Quarterly Mixed Migration Updates, Quarter 2 – 2024 (April-June)
This article presents the key updates on mixed migration from six regions around the world during the second quarter of 2024. Links to the full Quarterly Mixed Migration Updates (QMMU) per region are included below.
Asia and the Pacific | Eastern and Southern Africa | Europe | Latin America and the Caribbean | North Africa | West Africa
Asia and the Pacific
Key Updates Quarter 2 – 2024
- Bangladeshi migrants top arrivals to Italy by sea: Bangladeshi nationals account for 23% of the 11,416 irregular sea arrivals to Italy last quarter. They also account for 12% of all recorded fatalities on Mediterranean crossings in 2024. A tragic incident in June involving a capsized boat near Lampedusa, carrying migrants from Bangladesh, Pakistan, Syria, and Egypt, continues to highlight the extreme risks faced by migrants attempting these sea crossings.
- Contrasting refugee policies in India: Manipur state deported 38 Myanmar refugees on May 2 and more deportations are anticipated in the coming months. Simultaneously, 14 refugees were the first group to be granted citizenship under the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), reflecting India’s policy dichotomy in relation to refugees.
- Reports continue to emerge of forced conscription efforts in Myanmar, alongside tightened travel controls: Across Myanmar, men and some women, are reportedly being forcibly recruited into the Myanmar military. Simultaneously Myanmar’s de facto authorities have tightened travel controls by suspending overseas work permit applications for men and requiring all citizens to obtain unique identifier numbers to leave the country.
- Sharp rise in Vietnamese irregular migration to the UK and US: Vietnamese nationals led Channel crossings to the UK in the first quarter of 2024, with a tenfold increase between Jan 1 and April 21 compared to the previous year. In the US, Vietnamese arrivals via Mexico totalled 3,293 in 2023, an over tenfold increase compared to 263 in 2022. In 2024, 2,383 arrivals were recorded to the US border within the first two months alone.
- Rohingya face continued issues in Myanmar and Bangladesh: Between February and April 2024, over 300 Rohingya were pushed back to Myanmar while attempting to cross the border into Bangladesh. Reports also cite increasing risks of abduction by armed groups within Bangladesh. Within Myanmar, escalating conflict between the Arakan army and the military have seen Rohingya caught in the crossfire.
Thematic Focus: The Humanitarian Crisis and Its Impact on Afghan Women’s Migration
Read the full QMMU
Eastern and Southern Africa | Egypt & Yemen
Key Updates Quarter 2 – 2024
- The war in Sudan continues to fuel internal displacement and cross-border movements: Compared to the previous quarter, cross-border movements have increased by 42% in Libya (10,836), 14% in South Sudan (718,560), 13% in Ethiopia (134,447), 8% in Chad (786,036) and 8% in the Central African Republic (31,649).
- Extended military campaigns lead to continued decrease in arrivals in Yemen: In April-May, 3,164 migrants entered Yemen, marking an 87% decrease when compared to the same period in 2023.
- New MMC evidence confirms that despite widescale reporting in 2023, migrant killings at the Saudi-Yemeni border are continuing. In addition, in Q2, three boats capsized off the coasts of Djibouti and Yemen, with at least 103 migrants confirmed to have drowned.
- Sudanese deported from Egypt: Amnesty International reported on the arrest, detention and deportation of Sudanese without an authorized status in Egypt back to war-torn Sudan.
- Rwanda deal becomes law in the UK, but subsequently gets scrapped by new Labour government: Following the passing of the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Act 2024, the UK Home Office launched a campaign in Q2 to identify and detain migrants who were eligible for deportation to Rwanda. However, in early Q3, following the UK general election, the new Labour party Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced abandoning the Rwanda deportation act, while seeking to implement alternative ways to curb irregular migration.
- Migrants intercepted along the Southern Route: In Q2, several groups of Ethiopians were apprehended while en route to South Africa in Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Furthermore, Mozambican authorities reported arresting more than 5,000 migrants since the beginning of the year, of which most were Malawian, Zambian and Zimbabwean, while South Africa intercepted 3,841 over the Easter period.
Thematic Focus: Displacement linked to severe flooding in East Africa
Read the full QMMU
Europe
Key Updates Quarter 2 – 2024
- Changing route usage: According to UNHCR the Eastern Mediterranean route to Greece saw more than a doubling in arrivals compared to the same period in 2023. In contrast, the Central Mediterranean route to Italy experienced a drop in entries (-63%) from Q2 of the previous year. The Western Mediterranean and Atlantic routes to Spain are comparable to the same period in 2023, with the majority of arrivals through the Canary Islands.
- Central Mediterranean remains busiest route: Despite a drop in arrivals (-63%) compared to the same quarter in 2023, according to UNHCR data the Central Mediterranean route remains the busiest migration pathway into the EU, followed by the Eastern Mediterranean route to Greece.
- Alarming rise in deaths on sea routes to Spain: A report from Caminando Fronteras revealed over 5,000 fatalities on sea routes between Africa and Spain in the first five months of 2024. An alarming increase of almost 700% in the first five months of 2024 over the same period in 2023.
- Pushbacks and human rights violations: Renewed allegations of Greek coastguard involvement in pushbacks revealed by BBC investigation, including incidents where migrants were reportedly thrown overboard or abandoned in life rafts.
- Stranded migrants in Cyprus buffer zone: Nearly 30 asylum seekers, including children, are stranded in Cyprus’s U.N.-controlled buffer zone between the Turkish-occupied north and the internationally recognised south, with UNHCR urging Cyprus to process asylum requests in the buffer zone.
- Rwanda deportation plan ‘dead’, following electoral results in UK: the new UK Prime Minister confirmed that his government will end the scheme, which he qualified as costly and ineffective, promising a new approach to tackling irregular migration.
- EU extends temporary protection for Ukrainian refugees until 2026: In June, the EU extended temporary protection for Ukrainian refugees, allowing them to continue benefiting from residence rights and access to essential services until March 4, 2026.
- EU adopts comprehensive migration and asylum reform: In April, the European Parliament approved the New Pact on Migration and Asylum, establishing unified rules for managing asylum seekers within the EU, despite mixed reactions from member states and criticism from NGOs.
Thematic Focus: Hard winds coming: Impacts of the EU elections for mixed migration
Read the full QMMULatin America and the Caribbean
Key Updates Quarter 2 – 2024
- Venezuelans continue to move: While the primary movements out of Venezuela have slowed, the demographic is changing, and new arrivals now tend to be those in greater economic need. At the same time, the secondary movement of Venezuelans in neighbouring countries is increasing.
- Departures from Ecuador are increasing: The Ministry of the Interior estimates that 80,000 have left in the first half of 2024, with 68,000 leaving in February and March. In addition, Ecuadorians were the second most common nationality passing through the Darien since the start of 2024, with 3,175 passages recorded in April and May.
- Costa Rica has adopted a new, more progressive refugee law: The new law removes the one-month filing deadline for refugee applications after irregular entry and increases access to appeals, enhancing procedural protections.
- The third ministerial meeting following up on the Los Angeles Declaration agreed on a raft of new migration management policies: From expanding the mandate of the Safe Mobility Offices (SMOs) in Guatemala to addressing the situation of Hondurans and Venezuelans to supporting the reinforcement of Costa Rica’s asylum adjudication system.
- Overhaul of US border management: The Biden administration’s Presidential Proclamation on safeguarding the border introduces significant new limitations to accessing asylum, banning applications for asylum when the number of migrants exceeds a certain number, reducing access to complimentary types of protection and providing for accelerated deportations.
- Panama’s new president vows to shut down the Darien: newly elected Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino vows to “shut down” the Darien and signs an agreement with the US for support in doing so.
Thematic Focus: New Panama-US partnership to shut down the Darien
Read the full QMMU
North Africa
Key Updates Quarter 2 – 2024
- Moroccans and Algerians lead increase in Western Mediterranean arrivals to Spain in 2024: In 2023, Moroccans and Algerians were the most prominent nationalities among arrivals to Spain via the Western Mediterranean Route. This trend not only continued but also intensified in 2024, with 2,229 Moroccans and 1,877 Algerians making the journey (a 44% and 67% increase, respectively, compared to the same period last year, January – April).
- Italian delegation emphasises migration cooperation with Libya: On 7 May, an Italian delegation headed by the Prime Minister visited Libya. While various areas of cooperation were discussed, migration topped the agenda. During the visit, the Italian PM held discussions with various Libyan authorities emphasizing the need for continued collaboration between Italy and Libya to effectively manage irregular migration.
- Tunisia establishes Sea Search and Rescue (SAR) zone: On 19 June, Tunisia formalised its SAR zone to manage irregular migration in the central Mediterranean, a decision long requested by Italy. The SAR has drawn concerns from civil society organizations over Tunisia’s status as a safe country for rescued individuals at sea.
- Systematic targeting and expulsions of migrants in North Africa: A recent investigation by Lighthouse Reports reveals that migrants have been systematically targeted based on their skin colour, forcibly removed from urban centres, and left abandoned without assistance in desert regions in Morocco, Mauritania and Tunisia. The investigation also links the anti-migrant actions to EU migration management funding, suggesting that such funding is supporting these practices in the aforementioned countries.
- Migration route from Eastern Libya to Greece gains prominence amid declining departures to Italy: While departures from Eastern Libya to Italy have continued to decline this quarter, the route from Eastern Libya to the Greek islands has gained prominence. According to IOM, around 817 people arrived in Greece between June and December 2023, all departing from Eastern Libya.
Thematic Focus: An alternative route gains prominence: Eastern Libya to the Greek islands
Read the full QMMU
West Africa
Key Updates Quarter 2 – 2024
- The Atlantic route to the Canary Islands confirmed as the deadliest migratory route in the world: More than 5,000 people died in the first five months of 2024 trying to reach Spain, according to the Spanish NGO Caminando Fronteras. The Atlantic Route accounted for at least 4,808 deaths during the same period, which amounts to 95% of all victims recorded on migration routes to Spain in 2024.
- Regional displacement continues to rise in the first half of 2024: As of 30 June 2024, there were more than 5.5 million people of concern in the Sahel (Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, Chad, Mauritania) according to UNHCR. The number of refugees and asylum seekers has increased to more than 2 million by May 31, which is the highest number ever recorded by UNHCR in the region. This compares to more than 1.7 million at the end of the first quarter of 2024.
- Investigation by Lighthouse reports reveals migrants were systematically abandoned in desert areas in Mauritania: The investigation uncovers how migrants have been systematically expelled to remote desert areas in Mauritania, but also in Morocco and Tunisia. Furthermore, it reveals that Spanish authorities supported Mauritania with sea interceptions by funding equipment and training personnel, while also providing vehicles used for migrant deportations and participating in the inspections of Mauritanian detention centers.
- Côte d’Ivoire has announced a plan for the voluntary return of Burkinabe refugees amidst ongoing discussions on return conditions and pending disclosure of specific process details: This follows recent tensions between Burkinabe and Ivorian authorities over political disputes and border incidents.
- Increased sea interceptions of migrants by Senegalese authorities: During the second quarter of 2024, intensified interceptions by the Senegalese coastguard have been recorded. In the period from 7 to 17 May alone, Senegalese authorities reported the interception of 718 migrants bound for the Canary Islands.