Life after deportation: Repatriation, Risk and Resilience among asylum-seekers and migrant families in Guatemala and Mexico (L.I.F.E)
Lead Research Organisation:
University College London
Department Name: Education, Practice & Society
Abstract
This project examines the effects of US immigration policies on asylum-seekers and transit migrants who have been forcibly returned to Mexico and Guatemala as a result of new third country asylum processing agreements. It explores how they and their families experience risk and insecurity during this process, and also how they may develop coping mechanisms to mitigate these stressful situations. Crucially, it investigates the evolving asylum processing and receiving context in Mexico and Guatemala and interrogates claims that these states are 'safe third countries' for asylum-seekers who wish to come to the USA. It draws upon our previous work on the ways in which asylum governance and the infrastructure for humanitarian protection have been sub-contracted to neighbouring states and uses the insights gained from those studies to inform an investigation into the risks faced by asylum-seeking families and deported migrants in Guatemala and Mexico. Our ambition is for this first stage project to feed into and provide a secure basis for a major follow on research programme in Mexico, Guatemala and the neighbouring states.
This first-phase study , carried out by the international team, will involve a multi-method approach including (i) desk-based research (combining policy analysis with key informant expert interviews); (ii) a series of rapid assessments involving analysis of crime statistics; observations of living conditions in Mexico and Guatemala; interviews with families sent to 'safe' third countries; and a gender impact study. These research activities will investigate the risks for asylum-seeking and migrant families; how families navigate these asylum and immigration systems and structures; and the impact of return on individuals and families; (iii) participatory arts-based research activities with children and young people living in a migrant shelter to better understand the impact of displacement and separation on them; and (iv) a policy synthesis of what has been learned from 'safe country and off-shore processing asylum systems in other global settings. Outputs from the study will include an advocacy tool-kit developed from the testimonies of asylum-seeking and migrant adults and children; a series of public engagement and policy events to share knowledge and learning from the work; and a proposal for a larger international collaborative body of research on migration and asylum governance across the region.
This first-phase study , carried out by the international team, will involve a multi-method approach including (i) desk-based research (combining policy analysis with key informant expert interviews); (ii) a series of rapid assessments involving analysis of crime statistics; observations of living conditions in Mexico and Guatemala; interviews with families sent to 'safe' third countries; and a gender impact study. These research activities will investigate the risks for asylum-seeking and migrant families; how families navigate these asylum and immigration systems and structures; and the impact of return on individuals and families; (iii) participatory arts-based research activities with children and young people living in a migrant shelter to better understand the impact of displacement and separation on them; and (iv) a policy synthesis of what has been learned from 'safe country and off-shore processing asylum systems in other global settings. Outputs from the study will include an advocacy tool-kit developed from the testimonies of asylum-seeking and migrant adults and children; a series of public engagement and policy events to share knowledge and learning from the work; and a proposal for a larger international collaborative body of research on migration and asylum governance across the region.
Planned Impact
Who might benefit from this research?
1) Asylum-seekers, transit migrants and their families
Our expressed aim is to use research findings in order to inform asylum and migration policies and improve humanitarian practice in the context of migration by generating knowledge of conditions in the return context and coping strategies deployed by those in limbo; and by sharing this information to benefit asylum-seekers, returned migrants, and their families. While the focus is on present-day asylum seekers in Guatemala and Mexico, the trend in development safe third country agreements and offshore processing is not limited to this region. As we state in the case for support, asylum-seekers detained in Papua New Guinea and on Nauru also face situations of protracted uncertainty; those entrusted with their protection, in addition to the asylum-seekers themselves, can benefit from the comparative insights the project will bring.
2) Other categories of displaced persons
The research will shed light on the effects of displacement on families, social structures, young people and gender norms. It will therefore be of benefit to other groups of displaced people elsewhere.
3) State services, protection agencies and support organisations
The project will identify challenges in the return context and for those working in asylum processing centres on the US/Mexican border. It will also expose opportunities to press for change and highlight resilience through better understanding how migrant people, despite adversity, find ways to navigate systems and structures which are detrimental to their wellbeing . The project will therefore be of considerable value in illuminating the impact and human costs of migration governance policy to the governments of Mexico (federal and state), Guatemala; as well as better informing protection and support services working on behalf of asylum-seeking populations e.g. UNHCR, WFP, UNICEF, local chapters of the ICRC.
How might they benefit from this research?
1) Asylum seekers, transit migrants and their families will be given an opportunity to express their voices and present their accounts of displacement, dislocation and forced return. Such opportunities may help to identify coping strategies and enhance their belief in their own agency. The participatory research approach is designed to facilitate just that. Their voices will be further amplified through the public information and advocacy initiatives, using local radio, audio-visual recording, and newsletters. This outreach may serve to strengthen their communities and build new coalitions for change.
2) Other categories of displaced persons may take lessons from the experiences recorded over the course of the research. This includes possibly negative lessons, which may help them to militate for rights-affirming policies, during the design of future policy initiatives; and also positive examples. The research focus on the Hermosillo child migrant shelter in particular may offer useful lessons about the ways in which unaccompanied and separated migrant children and young people face the challenges of displacement and separation.
3) Social service providers need evidence in order to design effective policy and to allocate resources accordingly. The research will provide concrete evidence of ways in which service providers may better engage returned asylum-seekers and also, as a result of the gender and age dis-aggregated approach, how best to target resources and design interventions - whether for displaced women, children, young people, or men
1) Asylum-seekers, transit migrants and their families
Our expressed aim is to use research findings in order to inform asylum and migration policies and improve humanitarian practice in the context of migration by generating knowledge of conditions in the return context and coping strategies deployed by those in limbo; and by sharing this information to benefit asylum-seekers, returned migrants, and their families. While the focus is on present-day asylum seekers in Guatemala and Mexico, the trend in development safe third country agreements and offshore processing is not limited to this region. As we state in the case for support, asylum-seekers detained in Papua New Guinea and on Nauru also face situations of protracted uncertainty; those entrusted with their protection, in addition to the asylum-seekers themselves, can benefit from the comparative insights the project will bring.
2) Other categories of displaced persons
The research will shed light on the effects of displacement on families, social structures, young people and gender norms. It will therefore be of benefit to other groups of displaced people elsewhere.
3) State services, protection agencies and support organisations
The project will identify challenges in the return context and for those working in asylum processing centres on the US/Mexican border. It will also expose opportunities to press for change and highlight resilience through better understanding how migrant people, despite adversity, find ways to navigate systems and structures which are detrimental to their wellbeing . The project will therefore be of considerable value in illuminating the impact and human costs of migration governance policy to the governments of Mexico (federal and state), Guatemala; as well as better informing protection and support services working on behalf of asylum-seeking populations e.g. UNHCR, WFP, UNICEF, local chapters of the ICRC.
How might they benefit from this research?
1) Asylum seekers, transit migrants and their families will be given an opportunity to express their voices and present their accounts of displacement, dislocation and forced return. Such opportunities may help to identify coping strategies and enhance their belief in their own agency. The participatory research approach is designed to facilitate just that. Their voices will be further amplified through the public information and advocacy initiatives, using local radio, audio-visual recording, and newsletters. This outreach may serve to strengthen their communities and build new coalitions for change.
2) Other categories of displaced persons may take lessons from the experiences recorded over the course of the research. This includes possibly negative lessons, which may help them to militate for rights-affirming policies, during the design of future policy initiatives; and also positive examples. The research focus on the Hermosillo child migrant shelter in particular may offer useful lessons about the ways in which unaccompanied and separated migrant children and young people face the challenges of displacement and separation.
3) Social service providers need evidence in order to design effective policy and to allocate resources accordingly. The research will provide concrete evidence of ways in which service providers may better engage returned asylum-seekers and also, as a result of the gender and age dis-aggregated approach, how best to target resources and design interventions - whether for displaced women, children, young people, or men
Organisations
- University College London (Lead Research Organisation)
- University College London (Collaboration)
- UN University Centre for Policy Research (Collaboration)
- Victoria University (Project Partner)
- Stanford University (Project Partner)
- University of California, San Diego (Project Partner)
- Harvard University (Project Partner)
- Government of Mexico (Project Partner)
- The University of Texas at El Paso (Project Partner)
Publications
Passarelli, D
(2021)
Blog: Rights Literacy in the Context of Indigenous Migration
Muñiz Trejo R
(2021)
Context of shelters for migrants in Nuevo Leon, Mexico
Jerez F.
(2022)
Migration Stories: Summary of Findings Guatemala
Glockner V.
(2023)
Re-bordering during COVID-19: Women and children as tools for immigration control at the USA-Mexico border
in Environment and Planning C. (EPC)
Glockner V
(2022)
The theoretical and practical potential of 'acompañamiento' for research with people marginalised through immigration controls
in Ottawa University Press
| Description | Although the full analysis of the research is not yet complete (due to severe challenges as a result of Covid-19) - some important insights have emerged from the research (which has involved interviews with more than 100 people in Mexico, Guatemala and on the borders with the USA). In Guatemala, the work has generated some key insights into: (i) People's extensive knowledge of the risks involved in migration and how current policies fail to understand the complex reasons why people still choose to migrate. Instead they focus too much on containment and assuming that people do not recognise the risks; (ii) the complex processes of debt accumulation through migratory projects and people's logics of investment even though the returns may take many years/ even generations. Also insights into how actors such as banks and loan operators manipulate the need to migrate and exacerbate debts incurred by migrants and their families - at times culminating in land grabbing in order to service debts; (iii) How families become separated and fractured both through migratory projects and through migration governance policies; (iv) Migrant people's lack of knowledge about what rights they have in contexts of migration and the lack of access to due processes to enable them to exercise rights (this is something that we are developing further through the work on critical rights literacy). In Mexico research conducted in migrant shelters and migratory routes have provided rich insights into: (i) How the Covid-19 pandemic impacted the operation of and people's access to migrant shelters and the effects on people's migratory journeys and experiences; (ii) The different forms of violence to which migrant men, women and children were subjected to (including sexual violence) and how these were exacerbated during the pandemic; (iii) the impacts on migrants health and wellbeing including access to health services, impacts on mental health (including the mental health of children and young people); (iv) the changing demographics in terms of who was moving during the pandemic and who became immobile; (v) how migration governance measures including border closures and specific policies such as Title 42 (a public measure employed to deport people immediately without allowing them to access due legal process) were operationalised during the pandemic and their impact on people's lives; this includes insights from women who were subjected to Title 42 deportations and the impact these had on their own and their children's lives. Through our analysis, in line with the promotion of gender equality, we want to emphasise the specific challenges for women and men subject to migration control governance and to highlight the sorts of measures that need to be in place to address their specific health and wellbeing needs |
| Exploitation Route | Normally this pilot research would have been developed into a phase II research project for the GCRF cluster funded research programme. However, this funding for the second phase was cut and core funding from the phase I project was reduced as a result of cuts to ODA spending. However, the pilot research has enabled us to develop a strong core research team who intend to submit a further proposal for funding once the analysis of phase one is complete. Particular areas we want to develop are in relation to health and education/ learning and in particular what health and education/ learning measures should look like in contexts of migration. We also want to develop the work further specifically in relation to indigenous migrant communities. One key development is that we have secured an AHRC network grant to develop a network for Peace and Trust in conflict affected settings. This is an opportunity to build on our networks in Guatemala and Mexico and extend them further to include colleagues from Turkey, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Thailand and Afghanistan. This is also an opportunity to build on the work we have started through the project on critical rights literacy - so understanding not just what information people need about their rights but what processes need to be in place to enable them to exercise these (this was a key focus of our invite with the UNU- CPR held at the end of 2021). The work can be taken forward by academics, practitioners, activists and civil society organisations. The outputs will include a series of advocacy materials that can be used by civil society actors to promote the rights of migrant communities and support strategic litigation to redress violations of people's rights. Although there have been delays in finalising the outputs, we have no doubt that they will provide a rich set of tools and resources for a diverse range of actors as well as important theoretical and academic contributions. |
| Sectors | Communities and Social Services/Policy,Education,Healthcare,Government, Democracy and Justice,Culture, Heritage, Museums and Collections,Security and Diplomacy |
| URL | https://www.deporting-lives.co.uk/ |
| Description | Emerging findings from the research have been presented at a number of important international events and symposia. In November 2021 in collaboration with UNU's Center for Policy Research - we organised and presented key findings at an international event on Critical Rights literacy among indigenous migrant communities in Mexico and Guatemala (https://cpr.unu.edu/events/archive/event/rights-literacy-in-indigenous-migrant-communities.html). This was attended by a number of UN and international organisations such as IOM, UNU; UNEP; UN Women, Human Rights Watch as well as national and local civil society organisations working with migrant communities and indigenous migrant communities. Findings helped to further highlight the disconnect between current migration governance systems and the lack of people's access to rights and due process through their migratory journeys (this work is ongoing and will be developed further); findings from the research have also been used to inform sections of an important report by La Red de Documentación de las Organizaciones Defensoras de Migrantes (REDODEM) on the situation of migrants in Mexico and the challenges that migrant shelters were facing in being able to offer protection and support in the context of Covid-19; findings were also presented at a symposium for research institutions in Latin America conducting research on the impacts of Covid-19 (http://southernvoice.org/initiative-covid-19). Findings were reported in relation to people being deported despite having Covid-19 and how this created difficulties and unrest within the communities they were being sent back. The impacts of the COVID-19 measures particularly on women and children have been written up into a paper (Glockner and Chase) which will be published later in 2023 in a Special Issue of Environment and Planning C. (EPC). These are examples of how findings are beginning to be used by wider audiences. We anticipate that there will be a great many more dissemination opportunities and use of the finding as we complete the analysis. |
| First Year Of Impact | 2021 |
| Sector | Education,Healthcare,Government, Democracy and Justice,Security and Diplomacy |
| Impact Types | Cultural,Societal,Policy & public services |
| Description | Creation of Protocols National Foster Family Program (with JUCONI) |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Contribution to new or improved professional practice |
| Description | Connecting ecology of knowledges and voices at the margins for peace and equality |
| Amount | £60,000 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | AH/W009846/1 |
| Organisation | Arts & Humanities Research Council (AHRC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 02/2022 |
| End | 01/2024 |
| Description | Vulnerable Children in a Hostile Environment: The Legal and Social Impacts of Covid-19 on Young Unaccompanied Asylum-Seekers in England |
| Amount | £354,136 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | ES/W000474/1 |
| Organisation | Economic and Social Research Council |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 01/2021 |
| End | 07/2022 |
| Description | AHRC-funded peace with justice network |
| Organisation | University College London |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Partners from the LIFE project in Mexico and Guatemala have now become part of a wider international network of scholars and activists working in contexts of migration, displacement and conflict where indigenous peoples are seeking to promote peace and justice in contexts of violence and discrimination. |
| Collaborator Contribution | The network provides a space for collaboration for sharing learning and strategies for promoting peace and justice across 8 global contexts (Mexico, Guatemala, Myanmar, Thailand, Nepal, Turkey, India, Rojava).. The network is facilitated by colleagues at UCL but has become an active collaborative space for addressing major global societal and economic challenges across a range of DAC listed countries. |
| Impact | A series or regional and global symposia for knowledge and practice exchange (on going). An international conference in July in Thailand (hosted by Chulalongkorn University - one of our partners) A series of working papers exploring issues related to promoting peace and justice in contexts of displacement, conflict and marginalisation across the eight countries. Collaboration is multidisciplinary including education, development studies, anthropology, political science, migration studies, health promotion, sociology. |
| Start Year | 2022 |
| Description | Collaboration with United Nations University Centre for Policy Research |
| Organisation | UN University Centre for Policy Research |
| Country | United States |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | Research partners from the Life Facing Deportation Project joined with UNU CPR to develop an international symposium on critical rights literacy. This explored the factors impacting access to rights for indigenous migrant communities in Mexico and Guatemala. It involved the participation and collaboration of a broad range of civil society organisations supporting indigenous migrant communities and laid the basis for ongoing collaboration and networking |
| Collaborator Contribution | Partners brought together a broad range of civil society actors and organisations representing indigenous migrant communities in Mexico and Guatemala. The input of the views and perspectives of these communities provided crucial insights into the challenges faced by indigenous communities in accessing their rights to due process during their migration. |
| Impact | A Blog - on the key issues of rights for indigenous migrant communities: https://cpr.unu.edu/publications/articles/rights-literacy-indigenous-migration.html A full report of proceedings and next steps (to be completed by end of March 2022 and will be posted on Life Facing Deportation project website: https://www.deporting-lives.co.uk/ Ongoing network of broad range of organisations and civil society actors focusing on the rights of indigenous populations Laid the basis for a further funding proposal for related research (currently underdevelopment) by the Life Facing Project team and partners |
| Start Year | 2021 |
| Description | Conducting research on Covid-19 impacts in Latin America |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Third sector organisations |
| Results and Impact | The event brought together researchers in Latin America to explore issues related to conducting research in the context of Covid-19 and its impacts. Members of the Life Facing Deportation research team reported on preliminary findings in relation to people being deported despite being Covid-19 positive and this was causing unrest in the communities to which they were being sent. These insights promoted discussion and debate among research participants. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | http://southernvoice.org/initiative-covid-19/ |
| Description | Facing Deportation: A game of cat and mouse (featuring the Life Facing Deportation team) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | The podcast discusses the impacts of deportation through the experience of one young man. It highlighted the importance of the Life Facing Deportation research and its focus on adopting an international/ comparative perspective in order to understand the complexities of deportation procedures and their global impact. The podcast has generated further debate and discussion among students and promoted the Life facing deportation research and its importance. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| URL | https://www.deporting-lives.co.uk/resources?lightbox=dataItem-kdii623r |
| Description | Indigenous Migration in Mexico, Guatemala in the USA - in conversation with Valentina Glocker and Walter Flores |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | The podcast focused on the experiences of indigenous migrant communities and involved conversations with Professor Valentina Glockner (based on her experience of working with indigenous communities in Mexico) and Dr Walter Flores - reflecting on his work with indigenous communities in Guatemala (through CEGSS). The purpose was to raise awareness of the complexity of these issues. The podcast was followed up by an international symposium on critical rights literacy in relation to the lives and circumstances of indigenous migrant communities (see listed event in collaboration with UNU-CPR) |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://open.spotify.com/episode/5mjVM5nqymCq6YSM65gxzX?si=yfEU8m0JTeGcN19RM3OtKw&dl_branch=1&nd=1 |
| Description | International Workshop on Critical rights literacy with indigenous migrant communities |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Third sector organisations |
| Results and Impact | The event brought together key international and local/community actors focusing on the rights of indigenous migrant communities - with a specific focus on work with indigenous communities in Mexico and Guatemala. It involved representation from UN and other international agencies including UNU, UN Women, UNEP, Human Rights Watch, ILO, as well as an extensive range of national and indigenous organisations. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://cpr.unu.edu/events/archive/event/rights-literacy-in-indigenous-migrant-communities.html |
| Description | Life Facing Deportation website |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | The website provides an overview of the Life Facing Deportation project (including its aims and objectives). It contains background information on the research sites, includes details of research collaborators and members of the advisory board. It provides a repository for interim outputs including working papers and policy briefs. The material provided is in Spanish and English. It also provides links to a range of resources relevant to the study of deportations within Mexico, Guatemala and the USA and globally. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| URL | https://www.deporting-lives.co.uk/ |