Ecuador’s Next President Must Get Migration Policy Right
Ecuadorian migrants, with their hands and feet handcuffed, line up to board a plane at the Albrook Gelabert airport in Panama City on August 29, 2024, during their deportation. (Martin Bernetti/AFP, licensed by Getty).
This Sunday, Ecuadorians will head to the polls in a pivotal election that will shape the country’s future. Regardless of who wins, the reality is clear: Ecuador is facing a growing migration crisis at a time when its longstanding humanitarian partner, the United States, is withdrawing all humanitarian and development aid.
Since President Trump took office on January 20, 2025, a series of Executive Orders—including the Reevaluating and Realigning United States Foreign Aid directive and a Stop Work Order on existing grants and contracts—could fundamentally reshape Ecuador’s migration landscape. If the Trump Administration succeeds in its effort to dismantle USAID, the United States will no longer operate as a humanitarian partner to Ecuador, halting critical assistance that supported refugees, migrants, and other vulnerable communities. The Trump Administration has eliminated refugee resettlement and parole programs for refugees and migrants, leaving thousands without access to lawful migration routes. Meanwhile, deportations of Ecuadorians from the United States will ramp up, putting pressure on the country's already fragile economic and social systems.
The loss of U.S. aid for refugee and migrant support does not mean Ecuador can afford to ignore its migration and displacement challenges. Quite the opposite. It underscores the urgent need for Ecuador to take the lead in addressing the root causes of migration and strengthening its governance structures—steps that cannot wait for an uncertain U.S. policy reversal.
In the absence of US support, Ecuador must prioritize humanitarian policies that stabilize communities in distress—for Ecuadorians, and the hundreds of thousands of displaced Venezuelans, and Colombians seeking refuge within its borders.
Steps the Ecuadorian government can take include:
Enhance Internal Displacement Protections: Ecuador lacks a legal framework to protect internally displaced persons (IDPs) fleeing violence and economic hardship. The government should designate a lead agency to coordinate IDP response efforts, ensuring that displaced individuals have access to shelter, healthcare, and legal aid.
Strengthen Institutional Coordination: Ecuador’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Human Mobility (MREMH) must lead efforts to streamline migration policies, improve data collection, and coordinate with local governments to ensure a more effective response to migration flows.
Improve Protections for Vulnerable Migrants: Simplifying regularization procedures, removing unnecessary documentation barriers, and offering specialized protections for unaccompanied children, gender-based violence survivors, and stateless persons must remain a national priority.
Leverage Regional and Multilateral Partnerships: Ecuador has been a regional leader in migration policy, with past efforts to regularize Venezuelan migrants and uphold human rights. However, these initiatives face new risks without external financial backing. Rather than abandoning them, Ecuador should seek regional and multilateral partnerships to cooperate in migration management.
Strengthen Bilateral and Regional Cooperation: Ecuador should strengthen partnerships with Colombia, Peru, and other Latin American nations to develop joint migration policies, share best practices, and seek financial backing from international organizations such as the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the UNHCR.
Adopt Best Practices from Regional Partners: Given Colombia's extensive experience in managing large-scale displacement, Ecuador can benefit from closer policy coordination and the exchange of best practices to enhance its migration response.
As Ecuador chooses its next leader, migration policy must be a priority. The sudden withdrawal of U.S. humanitarian support presents a serious challenge, but also an opportunity for Ecuador to reassert its leadership in regional migration governance. By leading by example, Ecuador can demonstrate how responsible migration management is possible without U.S. backing. The choices made now—by both its government and its people—will determine whether the country succumbs to crisis or builds a more resilient system capable of addressing migration with dignity, stability, and foresight.