Working Paper: Addressing the Increase of Central American Migrants

Since January 2019, an increasing number of migrants from Central America are being apprehended at our southern border, including unprecedented numbers of family units seeking asylum.

The situation calls for re-examining the effectiveness of the federal government’s current policies and for a dialogue on implementing a new strategy to address the migrants at the border that ensures US laws are being followed while continuing to treat those seeking humanitarian assistance with compassion. This set of policy recommendations includes solutions that can be implemented in the short term to better manage and process the increase in Central American migrants at the southern border, as well as longer-term solutions that address the reasons Central Americans are leaving their home countries in large numbers. These longer-term solutions will require a sustained commitment over a number of years to be successful.

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