UN refugee agency succeeds in resettling more than 10,000 people in Mexico

The integration programme led by the UN agency responsible for protecting refugees and displaced persons has helped more than 10,000 people settle in the US and restart their lives in new communities. The project provides them with relocation to eight central and northern cities, formal employment and the possibility of applying for naturalisation after two years of permanent residence.

The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) reached the milestone at the end of May when it had to step up its efforts to assist the growing number of refugees finding protection in Mexico.

The majority of asylum applications -more than 70%- are made in the south of the country, where integration opportunities are scarce and there are limited integration opportunities and services for people recognised as refugees.

UNHCR's relocation programme, established in 2016, provides these people with the necessary assistance to move to eight cities located in the centre and north of the country, where there is a greater supply of jobs and housing, as well as education and health systems that allow them to better integrate.

The effectiveness of the programme is illustrated by a recent UN study indicating that only 10% of refugees in southern Mexico were employed and 17% were engaged in sporadic informal work. Once resettled, the figures jumped to 92% of refugees in formal employment and with an average income 60% higher than in the south.

The project now has more than 170 national and multinational companies employing refugees.

UNHCR also supports refugees by providing temporary shelter, cultural orientation, vocational training, school enrolment and job placement. In addition, refugees can apply for naturalisation after two years of permanent residence.

Local communities also benefit from this situation by increasing their tax revenues and social security contributions. Over the next twelve months, the 10,000 resettled persons are projected to generate more income than the budget of the Mexican Commission for Refugee Aid (COMAR) by 2021.

The UN agency hopes to replicate this model in other countries, especially after the severe impact on livelihoods and economies caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

The goal of UNHCR's reintegration programme in Mexico by 2021 is to resettle 20,000 people annually from southern areas. These efforts are supported by the Regional Integrated Framework for Protection and Solutions (MIRPS), which aims to address the causes and consequences of forced displacement in the region.

Since 2013, nearly 54,000 people have been granted refugee status in Mexico. Most of them were fleeing gang violence, extortion and persecution in parts of Central America.