For a Safe, Dignified, and Rights-Based Migration!

This press release was written by civil society organizations, migrant and family-based organizations, faith-based organizations, and churches present at the Second Regional Review of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly, and Regular Migration in Latin America and the Caribbean, held in Santiago, Chile, from March 18 to 20, 2025.

To States

To UN agencies

To International Organizations

To local governments

To the media

To the people

Civil society organizations, migrant and family-based organizations, faith-based organizations, and churches present at the Second Regional Review of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly, and Regular Migration in Latin America and the Caribbean, held in Santiago, Chile, from March 18 to 20, 2025, express the following:

We are fully aware that regressive and openly violent practices, in tandem with anti-human rights and anti-immigrant rhetoric, have undermined multilateralism and the foundations that sustained it. In less than two months, several red lines have been crossed, while the international community silently watched. We observe governments using migrants and their families as bargaining chips, rather than human beings endowed with rights. The cutbacks in humanitarian and development cooperation hamper the work of organizations that assist migrant populations and public institutions.

We are concerned that in this context, detentions, deportations, and other regressive measures are being justified under the guise of "orderly, safe, and regular" migration, which undermines the principles of the Global Compact for Migration, of international human rights and refugee law, and of multilateralism. We never imagined such an abrupt attack on migrants, regardless of their identity, or that hotels would be turned into detention centers, or that a tattoo would be enough to indefinitely confine migrants in maximum-security prisons without a court order.

In this context and within the framework of this Regional Review, we call attention to and pose the questions raised by migrants, their families, and civil society. How many more people must be forcibly displaced? How many more migrants must die or disappear along the way? How many more massacres must occur before there is justice and not impunity?

In light of this, we express the following:

• We are, above all, defending the life, liberty, and dignity of people in the context of human mobility.

• We demand justice for missing migrants and that the voices of migrant families be heard and not ignored. When issues are not openly discussed they become invisible.

• It is crucial to address the causes of migration with a strategic and sustainable approach, prioritizing the most urgent crises and their connection to other global issues.

• It is essential to consider the link between migration and development, as equitable and sustainable growth contributes to reducing the causes that force many people to leave their homes. However, we cannot lose sight of the structural problems affecting our countries, such as inequality, poverty, climate change and environmental degradation, lack of food sovereignty, unemployment and underemployment, violence, armed conflicts, lack of opportunities, homophobia, transphobia, xenophobia, and other forms of discrimination that are pushing entire populations into increasingly vulnerable and risky migration. Addressing these issues comprehensively is key to ensuring lasting solutions and protecting the rights of those forced to migrate.

• We emphasize the importance of political will and the coordination of local, national, and regional governments to achieve solutions in the daily lives of migrants and their families.

• We underscore that migrants sustain a large part of the economies and the operationality of our countries, without full access to their rights, despite their fiscal contributions and the exponential increase in remittances.

• Facilitating regular pathways and migration regularization are rights themselves and serve as means to access other rights. Therefore, there is a pressing need to guarantee permanent and accessible mechanisms that are adapted to the reality of migrants. This not only provides greater security and stability for migrants, but also allows States to access key information to design more effective policies and optimize resources. Ensuring these mechanisms is essential to build more inclusive, resilient, and just societies.

• The protection of migrant children, youth, women, people with disabilities, older adults, the LGBTIQ+ population, and indigenous and Afro-descendant populations must be a firm commitment of States, their governments, and their policies. Migration must be understood from an intersectional perspective that considers the specific realities of people who face additional risks of violence and discrimination at each stage of their migration process. We demand that States implement migration policies that recognize and address these various situations of vulnerability, guaranteeing adequate protection mechanisms, access to rights, and the environment.

• To strengthen the implementation of the Global Compact in the region, it is essential to prioritize coordinated and evidence-based actions that ensure the protection and well-being of migrants and migrant groups. These are not just numbers or statistics; these are people with stories, rights, and needs that must be addressed comprehensively and with respect for their human dignity.

• It is urgent to combat discrimination based on ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, religion and class, as well as xenophobia, and other discriminatory or stigmatizing narratives in public discourse, especially when used for electoral purposes or to foster polarization in our societies. Promoting narratives based on respect, inclusion, and human rights is key to strengthening social coexistence and cohesion.

• We observe with concern the growing pressures and concessions toward the externalization of border control, as well as the establishment of supposedly "safe" third countries or the transfer of individuals deported, which has significantly increased the detention of individuals without due process guarantees. We reaffirm that States have the responsibility to guarantee and protect the human rights of all persons under their jurisdiction, including reparations when these rights have been violated, without exception or delay.

• We advocate for respect and protection for human rights organizations and defenders who support migrants. Their work is key to guaranteeing rights, humanitarian support, and inclusion, and they must therefore be recognized as allies in fair and supportive migration policies and supported with the necessary resources to operate, not hinder their work. We reject any attempt to criminalize them and any harassment by authorities.

• We demand migration governance based on a human rights approach, not on securitization. Our region has been a pioneer in regional integration and coordination mechanisms, which are essential to restore in order to facilitate migration processes and optimize the use of resources.

• Consular services are key to access to rights. Given the growing need for protection, they must be strengthened and specialized to respond effectively to current challenges.

• Integration and inclusion also imply access to decent employment and social dialogue;  we urge for access to decent and dignified employment, and for access to validation and certification processes for complementary training that will help individuals move forward in their integration processes.

• It is essential to guarantee that migrants and migrant-led organizations have the right to participate in the design, implementation, and evaluation of public policies to achieve inclusive and effective approaches. Their involvement strengthens legitimacy of these public policies and ensures a more appropriate and sustainable implementation.

In this process, and given the unprecedented situation we find ourselves in, it is essential that each of the actors involved ask ourselves: which side of history do we want to be on: the side of hostility and violence, or the side of preserving human dignity?

We call for coherent action and to address the structural causes of migration by promoting equity and development. This implies not only promoting sustainable changes, but also firmly rejecting unacceptable practices that affect people on the move, as well as those who have been deported. It is essential to guarantee dignified and respectful treatment for all people, aligned with the principles of human rights and social justice.

We demand respect for the rule of law, the laws, and the separation of powers, and compliance with court orders and rulings. Migration must be addressed comprehensively and based on human rights. Human dignity is non-negotiable.

We need regional leadership that fosters cooperation among our countries and revitalizes the integration that, for years, has enabled effective responses to humanity's oldest phenomenon: migration. Latin America and the Caribbean have been a benchmark in the implementation of innovative and protective policies. It is time to recover that legacy and move forward with determination toward a more supportive and inclusive approach.

We reaffirm our commitment to continue working jointly and in coordination with States to respond to the needs of migrants, their families, and communities. Grassroots migrant organizations, civil society, academia, unions, faith-based organizations, and other stakeholders will continue to promote inclusive, rights-based solutions to ensure safe, dignified, and opportunity-based migration for all.

Finally, we emphasize that it was the governments of Latin America and the Caribbean that promoted a human rights-based approach in the negotiation of the Global Compact for Migration. We trust that, looking ahead to next year's International Migration Review Forum (IMRF), they will maintain this commitment. In this upcoming process, the effective and meaningful participation of civil society and migrants in the development of assessments, commitments, and decisions will guarantee their effectiveness, relevance, and coherence.

See you in 2026! We hope that we will evaluate progress, not further setbacks!

Nothing about Migrants without Migrants!

No human being is illegal, no human being is a minority!

Rights exist regardless of immigration status!

Subscribed by organizations in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, the United States, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Peru, Dominican Republic, Saint Lucia, and Uruguay. 

• Alianza Americas

• ACT Alliance

• Asociación Venezolana en Chile

• World Association for Christian Communication World Latin America (WACC-AL)

• Ayuda en Acción

• Asociación Civil de Derechos Humanos Mujeres Unidas Migrantes y Refugiadas en Argentina (AMUMRA)

• Latin American Bloc on Migration (LAC Bloc), composed of Action Secours Ambulance (ASA), Asociación Comité de Familiares de Migrantes Fallecidos y Desaparecidos de El Salvador (COFAMIDE) – El Salvador, Asociación Coordinadora Comunitaria de Servicios para la Salud (ACCSS), Asociación de Familiares de Migrantes Desaparecidos de Guatemala (AFAMIDEG), Asociación Pop No'j, Asociación RUMIÑAHUI, Red de Ecuatorianos en Europa, Casa del Migrante de Saltillo (CDMS)- Mexico, Casa Monarca Ayuda Humanitaria al Migrante- México, Centro de Apoio Pastoral do Migrante (CAMI), Centro de Atención a la Familia Migrante Indígena (CAFAMI)- Mexico, Centro de Atención y Desarrollo Integral Migrante (CADIM), Centro de Derechos Humanos de la Montaña-Tlachinollan (CDHM)- Mexico, Centro de Estudios Legales y Sociales (CELS), Clínica Jurídica de Migrantes y Refugiados de la Universidad Diego Portales-Chile, Comisión Argentina para los Refugiados y Migrantes (CAREF), Comisión de Acción Social Menonita (CASM)- Honduras, Comité de Familiares de Migrantes Desaparecidos del Centro de Honduras (COFAMICENH)-Honduras, Comité de Familiares de Migrantes Desaparecidos del Progreso (COFAMIPRO)- Honduras, Cristosal, Advancing Human Rights in Central America - El Salvador, CTA de Trabajadores, Equipo de Estudios, Comunitarios y Acción Psicosocial (ECAP), Estancia del Migrante González y Martínez- Mexico, FM4 Paso Libre-Mexico, Formación y Capacitación (FOCA)-Mexico, Foro Nacional para las Migraciones en Honduras (FONAMIH)- Honduras, Fundación para la Justicia y el Estado Democrático de Derecho (FJEDD), Global Exchange, Instituto Migrações e Direitos Humanos, Instituto para las Mujeres en la Migración, AC (IMUMI), International Detention Coalition (IDC)- Regional/Global, Latinas en el Poder, Mesa de  Coordinación Transfronteriza Migraciones y Género (MTMG), Mesa Transfronteriza Migraciones y Género (MTMG), National Network for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (NNIRR), Organismo Cristiano de Desarrollo Integral de Honduras (OCDIH)- Honduras, Programa de Migración y Asilo de la Universidad de Lanús, Proyecto de Derechos Humanos, Económicos, Sociales y Culturales A.C (Prodesc)-Mexico, PUCOMIT, Red de casas de Migrantes y Centros de Derechos Humanos de la zona norte, Pedro Pantoja- Mexico, Red de Mujeres del Bajío AC-Mexico, Red de Pueblos Transnacionales, Red Internacional de Migración y Desarrollo, Jesuit Refugee Service Latin America and the Caribbean (JRS LAC)-Regional, Red Mesoamericana Mujer Salud y Migración (RMMSYM)- Mexico and Central America, Red Nacional de Jornaleros y Jornaleras Agrícolas, Red Nacional de Líderes Migrantes en Argentina, Red Sudamericana para las Migraciones Ambientales (RESAMA)- Regional, Secretariado Nacional de Pastoral Social-Caritas Colombia, Servicio Ecuménico para la Dignidad Humana (SEDHU), Jesuit Refugee Service Ecuador (JRS -Ecuador), Sin Fronteras IAP, South Texas Human Rights Center, Unión Nacional de Organizaciones Regionales Campesinas Autónomas. A.C. (UNORCA A.C.), Voces Mesoamericanas, Acción con Pueblos Migrantes (VM-AP), Defensoras y defensores de migrantes; Aaron Ortiz Santos, Berenice Valdez Rivera, Blanca Gómez, Elba Coria, Efraín Jiménez, Federico Fornazieri, Karina Sarmiento, Martha Rojas, and Patricia Zamudio.

• Blossom Incorporated

• Centro de Estudios de Derecho, Justicia y Sociedad (Dejusticia)

• Center for Engagement and Advocacy in the Americas (CEDA)

• Center for Migration, Gender, and Justice (CMGJ)

• Central Autónoma de Trabajadores del Perú - CATP

• Coalición Internacional contra la Detención (IDC)

• Coalición por Venezuela 

• Comisión Argentina para Personas Refugiadas y Migrantes (CAREF)

• Comisión de Acción Menonita (CASM)/ Human Mobility Management Program

• Corporación Alianza Migrante (Ecuador)

• Frontera de Cristo Agua Prieta, Mexico/Douglas AZ.

• Fundación Diálogo Diverso (Ecuador)

• Fundación Organización Migrantes (Chile) 

• Grenada Red Cross Society

• Grupo de Monitoreo Independiente de El Salvador (GMIES)

• Jamaica Climate Change Youth Council (JCCYC)

• Latin America & The Caribbean Migration Youth & Children Platform (MYCP)

• MIREDES Internacional

• Movimiento sociocultural de trabajo humanitario y ambiental (MOSCTHA)

• NGO National Coordinating Coalition

• ONG Plan País

• Organización Manodiversa de Bolivia

• Red AMMPARO

• Red de Periodistas Migrantes (Chile)

• Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS LAC) 

• Red Mesoamericana de Misión y Migración

• Red nacional de Migrantes y Pro Migrantes Chile

• Red Regional de Organizaciones Civiles para las Migraciones (RROCM)

• Red Regional por la Movilidad Humana LGBTIQ+ LAC

• Redes de apoyo y bienvenida a personas migrantes de la Iglesia Metodista en el Uruguay

• Save my Identity in Argentina

• Servicio Ecuménico para la Dignidad Humana (SEDHU)

• Jesuit Refugee Service Argentina-Uruguay

• Jesuit Refugee Service Chile (JRS -Chile)

• Sin Fronteras IAP

• Veneactiva

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