Fwd: Latin America's Evolving Refugee Policies; Asian Immigrants in the US--Migration Information Source, January 14, 2016

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January 14, 2016 Also in the Newsletter Have You Read? Top 10 Migration Issues of 2015 Origin and Community: Asian and Latin American Unauthorized Youth and U.S. Deportation Relief Revolution and Political Transition in Tunisia: A Migration Game Changer? Keep up with the Source Subscribe Not on the list? Continue receiving these updates by subscribing today. RSS Feed Subscribe to the RSS feed to keep up with the latest articles. Follow MPI New from MPI A Profile of U.S. Children with Unauthorized Immigrant Parents By Randy Capps, Michael Fix, and Jie Zong Trends in Unaccompanied Child and Family Migration from Central America By Marc R. Rosenblum and Isabel Ball	Feature Protecting the Forcibly Displaced: Latin America's Evolving Refugee and Asylum Framework Signed more than 30 years ago, the Cartagena Declaration sought to address rising flows of refugees and establish regional solidarity in refugee protection in Latin America. This article explores the evolution of refugee and asylum policies in Latin America amid the long-running Colombian civil war, as well as the region's response to the current global refugee crisis. Spotlight Asian Immigrants in the United States The number of Asian immigrants in the United States has increased exponentially over the last 50 years, and Asia is now the second-largest region of birth of U.S. immigrants. The growth of this population dates to the abolition in 1965 of national-origin quotas that barred immigration from Asia. This article delves into key data on Asian immigrants, from settlement and employment patterns to immigration pathways, and more. Editor's Note Canada this week officially welcomed the arrival of the 10,000th Syrian refugee since November. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who took office on November 4, campaigned on a promise to bring 25,000 Syrians to Canada by the end of 2015, though repeated delays have pushed the deadline to the end of February. Immigration Minister John McCallum has said an additional 10,000 to 25,000 refugees beyond the pledged 25,000 could be admitted later this year. Working with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Canada deployed 230 Canadian Armed Forces personnel to Lebanon, Turkey, and Jordan—where the majority of Syrians who fled the country are based—to aid processing and medical screenings in order to meet the admissions target. With planeloads of refugees arriving in Canada weekly, the government and refugee agencies—about half of the refugees are privately sponsored—have turned to addressing the urgent need for housing, with thousands of places being prepared at Canadian military bases. Despite last week's widely condemned pepper-spray attack at a welcoming ceremony in Vancouver, the public response has been largely positive, from welcoming messages on social media and in newspapers to a video of children sending encouraging words. This stands in contrast to the United States, where the November Paris attacks, while perpetrated by European nationals, prompted 31 governors to announce they would not accept Syrian refugees in their states. To show his support for his earlier commitment to resettle 10,000 Syrian refugees during this fiscal year, President Obama invited a Syrian refugee to his final State of the Union address. Syrian refugees continue to be resettled in the United States and other countries. Between October and December 2015, 674 Syrians were resettled in the United States. With the arrival of several planes in London and Belfast in mid-December, UK Prime Minister David Cameron announced his government had met its target of resettling 1,000 Syrians by Christmas. Ireland has pledged to accept 4,000 refugees over the next two years, and new legislation was passed in December to streamline the country's asylum process in anticipation of their arrival. And in Iceland, the first of 55 Syrian refugees to be resettled from camps in Lebanon are due to arrive next week. As Syria's neighbors struggle to provide for the several million refugees within their borders, and Europe grapples with accommodation and distribution of the continuing inflow of Syrian and other asylum seekers and migrants, third-country resettlement remains a key component of the international humanitarian response. But, as outgoing UN High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres noted, only the "most vulnerable members of an already vulnerable population" are referred for resettlement, and other solutions must be found. Sincerely, Zara Rabinovitch Editor, Migration Information Source source@migrationpolicy.org The Migration Information Source is a project of the Migration Policy Institute, a nonpartisan, nonprofit think tank in Washington, DC dedicated to analysis of the movement of people worldwide. Copyright @ 2016 Migration Policy Institute. All rights reserved. MPI | 1400 16th St. NW, Suite 300 | Washington, DC 20036 ph: (001) 202-266-1940 | fax: (001) 202-266-1900 source@migrationpolicy.org