UNIVERSITY OF ECONOMICS, PRAGUE FACULTY OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
International and Diplomatic Studies
Master’s Thesis Defence Author: Melissa Baltazar Flores
Supervisor: Mgr. Ing. Pavel Přikryl, Ph.D.
Analysis of the Evolution of Migration Policies in Mexico and the US, from Development to Containment: A Review of Migrant Caravans from the Northern Triangle of Central
America during 2014 to 2020
Content
● Main Issue
● Relevance of the Study
● Research Question
● Literature Review
● Theoretical Framework
● Historical Background
● Commitment to Development
● The Weight of Containment
● Conclusion
Main Issue
● Migrant Caravans from the NTCA
● 2014: Barack Obama declared an
“Immigration Crisis”
● Change in the migration trend
○ Women and unaccompanied minors
○ From temporary to permanent
● New challenges for Mexican and American Governments
● Reaction: From Development to Containment
Relevance of the Study
● Difficulty to measure the volume and characteristics of the flows
● Impact on the policy-making process
● Lack of an effective multilateral strategy
Goal: Demonstrate that the policies of Mexico and the US have been transformed into containment-deportation as a measure to mitigate the massive migration from the Northern Triangle to the US.
Research Question
Why did the change in the trend in the migration flow between 2014 and 2020 cause a transition from development policies to containment?
Hypothesis: The transition of migration policies responds mainly to national security issues, over and above the regional interests.
Literature Review
● Statistical Analysis
● Reports on Migration
○ National Institute of Migration
○ National Institutes of Statistics
○ US Customs and Border Protection
○ NGOs
○ Civil Associations
Theoretical Framework
Macro Level World-System Theory
Micro Level Migration Networks
Historical Background and Causes of Migration
● Civil Wars
● Fragile
Governments
● Economic Reforms
● Inequality
● Natural Disasters
Specific Factors
Lorem 3
Point of Containment Lorem 1
Land of the Maras
Lorem 2
At the heart of the drug trade
Guatemala
El Salvador Honduras
Commitment to Development
Lorem 3
Funding on Human Rights and agricultural supply Lorem 1
Investment on infrastructure and sustainable development
Lorem 2
Improve security and strengthen transparency
USAID Puebla-Panama Plan Alliance for the Prosperity in
the Northern Triangle
The Weight of Containment
Lorem 3
“Third Safe Country”
Dilemma Lorem 1
Drug Trafficking and Organized Crime
Lorem 2
Increase on Detentions and change of migration routes
“Remain in Mexico”
Merida Initiative Southern Border Plan
Conclusion
The change in the formulation of policies of Mexico and the US responds to the protection of their national interests concerning their security, above the search for regional interests, derived from the role they play as core and semi-periphery.
