Migration Policies in Mexico and Venezuela: Analysis of Dissimilar Governmental Responses to Processes of International Immigration and Emigration

During the last two decades Mexico and Venezuela have confronted similar challenges in matters of international migration. Mexico is (a) a place where millions of people have left their country to work and live in the United States, (b) a path for transmigrants, (c) has temporary immigration from Central America in the south of its territory, and (d) faces the return of its nationals due to the restrictive immigration policies in the United States and because the US economy remains sluggish. On the Venezuelan side, emigration to foreign countries has grown in the last fifteen years due to political and economic instabilities. However, the country is also dealing with the necessity to change internal rules in order to guarantee a series of social and labor rights to South American immigrants because Venezuela is now a member of Mercosur. This paper describes the most important migratory patterns that the two countries currently face and analyzes the different responses that both Mexican and Venezuelan governments have given to similar international migration processes: emigration of its nationals and intraregional immigration.