Policy & Advocacy
Backgrounder on Root Causes of Migration to U.S., September 2015
Background on Root Causes of Migration to U.S., September 2015
- Since 2011 the United States experienced a sharp rise in unaccompanied children and family migration at the U.S.–Mexico border driven by a “perfect storm” of interrelated factors.
- USCCB delegations to Central America (2013, 2014) and Mexico (2015) documented violence, economic hardship, weak governance, and family reunification pressures as core drivers.
Primary Push Factors
- Violence and insecurity: Gang activity, the drug trade, corruption, impunity, and human trafficking create pervasive threats that push people to flee.
- Economic deprivation: High unemployment, lack of decent work, and limited access to quality education prevent families from supporting themselves.
- Family reunification: The desire to join relatives in the United States motivates many migrants.
- Trade and structural shocks: Free trade agreements and other external economic forces have harmed local farmers and worsened labor conditions in Mexico and Central America, increasing migration pressure.
USCCB Position
- Right to remain at home: All people should have the ability to stay in their homelands and support their families with dignity; migration should be by choice, not necessity.
- Comprehensive approach: Addressing root causes requires long-term efforts to reduce economic inequality between the United States and sending countries and to strengthen local opportunities.
Policy Recommendations
- Trade reform for just development: Reduce subsidies, tariffs, and quotas that disadvantage poorer countries; make trade negotiations transparent; embed labor standards and protections for affected sectors; protect the right to organize and bargain collectively.
- Rebalance foreign assistance: Prioritize economic development, job creation, education, health, and disaster risk reduction over security and weapons; expand partnerships with local governments, civil society, and the private sector to scale poverty-reduction innovations.
- Support democratic governance and rule of law: Strengthen institutions, combat corruption and impunity, and bolster civil society and accountability mechanisms.
- Protect human rights and religious freedom: Promote policies that safeguard human rights and support religious and civic actors working on development.
- Environmental and indigenous rights: Ensure development policies protect the environment and indigenous communities.
- Address external economic pressures: Tackle destabilizing foreign debt and other external factors that undercut national stability.
- Reduce violence and drug demand: Combat illicit drug trafficking, curb arms flows, fight human trafficking, and implement U.S. domestic policies to reduce drug demand.
- Treaties and aid priorities: Support equitable trade principles, ratify arms-control measures such as the Arms Trade Treaty, and prioritize peaceful development over militarized aid.
Rationale and Goal
The combined strategy of equitable trade, targeted development assistance, strengthened governance, human-rights protections, and reduced violence aims to create living-wage opportunities so people can choose to remain at home, thereby reducing forced migration to the United States.