Published by Dieta Tucker | May 6, 2025
Once characterized primarily by emigration to the Global North, Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) now exhibits intra-regional migration patterns.
This shift reveals new opportunities and challenges for economic integration, social cohesion, and policy coordination across the region.
Some countries have increased regional freedom of movement by attempting to liberalize their immigration laws and shift toward more inclusive and
rights-based approaches to regional mobility. Colombia, the top destination for Venezuelan migrants, already has over 1.8 million residents due to
the ten-year Temporary Protection Statute for Venezuelan Migrants (ETPV) implemented in 2021.
People are relocating across the region as a result of Venezuela's collapse, Haiti's political unrest and in search of better opportunities. While Haiti and Venezuela have
become major migratory hotspots due to political and economic upheaval, countries like Brazil, Colombia, Chile, and Ecuador have been appealing
destinations for regional migrants.
With a large migrant population in the Dominican Republic and in the Bahamas, Haitian migrants contribute significantly to intra-regional migratory trends.
Chile and Brazil are two of the most popular South American destinations for Haitian and Venezuelan immigrants;
in Brazil, Venezuelans now comprise the majority of the immigrant population as a result of the Venezuelan national crisis.
Costa Rica is an important transit hub in Central America with migrants transiting from Nicaragua en route to the United States.
Between 2015 and 2019, more than one million residence permits were issued annually across fifteen LAC countries. Regional agreements, such
as the Mercosur Residence Permit and the CARICOM Skilled Nationals program, contributed to the increased intra-regional migration by easing
cross-border movement and legal residence among member states.1
| Origin | Destination | Stock |
|---|---|---|
| Venezuela | Colombia | 1,780,486 |
| Venezuela | Peru | 941,889 |
| Colombia | Venezuela | 917,753 |
| Paraguay | Argentina | 685,714 |
| Venezuela | Chile | 523,553 |
| Haiti | Dominican Republic | 496,112 |
| Bolivia | Argentina | 423,136 |
| Venezuela | Ecuador | 388,861 |
| Nicaragua | Costa Rica | 350,854 |
| Venezuela | Brazil | 248,105 |
There is a lot of internal movement among the countries of South America.
Northward migration pathways pass through Costa Rica and Mexico.
Haiti and Venezuela are among the region's main sources of migration.
Mexico and Panama are major transit points heading north.
The corridor from Colombia to Venezuela (917,753) demonstrates that migration is not only outward from crises, but also return or circular. These public discussions typically overlook this nuance.
With 5 of the top 10 migrant populations originating from Venezuela (to Colombia, Peru, Chile, Ecuador, and Brazil), the data confirms it is not a bilateral issue, but a regional emergency requiring cooperative response.
Countries like Colombia, Peru, and Chile are managing millions of migrants in relatively short time frames. The data makes visible the humanitarian and infrastructure pressures that are not evenly distributed across the region.
If Venezuela remains in deep crisis, why have nearly one million Colombian migrants continued to reside there?
What are the motivations - economic, familial, or political - behind this return or circular migration?
Migration doesn’t just respond to crisis - it reshapes politics.
In Venezuela’s case, the long arc of outward migration may carry consequences not yet visible. Hold that thought.
In an increasingly interconnected regional landscape, the need for coordinated policy action among LAC countries has become both urgent and unavoidable. Recent developments, including surges in intra-regional migration, asymmetric economic recovery, and democratic backsliding, underscore the limitations of isolated national responses.
The idea of a murmuration, the fluid, group movement of birds reacting not to centralized control but to the actions of those nearby, is a powerful metaphor for this problem. In the same vein, LAC countries need to transition to a responsive, jointly informed, and dynamically aligned type of governance. Harmonized trade frameworks, interoperable digital infrastructures, labor inclusion mechanisms, and shared migration procedures are examples of regionally connected policy instruments that are also adaptable enough to change to national circumstances.
Coordination does not imply homogeneity; instead, it is a type of strategic convergence by which sovereign states preserve their autonomy while uniting around shared development goals. In this way, regional resilience emerges from policy coherence and mutual awareness. A "murmuration" of policy might be the most practical paradigm for inclusive, democratic, and sustainable development throughout the LAC area as complex issues become more transboundary in scope.
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World Bank 2021 Bilateral Migration Matrix (December 2022 update), accessed Apr. 5, 2024. The Global Knowledge Partnership on Migration and Development, was active from 2013 until 2024.
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