough of being deprived of our present and future. We advocate for migration as a right, as an act of resistance and defense of life.    

June 9th, 2022
CLACSO Working Groups
Borders: Mobilities, Identities and Trade
South-South Migration
University Seminar on Internal Displacement, Migration, Exile and Repatriation/UNAM

This statement expresses the position of the aforementioned Working Group and not necessarily that of the centers and institutions that make up the CLACSO international network, its Steering Committee or its Executive Secretariat.