Going North on a Plane Rather Than a Train: Regulated Visas as an Alternative to Irregular Migration from Central America

This article provides recommendations to make the H-2B visa a more effective tool for managing irregular migration from Central America. The authors argue that the H-2B program and other regulated employment-based programs are important instruments in developing a migration management framework in the region. Regrettably, relatively few (4.7%) of the H-2B seasonal work visas awarded from 2014 to 2020 have gone to people from Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador. Almost all have gone to Mexicans, in part explaining the reduction in irregular migration from Mexico during this period. In 2020, however, the Biden Administration set aside a quota of 6,000 H-2B visas for people from the Northern Triangle countries. In order for these quotas to achieve their intended purpose, the authors recommend that U.S. policymakers work closely with the labor and foreign ministries in Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras to promote safe recruitment in countries of origin and compliance with labor law in the United States. The respective Ministries of Labor could report to the U.S. Department of Labor regarding the compliance of recruiters and employers with U.S. law and the laws in countries of origin.

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