A new report says a year-long initiative to address irregular migration to the United States has been a relative success, but restrictions have limited the program's potential benefits.
On Thursday, the Mixed Migration Center, a research and policy organization, released an analysis of the Secure Mobility Offices (SMO), a U.S. government effort to discourage migration across the country’s southern border.
The Secure Mobility Initiative, launched by the U.S. State Department in 2023, established offices in Latin American countries where certain qualified migrants could submit applications to resettle in the U.S. through legal avenues, including by requesting refugee status.
The lack of legal avenues, the report explains, continues to “push people towards irregular, continuous and often dangerous migration journeys, causing enormous damage and huge profits for smugglers.”
The report did, however, praise the Safe Mobility Offices as a step forward. “Despite their flaws, the Offices offer a new path to protection in an environment where such things are rare,” the report’s authors wrote.
Addressing pressure on the US border
The Safe Mobility Initiative was unveiled at a time of pressure on the administration of US President Joe Biden.
Both Republicans and Democrats had criticized his administration for record levels of irregular crossings at the U.S.-Mexico border. In fiscal year 2023, the U.S. Border Patrol documented 2,475,669 “encounters” on the southwest border, an all-time high.
The offices were designed as “processing centers,” located away from the border, where eligible migrants and asylum seekers could obtain support for their immigration cases and other services, without having to make the dangerous trip to the border.
Branches have since opened in Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador and Guatemala. U.S. officials said they hope to open about 100 physical centers across the Western Hemisphere in the future.
An estimated 242,600 people have applied to receive services through the program since its launch, according to U.S. officials, and about 9,000 people have been resettled as of May and another 11,000 have been approved for resettlement.
That's a fraction of the 2.6 million migrants and asylum seekers expected to arrive at the U.S. southern border by the end of this year.
But the initiative is promising, according to the Mixed Migration Center. In its report, it praised the Safe Mobility Offices for expanding access to resettlement options.
Still, the report noted that the tense political environment in the United States could limit the effectiveness of the Safe Mobility program: immigration has become a central issue in this year's presidential race.
“The volatile political situation in the United States has raised concerns about the sustainability of offices,” the report’s authors wrote.
They also highlighted that current eligibility requirements exclude some of the most vulnerable migrants, including those in transit, those without legal status, and those who began their journeys more recently.
“The SMO initiative itself is excellent, but we need to address the shortcomings,” said Bram Frouws, director of the Mixed Migration Center. “For example, Haitians passing through Colombia on their way to the notoriously dangerous Darien Gap are mostly not even eligible to try to apply, even though they are one of the eligible nationalities.”
Restrictions for the application
Under current rules, only citizens of nine countries can apply, and with the exception of Guatemalans, no one can apply from their home country. The requirement that applicants have been present in the partner country before the offices open also excludes many potential beneficiaries.
The report also noted that the Offices of Secure Mobility do not “provide direct support” — only information — to those seeking to reach the United States through humanitarian parole programs, work visas and family reunification plans.
Rather, the report said there was an “emphasis on refugee resettlement” in the centres, which it cited as a “structural” deficiency.
“To make a real difference, WIPOs must provide more access to other existing migration pathways for those who do not qualify for resettlement,” Frouws said.
In practice, the report concludes, the initiative has only been effective in reaching Venezuelans in Colombia and Guatemalans in Guatemala.
A State Department spokesperson told Al Jazeera that thanks to the program, thousands of applicants have been able to stay and rebuild their lives in local host communities, or have completed the vetting process to safely resettle in the US or other countries.
“In addition to promoting legal pathways, the initiative facilitates greater integration and regularization of migrants to allow them to remain where they are,” the spokesperson said, adding that the initiative “is still in a period of growth and development and aims to expand the options provided to migrants, including legal labor pathways to other countries in the Americas and Europe.”
The Mixed Migration Centre report highlights that the model is valid and should be replicated elsewhere, including in Europe.
“The WIPOs in Latin America demonstrate that it is possible, with political commitment and investment, to make progress in finding ways to increase safe routes,” said Charlotte Slente, Secretary General of the Danish Refugee Council.
“This makes a real difference to those women and men whose resettlement has been successfully approved and helps them to resume their lives more quickly and safely.”
