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GA4DideSezer,RékaKollmann

ResearchReportTheQuestionof:

MigrationinCentralAmerica

ResearchReport LeidenModelUnitedNations2019

~freshideas,newsolutions~

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IntroductionTheCentralAmericanmigrationistheexodusofCentralAmericanpeoplestotheUnitedStatesofAmericaowingtonumerouscausesrangingfromclimatechangetosecurity-relatedones.Thephenomenonispresentfromthe1970sandhasfourperiods,basedontherootcause.Astheintensityofthemigrationhasbeennoticeablyincreasingsince2009,itbecameaseriousissuenowadays.CitizensofCentralAmericancountriesareexperiencingabuseandviolation.Asdrugtraffickingandthestreetfightsbetweenlocalgangsarecommon,noonecanfeelsafe.Besides,asthesecountriesaresomeoftheworld’smostvulnerablecountriestotheeffectsofclimatechange,droughtsandfloodscauseagrarianterritoriestobecomealmostdeserted,astheagriculturalworkersleavetheirfarmsduetothelackofcropswhichresultsinstarvation.Becauseintheinvolvedcountriestheindustryisunderdeveloped,sometimesmovingtobiggercitiesisnotasolutioneither.Peoplehavenootheroptionsbuttoleaveandgotoacountrythattheythinkwillprovidewithabetterandsaferlife.ForCentralAmericans,thiscountryistheUnitedStatesofAmerica.

TheCommittee

The fourth committee of the General Assembly, the Special Political and DecolonisationCommitteewasformedin1993,mergingtwoformercommittees,theDecolonizationCommitteeandtheSpecialPoliticalCommittee.Currently,itisdealingwithawiderangeofissues,suchasquestionsrelatedtoinformation,decolonisation,effectsofatomicradiation,internationalcooperationinthepeacefulusesofouterspace,specialpoliticalmissions,peacekeepingoperationsandassistancetoPalestinerefugees.Beingresponsibleforsuchvariousproblems,theworkofthecommitteeisverydiversified.Thecommittee’sachievementsintheissueofdecolonisationshouldbehighlighted.Sincethecreationof the United Nations in 1945, 80 former colonies gained independence with the help of theorganization.However,theprocessofdecolonisationisstillnotcompleteasthereare17non-self-governingcountries.IntheSpecialPoliticalandDecolonisationCommittee,adraftresolutionisneededforeveryissuetobe debated and every draft resolution is required to have one ormoremain submitters and co-submitters.At thisyears'LEMUN, this committee is going todealwith3 issues, suchasMigration inCentralAmerica,ProtectingindigenouswomenfromviolenceandjusticesystemfailuresandTheannexationofoccupiedterritoriesbyIsrael.



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KeyTerms

NTCA: Northern Triangle of Central America; collective phrase for the countries Guatemala,HondurasandElSalvado

SouthernRegion:acollectivephrase fortheCentralAmericancountriesPanama,CostaRicaandNicaragua

Migrantcaravan:a group of people migrating north from Central America with a goal of finding safety, political stability, or better economic opportunity in the United States. Most of the migrants come from Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador and many say they are fleeing violence, poverty, and persecution at home

Transitioneconomy:an economy that is changing from being one under government control to being a market economy (= one in which companies are not controlled by the government)

Global labour demand: The need for employees and workers in a particular job market such as construction or manufacturing.

IOM: United Nations Migration Agency

UNHCR: United Nations Refugee Agency

NGO: Non-Governmental Organization; any non-profit, voluntary citizens' group which is organized on a local, national or international level. Task-oriented and driven by people with a common interest, NGOs perform a variety of service and humanitarian functions, bring citizen concerns to Governments, advocate and monitor policies and encourage political participation through provision of information.



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GeneralOverviewThe Central American migration has been on air since the 1970s, but the root cause has

continuously changed through theyears.The seven countriesofCentralAmerica -Guatemala,ElSalvador,Honduras,Nicaragua,CostaRica,PanamaandBelize–areoftenarrangedintotwogroupsbasedontheirgeographicalpositionandalsotheircharacteristicsonthisissue(Belizeisnotpartofeithergroup).TheSouthernRegionconsistsofNicaragua,CostaRicaandPanamaandtheNorthernTriangle of Central America (NTCA) count Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras. These peoplesmigratetotheUnitedStatesofAmerica,whichphenomenonthisoverviewisgoingtostudyintermsofeffects,causes,historyandcharacteristics.

Atlarge,themigrationcanbeseparatedintothreefundamentalperiodsbasedonitsreasons.

From1970until1990,themaincausewastheescapingfrommilitaryrule,civilwarsandrepression.ThisperiodstartedwithandwashugelyinfluencedbytheCentralAmericanCrisiswhencommunistrevolutionseruptedinmostoftheinvolvedcountries.Between1990and2000economictransitionandglobal labourdemandplayedthe leadingrole in themotivationofpeople leavingtheirhomecountry.Duringthisperiod,themigrantsweremostlysinglemenwhowenttotheUnitedStatestofindwork.From2000andon,thereasonsrangefromeconomictosecurity-relatedproblemswithupsurgingintensityfrom2009.BasedontheresearchofUNDESA,thenumberofCentralAmericanmigrantsintheUSAnearlydoubledbetween2000and2010.Onesignificantreasonforthisboostisthatnowadaysinsteadofsinglemen,wholefamiliescrosstheborder,usuallygatheredtogetherwithother families forming so-called migrant caravans. These caravans are more favourable for themigrantsintermsofsafety,somanypeoplearelikelytojoinonthewaytakingthisopportunity.Thismeansthatthesegroupsconstantlygrowduringthejourneyandintheend,itisnotimpossiblethatmore than a thousandpeople get to the border at once. The largest caravan so far originated inOctober2018inSanPedroSula,acrime-troubledcityinHonduras.BythetimeitreachedTijuanaontheU.S.-MexicoborderinNovember,thecaravanhadtravellednearly3,000miles,and7,000peoplehadjoined.

Currently,insecuritymakesthousandsofpeopleacrosstheborder.Afterthecivilwars,therate

ofunemploymenthighlyincreasedandowingtotheconstantviolentconflicts,theindustrycouldnotimprove.Mostofthetime,familieslivinginextremepovertyseenootherwaytosurvive,buttoleaveastheparentshardlyhavejobs–eveniftheyhave,thesalaryisnotenoughforawholefamilynottohunger–andtheycannotprovidetheyoungergenerationswithasafechildhood.Thesametime,organisedcrimealsoflourishedinthisarea.AhorrifyingproofforthisisthatfourofthesevenCentralAmericancountriesareinthetopfivehavingthehighesthomiciderates.Violation,abuseandtorturearepart of everyday life in theNTCAandBelize.As drug trafficking routes fromSouth toNorthAmericacrossthesecountries,theconstantcompetitionbetweenlocalgangsandcrimesyndicatesalsomakethisareaexceedinglyhardanddangeroustolivein.

Because the industry remained underdeveloped, agriculture still dominates the market.

However, global warming is about to change this. In recent years, Central America experiencedharmful,and- inthe longterm–disastrous impactsofclimatechangesuchasdecreasedrainfall,prolongeddroughtandafurtherincreaseintemperature.Forinstance,inHonduras,rainfallwillbesparseinareaswhereitisneeded,whileinotherterritories,floodswillincreaseby60%accordingtoUSAgencyforInternationalDevelopment,whichphenomenawillmakefarmersandagriculturalworkerslookforotherjobopportunitiesandleave.



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Besides,inElSalvador,therisingsealevelsaredestroyingthemangroveforests,themarinelifethatrelieson them,and thus the fishermenwhorelyon thatmarine life to feed themselvesand theirfamily.Well,inthesecasesthequestionarisesthatpeoplefleeingglobalwarmingshouldbetreatedasrefugeesormigrants.AlthoughtheUnitedStatesofAmericahasgreatinteresttostoporslowdowntheCentralAmericanmigration,insteadofinterveninginthisrootcause,PresidentDonaldTrumpdeniedtheexistenceofsuchclimatechange.

ThemigrantpolicyoftheUnitedStatesisalsoworthgoingthrough.Thefirstsignificantaction

ontheissueofillegalimmigrationwasthecreationoftheImmigrationReformandControlAct(IRCA)in1986.ThisdocumentincludeslegalizationprogramsforpeoplewhohadenteredtheUSbefore1982andalsoforcertainunauthorisedfarmers,newfundingforborderenforcementandnewcivilandcriminalpenaltiesagainstemployerswhohireunauthorisedworkers.Soonafterthecongresspassed the Immigration Act of 1990, which also authorised more spending at the border andexpandedthenumberofemployment-basedvisas.The United States then passed six additional laws between 2002 and 2006 focusing on tougherimmigration enforcement. These laws and numerous associated administrative reforms haveresulted in a modest increase in legal migration, growth in border enforcement, new worksiteenforcementmeasures,andanexpansionofenforcementwithintheUnitedStates.

As the situation was getting more and more critical, making good on previous threats,PresidentDonaldTrumprecentlydeclaredanendtoaidtoElSalvador,Honduras,andGuatemala,blamingthethreeNTCAgovernmentsforfailingtostoptheflowoftheircitizenstotheUnitedStates.“They have ALL been taking U.S.money for years and doing ABSOLUTELYNOTHING for us.” hetweeted.Well, it isverysimple tocriticisegovernments fornotbeingable tostop theoutflowofpeople from their country.However, it requireshardwork, seriouseffortsand lastbutnot least,international cooperation and support. Beside financial aids, help to improve the economy andindustrywouldalsobeessentialtogivereasonsforthepeoplenottoleavethesecountries.ItalsoshouldnotbeignoredthatGuatemalaandHondurasareinthetopthirdofthemostcorruptcountriesaccording to Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index for 2018. Although ElSalvadorhasshownsomeimprovementitstillfallsinthetophalf.

Nevertheless,thesituationofMexicoshouldnotbeignoredeither.NotonlyitiseasiertogettotheUSAthroughthecountrygeographically,buttheprocedureiseasierthanthroughCanada.Inaddition to this, in December 2018 Mexico made it much easier for Central American migrantsseekingtotraveltotheUStogettemporary“humanitarianvisas”thatallowedthem90daysoflegalstatusinMexico.Thisactionalsomadethenumberofmigrantsincrease.

Althoughtherearestillplentyofthingstodissolvetheproblem,UNorganshavealreadybegun

this journey. The United Nations Migration Agency (IOM) provides support and assistance tomigrantsontheirway.TogetherwiththeMexicanSecretaryofForeignAffairs,theyaresupplyingfood and basic hygiene kits to over 1,500migrants seeking asylum in the country. According toChristopherGascon,UNMigration’sChiefofMissioninMexico:“IOMmaintainsitspositionthatthehuman rights and basic needs of all migrants must be respected, regardless of their migratorystatus.”.IncoordinationwithUNRefugeeAgencyUNHCR,hesaid"wewillcontinuetomonitorthesituationof thecaravancountingon-fieldstaff, theMexicanOfficeofAssistance forMigrantsandRefugees, and partner NGOs, providing information regarding alternatives for regular and safemigration,aswellasoptionsforvoluntaryreturns,”headded.



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Onthewhole,althoughtherearesuccessfulmissionsaccomplished,theendofthisproblemstillnotcanbeseen.However,with internationalcooperation,wewillbeable tocomeupwithamutuallyfavourablesolutiontoCentralAmericanmigration.



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MajorPartiesInvolvedUnitedStatesofAmerica:

TheUSAplaysaleadingroleintheissueasthisisthecountrywhereCentralAmericansmigratetoduetovariousreasons.Currentpresident,DonaldTrumpisclearlyagainstthemigrationandwantstostoptheinflowofCentralAmericanasylum-seekers.

Guatemala(NTCA):

TheCentralAmericanmigrationhighlyaffectsthiscountryasmanyGuatemalancitizensleavetheirhomecountryforabetterlife.Guatemalaisconsistentlylistedamongtheworld’s10mostvulnerablenationstotheeffectsofclimatechange.Inthecountryside,farmingisalmosttheonlysourceoflivingandsothedroughtscausedbyglobalwarmingareslowlygoingtobefatalforthecommunity.Inadditiontothis,Guatemalaisalsoconsideredoneofthemostdangerouscountriesintheworld.

Honduras(NTCA):

ManypeoplefleeingHondurasduetosimilarreasonsthanGuatemala.AccordingtoastudybytheUnitedNationsOfficeonDrugsandCrimes,Hondurashadthehighesthomicideratesper100000peoplein2012.AlongsidewithGuatemala,Hondurasisalsooneoftheworld’smostvulnerablecountriestotheeffectsofclimatechange.Theunpredictableweatherpatternswithfloodsanddroughtsputthecountry'seconomyatrisk,asbananasandcoffeearestilltwoofthetopeconomicdrivers.

ElSalvador(NTCA):

InElSalvador,severedeforestationandlanddegradationhavenegativelyimpactedagriculturallands,increasingthecountry’svulnerabilitytoclimatevariabilityandchange.Therisingsealevelsaredestroyingmangroveforests,whichaffectsthemarine,whichwillcausethefishermentocatchlessfishandafteramatteroftime,theywillhavenootherchancebuttoleave.Localgangsalsothreatenthecitizens’livesandforcethemtoleavefortheirsafety.

IOM:TheUnitedNationsMigrationAgencygivesassistancetomigrantcaravanswithfoodandhygienekits.Theworkoftheorganizationisextremelyimportantandsupportiveformigrants.



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TimelineofEvents1950:formationofUNHCR1951:formationoftheIOM1970-1990:maincauseofmigration-escapingfrommilitaryrule,civilwarsandrepression1986:ImmigrationReformandControlAct1990:ImmigrationActof19901990-2000:maincauseofmigration–economictransitionandgloballabourdemand2000-present:maincauseofmigration–economicandsecurity-relatedproblems2009-present:theintensityofmigrationincreases2018December:MexicoissuestemporaryhumanitarianvisasallowingCentralAmericanmigranttospend90daysinthecountry



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PreviousattemptstosolvetheissueOnthewhole,therehasbeennoeffectivestrifetoeliminatetherootsofthisproblem.UnitedNationsorgansarehelpingmigrantcaravans,butalthoughitisessential,thiswillnotreducethenumberofmigrants.TheUnitedStateswantstosolvetheproblemwithfurtherrestrictions,however,helpingtheCentralAmericangovernmentstomaketheircountriesworthforthepeoplelivetheremaybemoreefficient.

TheFutureOfcourse,wecanmakepredictionsabouthowthesituationofCentralAmericanmigrantswillchange,butnoonecantellwhatexactlyisgoingtohappen.Followingthelineofpreviousactions,PresidentDonaldTrumpandtheUnitedStatesofAmericawillmakeitmoredifficultforimmigrantstosettleinthecountryandwillbestrivingtohavelessCentralAmericanmigrantsintheUSA.TheUnitedNationsisexpectedtogivefurtherassistancetothemigrantsandespeciallymigrantcaravanswithfoodandhygienekits.Ifthingsdonotchangeuntilthen,theviolation,abuseandsuffercausedbylocalgangsanddrugtraffickingislikelytocontinuethesameway.However,thiswouldbeindispensabletostopthepeopleleavingtheirhomecountryasnoonewantsthemselvesandtheirchildrentoliveinconstantfearandinsecurity.Furthermore,thethreatsthatclimatechangemakeareexceedinglyseriousinthisarea,sotheacceptanceofglobalwarmingandthewilltotrytolessenitseffectwouldbealsoessential.Insummary,thefutureisunpredictable,butwithinternationalcooperation,wehavethechancetocomeupwithsolutionsfortheCentralAmericanMigration.



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QuestionsaResolutionMustAnswer(Q.A.R.M.A.)• Shouldpeoplefleeingglobalwarmingbetreatedasmigrantorrefugees?• Besidefinancialaids,howcouldothercountrieshelpinvolvedgovernmentstosolvetheoutflow

oftheircitizens?• Inwhatwayscouldthelifeoffarmers,whoareexperiencingdifficultiesduetoglobalwarming,

behelped?• HowcouldtheIOM’sworkbemoreefficientwhileassistingthemigrantcaravans?• Bywhatmethodcouldthelifeoffamilieslivinginextremepovertybetakeneasier?• Howdrugcartelsandorganisedcrimesyndicates couldbeabolished in thearea (andsoone

majorcauseofmigrationwouldbeeliminated)?• BywhatmeanscouldthecorruptioninCentralAmericangovernmentsbereduced?• What kind of new work opportunities should be established that are less dependent of the

environmentandsonotinfluencedbyclimatechange?• HowcouldlivingstandardsberaisedinCentralAmericancountries?• InwhatotherwayscouldCentralAmericangovernmentsmaketheircountriesfavourableto

liveinfortheircitizens?



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FurtherReadinghttps://www.thedialogue.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/CA-Migration-Report-Current-Changes-and-Development-Opportunities1.pdf

https://repositorio.cepal.org/bitstream/handle/11362/44288/1/S1801071_en.pdf

https://www.americansecurityproject.org/climate-change-fueling-central-american-migration/

https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/adolfoflores/border-record-families-asylum-central-america-cbp https://www.undispatch.com/heres-how-the-un-is-responding-to-the-migrant-caravan-in-central-america/

https://www.unhcr.org/claims-from-central-america.html

https://www.vox.com/2019/7/17/18760188/migration-crisis-central-america-foreign-policy-2020-election

https://www.newyorker.com/news/dispatch/how-climate-change-is-fuelling-the-us-border-crisishttps://immigrationforum.org/article/addressing-the-increase-of-central-american-migrants/

Bibliographyhttps://www.thedialogue.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Recent-Trends-in-Central-American-Migration-1.pdf https://www.amnestyusa.org/fleeing-for-our-lives-central-american-migrant-crisis/ https://www.mercycorps.org/articles/quick-facts-central-american-migration https:// https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/apr/06/us-mexico-immigration-climate-change-migration https://enaun.cancilleria.gob.ar/en/content/fourth-committee-special-political-and-decolonization-committee https://www.un.org/en/ga/fourth/ https://www.migrationpolicy.org/research/RMSG-us-immigration-policy-mexican-central-american-migration-flows https://news.un.org/en/story/2018/11/1024882

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