This report provides an overview of the findings of surveys conducted in June-July 2021 by the IOM Assisted Voluntary Return (AVR) Program in Mexico, Guatemala, Belize and El Salvador with 67 AVR beneficiaries supported during May-July 2021.Obtaining qualitative data in addition to demographic descriptors provides important insights into the nature of migrants’ experiences in countries of destination and origin as well as any plans to re-migrate, mental and physical health status, financial security, employment, physical safety and any post-arrival assistance received.

Between 1 and 18 November 2020, Central America, Mexico, the Caribbean and parts of South America were affected by two major natural hazards - Hurricane Eta, which reached the second highest hurricane classification of Category 4, followed by Hurricane Iota, which peaked at the highest classification of Category 5.

This first annual monitoring report of the IOM Assisted Voluntary Return (AVR) program in Mexico and North of Central America countries, informed by five earlier summary reports, has two primary objectives. The first goal is to present mobility flow trends of AVR program beneficiaries to and from El Salvador, Guatemala–Belize,  Honduras and Mexico since March 2020, which allows for direct linkage to the COVID-19 pandemic. The second objective is to present the findings of monitoring surveys of AVR beneficiaries from March 2020 to April 2021.

Main findings of the survey in Central America and Mexico, June 2020. This survey has the objective of generating data in order to analyze the repercussions of COVID-19 for this population and guide the response of the many actors involved in the pandemic response, migration management, and socioeconomic recovery strategies.

Every year, thousands of persons leave their homes seeking a better future, which has become virtually unattainable in their countries of origin. Economic hardship, lack of access to education and employment, structural violence, natural disasters, and political instability have driven people from around the world, but mainly from Central America and Mexico, to seek a new life in the United States of America.

This report provides an overview of the findings of surveys conducted by the IOM Assisted Voluntary Return (AVR) Program in Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras and Mexico.2 Each of the 102 respondents was asked a series of 24 to 33 questions by destination country AVR teams one to three months after beneficiaries’ returns to their countries of origin. 

This publication analyzes the flows of Central American transmigrants in Mexico during the first years of the 21st century and constitutes an effort to improve the understanding of transit movements in Mexico. The document analyzes migration policies related to transmigrant flows, statistical data and information collected from the application of interviews and questionnaires to transmigrants, shelter personnel, consular officials and academics. A list of public policy recommendations on migration is also included.

This document is available in Spanish.

The Central American transmigration through Mexico began to generate interest during the last decades of the 20th century. From this moment, this topic has been investigated focusing on the migration of men and women; However, recently there has been an interest in knowing the trajectory of migrant children who travel unaccompanied to the United States or establish themselves temporarily or definitively in southern Mexico.