Reception and Reintegration Services in Central America: Ending the Deportee Revolving Door

Hundreds of thousands of Central Americans, deported from Mexico and the United States, have arrived back in the Northern Triangle countries of El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras in the past five years. Often facing conditions that are worse now than when they departed, this rapidly growing population of deportees -including tens of thousands of children- are in danger of entering a revolving door of migration, deportation, and remigration. Without comprehensive reception and reintegration services, deportees struggle to anchor themselves again in their countries of origin. Yet there is little research on current services and their successes and limitations. On this webinar, MPI researchers discuss findings from their report including a detailed examination of reception and reintegration services in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras. They also provide information on the types of services returning migrants receive, their funding sources and capacities, and the number of beneficiaries in each country, while highlighting elements conducive to successful reintegration strategies.  As deportations have increased in recent years, finding successful ways to disrupt the revolving-door phenomenon by providing more and better opportunities for Central America’s people, including through reception programs and reintegration services, is crucial to Central America, Mexico, and the United States.