Quarterly Mixed Migration Updates, Quarter 1 – 2025 (January-March)
This article presents the key updates on mixed migration from six regions around the world during the first quarter of 2025. 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 1 – 2025
- Implications of US funding terminations: A January executive order blocked resettlement for 1,660 Afghans and could suspend the relocation of up to 200,000 others. Meanwhile, WFP has warned that monthly food rations in Cox’s Bazar may be cut from US$ 12.50 to US$ 6.00 per person from the next quarter, while IOM announced the cessation of healthcare and cash assistance for 925 refugees in Indonesia from 5 March onwards. Myanmar refugees in Thailand, including those whose resettlement was halted, also face worsening conditions from aid termination.
- Poor conditions cause mass departures from Bhasan Char: Thousands of Rohingya refugees fled Bhasan Char in January with a lack of livelihoods opportunities, delays in family visits and official harassment by authorities cited as key drivers.
- Increased maritime patrols and intensified raids on refugees in Malaysia: Malaysian authorities detained 196 Rohingya refugees who landed in Kedah and pushed back two other boats with an estimated 300 Rohingya refugees. Meanwhile, 630 undocumented individuals, including 530 Rohingya refugees were arrested during a raid in Selangor.
- Renewed deportation plans in Pakistan: In January, the Pakistani government announced a three-phase plan to deport all Afghans without valid visas, including those with ACCs and Proof of Registration (PoR) cards. This continues the 2023 mass deportation campaign, whereby hundreds of thousands of Afghans were forced to return, whereupon they faced threats of persecution, rights abuse, and economic hardship.
- Efforts to combat human trafficking linked to cyber scams along the Myanmar-Thailand border intensifies: Over 6,000 victims, including 3,900 Chinese nationals, are believed to be held captive in scam compounds in Myanmar. Since October 2023, Myanmar has deported over 53,000 individuals linked to scams to China, and Thailand identified 258 trafficking victims from 19 countries in February.
- Thailand’s violation of non-refoulement principle: On February 27, Thailand deported Uyghur detainees held since 2014 to China, despite risks of persecution. This decision has raised concerns about Thailand’s compliance with non-refoulement obligations. In March, the US imposed visa sanctions on Thai officials involved in the deportations, and a diplomatic visit to China by Thailand’s Deputy Prime Minister to follow up on the deportees’ well-being has been met with scepticism from rights groups.
Eastern and Southern Africa | Egypt & Yemen
Key Updates Quarter 1 – 2025
- The war in Sudan continues to fuel internal and cross-border displacement: Compared to the previous quarter, cross border movements have increased by 25% in Egypt (1,500,000), 22% in Libya (256,000), 17% in the Central African Republic (CAR) (42,295), 16% in Uganda (71,386), 15% in South Sudan (1,093,340), 7% in Chad (772,970) and 6% in Ethiopia (71,789).
- Conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) spurs cross-border movement into Burundi: During the first quarter of 2025, 70,011 Congolese and some Burundian returnees entered Burundi, marking the largest number of arrivals in the country in decades.
- Five shipwrecks recorded along the Eastern Route: In the first three months of 2025, three shipwrecks were recorded off the Yemen coast. The first claimed the lives of 20 Ethiopians, while the second, a double shipwreck incident, left 181 unaccounted for. During the same period, two migrants drowned following a double shipwreck incident off the Djibouti coast.
- Migrants intercepted along the Southern Route: Several groups of Ethiopians, Somalis, and Zimbabweans were apprehended while en route to South Africa in Kenya, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and South Africa. Furthermore, Ethiopian authorities reported having repatriated 287 nationals from Kenya.
- Migrants intercepted in the Indian Ocean Region: Several groups of migrants were intercepted in Madagascar (while en route to Mayotte), and in Mauritius. The apprehended individuals included Somali, Malagasy, Yemeni, Ethiopian, and Comorian nationals, amongst others.
- East African trafficking victims freed from Myanmar: Following renewed efforts by the Thai government and collaboration with the Myanmar authorities, 138 Ethiopians and 74 Kenyans were among those rescued from captivity and forced labour in cyber scamming centres in a series of raids across the Myanmar-Thailand border.
Europe
Key Updates Quarter 1 – 2025
- Movement down on majority of European routes: Overall, compared to the first quarter of 2024, movement along most routes appears to have dropped along the Central Mediterranean route, the Eastern Mediterranean route, the Western Mediterranean route and even the Atlantic route, despite its continued popularity.
- Court ruling put Greece’s returns policy to Türkiye in spotlight: the Greek Council of State ruled that Türkiye could not be included on the government’s list of safe countries for returns, meaning that asylum seekers from Syria, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Somalia entering Greece from Türkiye can no longer be automatically returned.
- Italy’s plan to repurpose migrant reception facilities in Albania as “return hubs”: While the future of its migrant reception centres remains uncertain, pending the verdict of the European Court of Justice, in March the Italian government has passed a decree allowing for its facilities in the Albanian territory of Gjadër to be repurposed to hold migrants whose asylum claims in Italy had been rejected and were now scheduled for deportation.
- Unaccompanied minors in the Canary Islands to be redistributed to other regions: With unprecedented numbers of migrants straining local facilities in the Canary Islands, in March the government announced proposals for around 4,400 unaccompanied minors on the islands to be redistributed to other regions in Spain. The move will be formalised with a vote in early April on a new law.
- Spain to regularise the status of 25,000 migrants who were victims of the Valencia floods: In February the Spanish government announced that it would be granting one-year residency and work permits to up to 25,000 foreign nationals who following the devastating flash floods in Valencia in October 2024,were unable to meet the requirements for living, studying and working in Spain legally.
- Increasing EU surveillance and securitisation in the Balkans: The EU has increased its engagement along the Balkans route, including an agreement between Bosnia and the EU for Frontex personnel to operate in the country.
- Amidst violent pushbacks, Poland suspends the right to asylum: Alongside the continued use of violence at the Eastern Borders, including thousands of reported pushbacks from Poland, a new law enacted in March 2025, condemned by human rights organisations, allows the government to suspend the right to asylum for up to 60 days at a time. .
- The UK’s Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill: New legislation announced by the UK government in January has raised concerns that the legislation will criminalise many asylum seekers, particularly anyone coerced by smugglers into navigating the boat during the journey, in what would amount to a “gross miscarriage of justice”.
- Elections signal rightwards shift on migration: The first months of 2025 have seen a shift towards more exclusionary policies in many countries including Belgium, Austria, the Czech Republic and France. Germany has also pivoted towards stricter asylum policies, with the newly elected Chancellor Friedrich Merz promising to escalate the number of deportations, expand detention facilities and other measures.
- Proposed legislation on “return hubs” alarms human rights groups: The proposed Common European System for Returns, announced on 11 March, has alarmed human rights groups with a range of restrictive measures including higher time limits for immigration detention, longer entry bans and the provision of so-called “return hubs” whereby failed asylum seekers could legally be sent to a third country pending their return to their country of origin.
Latin America and the Caribbean
Key Updates Quarter 1 – 2025
- The US administration seeks to revise immigration law and policy: The new administration has made sweeping changes to United States (US) law and policy, blocking access to asylum at the southern border, suspending the resettlement programme, and attempting to facilitate deportations in a variety of ways.
- Northward migration drops to extremely low levels: In the face of the raft of new and unpredictable US migration policies, few appear interested in heading northward. Only 408 individuals crossed the Darien in this direction in February 2025, the lowest level since 2020. The US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) reported a decline in border apprehensions to 8,347 apprehensions in February 2025, believed to be the lowest since the 1960s.
- The fate of nearly 300 non-Panamanian deportees of diverse nationalities deported from the US to Panama is unclear: The plan was to return them on to their home countries, but many refused to return, citing fears of persecution. Panama has now given them permits to stay for 30 days, renewable to 90 days.
- The number of migrants seeking asylum in Mexico has reportedly tripled: Unofficial reports indicate that the number of asylum applications in Mexico increased threefold in January (the official figures have not yet been released). The Mexican refugee agency was already struggling to meet expanding demand, and wait times for an appointment in Mexico City have reportedly expanded from two weeks to two months.
- New north-to-south migration patterns are being observed: Initially, those who choose to move south through Panama were sometimes stopped and returned to Costa Rica. Panama and Costa Rica then agreed protocols to facilitate return through the country. Increasingly, migrants are looking to move from Panama to Colombia by boat to avoid the treacherous Darien crossings. 180 crossed this way in a single day in February. Colombia reported that between January 15 and February 28, it registered 1,885 migrants arriving from Panama.
- Ecuador cancels regularisation effort: On March 11, Ecuador cancelled its ongoing regularisation effort for Venezuelans, citing a lack of resources in UNHCR and IOM, which had supported the effort. The fate of the estimated 3,000 visas that were under consideration at the time of the decision is unclear.
North Africa
Key Updates Quarter 4 – 2024
- Tunisia has dropped out of the top 10 nationalities arriving in Italy, despite ranking third last year and last quarter: Departures from Tunisia to Italy decreased by 89% (from 3,438 to 372) compared to the previous quarter.
- Out of the 9,168 irregular sea arrivals in Italy as of 30 March 2025, 93% departed from Libya: Departures from Libya dropped by 25% compared to last quarter (from 11,341 to 8,502).
- In March 2025, anti-migrant campaigns surged in Libya: The “No to Resettlement” movement is staging protests to “protect” national identity.
- In early 2025, the route from eastern Libya to Greece has continued to gain prominence as migrants increasingly resort to alternative routes: By 30 March 2025, UNHCR reported a total of 2,168 arrivals in Crete, marking an increase from previous years.
- The EU is reassessing its financial and political ties with Tunisia after a Guardian investigation exposed human rights abuses by EU-funded Tunisian security forces: A new report presented to the European Parliament in early 2025 highlights the exploitation of sub-Saharan African migrants in Tunisia, detailing their expulsion and sale to armed groups in Libya.
- The UK increases support for Tunisia to combat irregular migration: A new multi-million-pound funding package has been announced.
- Morocco intensified interception and rescue operations in 2024: Nearly 80,000 thwarted migration attempts, a 4.6% increase from the previous year. In January 2025, Spain allocated €5 million to further strengthen Morocco’s border control capabilities.
West Africa
Key Updates Quarter 1 – 2025
- Irregular arrivals to Spain have dropped by 28% during the first quarter of 2025 compared to the same period in 2024: The Canary Islands saw a 31% decline. The Western Mediterranean route (WMR) also saw a 16% decrease.
- The overall refugee and asylum seeker population in coastal countries has seen a 5% increase over a two-month period: The number of Burkinabés in Benin and Ghana has increased.
- Mauritania has launched an expulsion campaign targeting migrants with an irregular status: Expelled migrants face re-entry bans and dire conditions at the borders with Senegal and Mali. Meanwhile, the European Commission pledged an additional €4 million in humanitarian aid for Mauritania in 2025.
- Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso launched a new shared passport in 2025: The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) maintains visa-free travel for their citizens within the region and for ECOWAS nationals traveling to these Alliance of Sahel States (AES) countries.
- Niger introduced a new ordinance tightening entry, residency and movement conditions for foreigners, including ECOWAS citizens, reinstating strict criminal penalties for individuals violating the new regulations.
- The Guinean government has temporarily banned cross-border transhumance, potentially disrupting seasonal grazing across the entire West African region.
- West African migrants in the US face heightened deportation risks as the new administration intensifies immigration enforcement, with many West African migrants now living in fear of detention and deportation.
- In January 2025, Togo and Gabon launched a two-year initiative aimed at strengthening migration management and tackling human trafficking and migrant smuggling along land and maritime routes.
- More than 600 Nigerien migrants were expelled from Libya during one of the largest expulsions operations in January 2025.
