‘The imposition of visas for Ecuadorians in some countries such as Mexico and Guatemala, since 2021, has caused irregular migration to increase on other routes’

A second wave of Ecuadorian migration would be evident towards the United States, according to an organization that provides legal advice for migrants and their families.

Citing figures from the Immigration department of that country, while in 2020 there were 12,892 Ecuadorians who were detained, expelled or deported, in the first two months of the fiscal year there were 19,046. A difference of more than 6,000 people.

It must be taken into account that in the United States, the fiscal year begins on October 1 and goes until September 30 of the following year.

This newspaper requested an interview with government authorities to address the issue. The Foreign Ministry asked that questions be sent in writing due to the agenda of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Juan Carlos Holguín, and they did so.

These are the responses to the concerns raised by email and which were answered by the Vice Minister of Human Mobility, Silvia Espíndola.

According to an organization that works with migrants, there is a new wave of Ecuadorians going to the United States. What are the figures that the Government manages on detainees, expelled or deported in 2020 and 2021?

We are permanently ensuring the safety of Ecuadorians in human mobility who decide to migrate and when cases of vulnerability arise, we activate the consular network to attend to and protect the rights and integrity of our compatriots.

We are deeply concerned about the increase in irregular migration of Ecuadorian citizens to the United States, through the border with Mexico and the passage through other transit routes in Central America, particularly.

We are struck by the increase in the numbers of Ecuadorians arriving in Nicaragua. For example, in 2022, we know that 27,268 Ecuadorians have entered that country, which is not a tourist destination, and Panama through the Darién jungle.

In the year 2022, 5,132 Ecuadorians were deported from the border of the United States and Mexico, which is an alert and evidence that irregular migration has various risks and consequences, such as deportation with all that this implies.

The Ecuadorian Foreign Ministry has attended, in 2022, 11,658 cases of vulnerability and behind that cold figure, are lives, names and faces.

We know painful stories of accidents, amputations, injuries, deaths and other cases that have to do with extortion, labor slavery, sexual violence, in which life, the dignity of people and human rights are at stake.

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Is there a new migratory wave for the government or how would you describe it?

It is premature to speak of a new migratory wave, since it is necessary to consider that migration is always dynamic and variable. For example, the imposition of visas for Ecuadorians in some countries such as Mexico and Guatemala, since 2021, has caused irregular migration to increase on other routes.

This analysis requires flows and figures for between two and five years, according to specialized international organizations.

What we can affirm is that, today, migrants from Ecuador do not represent the largest migratory presence in Mexico or the United States, because the figures show it.

For example, according to the National Institute of Migration of Mexico there are 13,701 Ecuadorians who represent 3% of the total number of irregular migrants in that territory.

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In the opinion of the regime, what factors influence this exodus?

Irregular migration is due to multiple factors, for example, the offers that migrant smugglers or coyoteros openly make to their victims, appealing, above all, to the American dream, which entails economic and labor issues that are not reality and that, above all, , implies innumerable risks that are not said.

Unfortunately, for traffickers, migrants are merchandise.

On the other hand, one must seriously consider the cultural effect or also called the “call effect”, which has to do with the fact that a family member who is in the United States seeks family reunification.

And in this situation, another factor that has influenced the increase in risky migration has been the possible intention to abolish Title 42 in the United States, which determines expedited deportation, at the time it was approved during the COVID-19 pandemic to prevent its spread.

The coyoteros used this possibility to summon more migrants, who could not have been deported, but we already see that this regulation is maintained.

The Ecuadorian State promotes a safe, orderly and regular migration; In this context, we permanently work on circular migration programs so that Ecuadorian citizens can work in other countries for specific periods and then return to Ecuador.

The issue of human mobility and, particularly, that of risky migration is an important challenge for the country, the region and the continent, which brings together all sectors in common objectives and efforts.

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What are the routes that Ecuadorians are taking now to get to the United States?

In the year 2022, new routes for risky migration have been detected, such as:

Land route that begins by crossing Colombia, crossing the Darién Gap in Panama, and then continuing through the countries of Central America and crossing Mexico until reaching the Mexican-American border.

Mixed route that can be by air to countries that do not request a visa (Nicaragua, El Salvador, Honduras), then from there, by land, until reaching Mexico and then the United States border.

We have detected new routes through Caribbean countries, such as the Dominican Republic and Cuba.

Do you have an estimate of how many Ecuadorians have crossed the Darien desert, and if so, what actions have been implemented?

According to data provided by the Panamanian authorities, until 2022 the number of Ecuadorian citizens who crossed the Darién was 21,535 people.

The Foreign Ministry, through the Embassy and Consulate of Ecuador in Panama, has coordinated actions to support Ecuadorian citizens who venture to cross that inhospitable area that puts the lives and integrity of migrants at serious risk.

According to the president of the Mobility Commission of the Assembly, around 271,000 people left Ecuador and did not return, and more than 5,600 children, from October to mid-December, have been detained at the United States border. Do these figures corroborate? If not, what are they and what is done, in those cases?

This information must be reviewed with the Ministry of the Interior, which is the competent entity for handling migratory flow issues.

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What actions does the Government implement to prevent irregular migration to that country from continuing?

The Ecuadorian Government works to prevent, prosecute and punish migration crimes, promoting circular migration programs.

Actions are also promoted in the economic, productive and social fields, among others, through three lines of action: security; social development and productive opportunities; training and dissemination.

We have created an inter-institutional table to address the issue of risky migration, based on each of the powers that national institutions have, in order to address the main areas from public policy. (YO)