United States Regional Efforts on Migration Regional Consultative

United States’ Regional Efforts on Migration Regional Consultative Group on Migration December 2012 Panama City, Panama

Overview Supporting RCM Member Countries Through: 1. Building Capacity to Protect and Assist Vulnerable Migrants, including Border Areas § Presented by U. S. Department of State/Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (PRM) 2. Operational and Technical Support § Presented by U. S. Department of Homeland Security/Office of International Affairs (OIA)

PRM Overview PRM Mission Statement: Provide protection, ease suffering, and resolve the plight of persecuted and uprooted people around the world on behalf of the American people by providing life-sustaining assistance, working through multilateral systems to build global partnerships, promoting best practices in humanitarian response, and ensuring that humanitarian principles are thoroughly integrated into U. S. foreign and national security policy. In Mexico and Central America, PRM works with international partners and NGOs to provide assistance and sustainable solutions for refugees, vulnerable migrants, and stateless persons In 2012, PRM programmed over $40 million to UNHCR, ICRC, IOM and NGOs for protection and assistance to mostly Colombian IDPs and refugees in Central and South America

PRM Regional Migration Program Regional Program to Strengthen Capacities to Protect and Assist Vulnerable Migrants in Mesoamerica • IOM-implemented program to build government and civil society capacity to protect vulnerable migrants • Trainings, standard operating procedures, care models, access to justice, information campaigns • RCM-related activities: § Regional guidelines on migrant identification and referral § Support to meetings on migrant smuggling and human trafficking § Support to meetings on extra-continental migration

PRM Regional Migration Program Regional Program to Strengthen Capacities to Protect and Assist Vulnerable Migrants in Mesoamerica Strengthening Migration Management and Protection at Borders: • • • Vulnerability assessment forms Database of migrant profiles Referral agreements with local service providers Cross-border coordination meetings Equipment and infrastructure upgrades Training in migrant protection • Rapid needs assessments

Department of Homeland Security - The Joint Security Program (JSP) actively targets and investigates fraudulent documents and alien smuggling through Advance Passenger Information (API) analysis, passenger/behavioral assessment and investigative support. § Since it began in September 2011, the program has interdicted over 200 fraudulent documents and multiple alien smugglers § One goal of the program is to disrupt illegal migration to and through Panama, the U. S. , and the region. § Another goal is to counter smuggling networks, many of which are involved in human trafficking. - The U. S. Department of Homeland Security and Panamanian Government, through an information sharing agreement, are collaborating on API targeting and analysis and the establishment of a Panamanian analysis and targeting center. § The hope is that regional targeting infrastructure can be established in the near future.

Department of Homeland Security - Operation Against Smugglers Initiative on Safety and Security (OASISS) § Mexico-U. S. program designed to protect migrants from unscrupulous smugglers § Interdict and dismantle criminal smuggling organizations - Involves bi-national prosecution efforts, cross border investigations, and coordinated law enforcement efforts - Had an effective impact on dismantling smuggling organizations and identifying criminal elements in both countries - Could serve as a model for other countries to coordinate law enforcement efforts targeting smuggling organizations

Department of Homeland Security - Dangers of the Journey to Cross the Border public awareness campaign § Goal is to dissuade potential undocumented migrants, particularly 12 - to 17 -year-olds from El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras, from embarking on the dangerous trek north to enter the U. S. illegally. § Campaign highlights the dangers they may face, which includes robbery and violence, to being drawn into sex trafficking and forced labor, to loss of limb or life. § Will use videos, posters, radio spots, movie trailers, and songs to target audience, including parents, grandparents, and guardians living in the United States. - First phase of the campaign will launch in mid-December 2012 to reach the intended audience before the holiday season, with additional media buys running from January-March 2013.

Department of Homeland Security - Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) • Permanent Attaché offices and personnel stationed in Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras and Panama. • ICE/HSI Guatemala has the responsibility to provide support to Belize and ICE/HSI Panama has the responsibility to provide support to Costa Rica and Nicaragua. - ICE/HSI conducts and coordinates transnational investigations into organizations that conduct human trafficking and smuggling, money laundering, narcotics smuggling, weapons/munitions smuggling, sensitive technologies, sex tourism, trademark violations, cybercrimes and human rights violators and war criminals. - ICE/HSI Attaché offices work with immigration and other host government law enforcement officials to assist investigations to dismantle global criminal organizations who operate in our collective region. - ICE/HSI supports the RCM, SICA and OCAM.

Department of Homeland Security - ICE/HSI provides training opportunities to host government immigration, law enforcement, and other officials. This includes investigative techniques on trafficking in persons, financial/money laundering, detection of bulk cash smugglers, narcotics trafficking, crime scene processing, collection of evidence, fraudulent document identification, gang investigations, cybercrime investigations and border security and inspection techniques. - ICE/HSI works with the host government and Interpol to identify and coordinate the deportation of wanted persons in the U. S. and in the deportation process. - ICE/HSI and CBP are providing support to Panama’s efforts to restructure their immigration and customs agencies.

Thank You - - Gracias Questions?