Study Group with Ambassador Mari Carmen Aponte: Mobility, Migration, and the Politics of Displacement

REGISTRATION IS CLOSED

GUEST: Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, Former Secretary of Homeland Security

Migration from Central America and the Caribbean remains a defining challenge for the hemisphere, shaped by overlapping crises: chronic violence, entrenched poverty, fragile democratic institutions, and the accelerating impact of climate change. These forces disrupt livelihoods and infrastructure, driving millions to seek safety and opportunity elsewhere. Behind the statistics are human stories and systemic failures that defy simple solutions.

This session will explore how U.S. migration policy—from asylum rules to border enforcement—intersects with regional economic integration, labor markets, and diplomacy. We will examine root causes, the absence of coordinated frameworks among sending, transit, and receiving countries, and the implications of insufficient investment in origin-country development. We will also consider the evolving role of non-governmental actors in mitigating displacement drivers. Drawing on diplomatic experience, our guest speaker will provide insights from an unprecedented U.S.–Panama initiative aimed at managing migration flows.

What structural and policy failures perpetuate irregular migration in the region? How can hemispheric cooperation and regional development strategies reduce migration pressures? What role can non-state actors—businesses, NGOs, international institutions—play in shaping sustainable solutions?

AUDIENCE: These conversations are open to members of the Harvard community. Please RSVP with a valid Harvard email address. 

OFF-THE-RECORD: In keeping with our long tradition at the IOP to ensure honest and candid discussions of politics, all IOP study groups are off-the-record.