Emigration from Latin America:
Over 4 million people emigrate from Latin America each year. This mass immigration leads to many global effects in demographics. For the host countries it puts a strain on their resources and for the home countries it leads to a loss of economy and diversity. So if it has this many negative effects why do 4 million people choose to emigrate from Latin America each year?

Economic Hardships:
25 million people, men and women in Latin America currently do not have jobs. Unemployment is rising in alarming numbers in Latin America, with 5 in 1 young people under the age of 30 unable to find work. Youth as well as women are often discriminated against which prevents them from being able to support themselves. With many open job opportunities in places like the US and China, they are very attracted to these easy opportunities, like factory work. These job openings which do not require formal education are seen as a way by discriminating against Latin Americans to find a way to make a stable income to support themselves and their families because they are often denied education. 

Violence:
Rising crime rates in Latin America are threatening human life and welfare. Central America is home to only 9% of the total earth’s population but experiences 40% of the world’s murders. Stealing and frauds are also more common than not and often go unaddressed by the police which encourages them because they are faced with limited consequences. Additionally smuggling of illegal substances is among one the largest problems Latin America faces. Not only affecting global economics but the well being of their residents. Their economic growth is also capped by high crime and violence rates. Many Latin Americans want to reside in safer places, making the move to areas where they live without constant worry. 

Authoritarian Regimes (Venezuela):
Authoritarian regimes are when all the power is located in one person who is not constitutionally required to take the interests of their people into consideration. Although the Authoritarian regimes in Venezuela do not completely ignore the needs of its people they don’t include them in any decisions affecting them, like taxation. Many under this government feel they aren’t valued, and when and if they do need to speak up their voice won’t be valued. Because of this they opt to move to places like the US who practice democracy, feeling they have better opportunities. 

These three reasons can explain the mass emigration from Latin America. Now that we are aware of what they are, we need to take proactive measures to prevent them. Creating peaceful rallies and protests to combat these problems can raise government interest and help create proactive laws, stopping the problem at its root.

Works Cited

“Levee: Reducing Barriers to Employment in Latin America.” Mercy Corps, www.mercycorps.org/what-we-do/ventures/levee.

Sabatini, Christopher. “Migration in Latin America.” Chatham House – International Affairs Think Tank, 6 Oct. 2021, www.chathamhouse.org/2021/10/migration-latin-america.

Batalova, Jeanne. “South American Immigrants in the United States.” Migrationpolicy.org, 29 Nov. 2018, www.migrationpolicy.org/article/south-american-immigrants-united-states.