North America and the Caribbean

Response in 2017

As circumstances forcing flight out of Central America continued unabated in 2017, the number of asylum claims filed in the United States surpassed 2016 figures and subsequently increased the refugee status determination backlog. While the United States tightened its border control, access to territory and asylum procedures remained open. Along the border with Mexico, UNHCR assessed the state of asylum-seekers’ access to legal representation. The Office sought to engage the new Administration and other stakeholders on responses to surges at the border, including with a High-Level Dialogue. Canada’s asylum system also faced a significant increase of claims of diverse origin, which was largely coped with thanks to response measures taken at federal and provincial levels. In the meantime, the introduction of a refugee legislation reform was postponed in favour of a comprehensive independent review of the asylum system.
 
UNHCR continued to engage with the Governments of Canada, Mexico and the United States in the Regional Asylum Capacity-Building Initiative (RACBI), facilitating capacity-building exchanges among States to strengthen their asylum systems. Montreal hosted the annual convening of the RACBI parties and UNHCR advocated to expand this capacity-building effort to other countries of asylum, in line with the regional CRRF (Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework) for Central America and Mexico, known as MIRPS in its Spanish acronym.
 
The deteriorating situation in Venezuela resulted in unprecedented protection challenges for the steadily increasing numbers of Venezuelans seeking protection and assistance in the Southern Caribbean, where UNHCR is responsible for registration, documentation and refugee status determination. Responding to instances of reported refoulement and detention, UNHCR has worked with authorities and partners to strengthen reception and asylum access, as well as supporting the provision of housing, healthcare and education. UNHCR responded to host Governments’ increased demands for capacity-building, legal advice and emergency preparedness support.
 
Statelessness is largely invisible in Canada and the United States due to limited availability of baseline data, which results in lack of awareness and adequate legal options. The Caribbean continues to be confronted with a large stateless population and their associated protection needs. The region progressed towards ending statelessness with Haiti’s Parliament deciding to accede to the Statelessness Conventions and Cuba adopting legal measures to prevent statelessness. In the Dominican Republic, UNHCR and the authorities continued progressing in issuing civil documents to Dominican-born individuals of foreign descent. Since the adoption of Law 169 in 2014, more than 20,000 individuals have been issued civil documents by the end of 2017
 
Within the Global Campaign “Beyond Detention”, Canada has progressed towards finalising its national framework on alternatives to detention and developed tools to determine the best interest of the child. Even with increased arrivals, immigration-enforcement detention has decreased, and policy changes intend to further reduce detention. Alternatives to detention were also sought and facilitated across the Caribbean, where UNHCR trained civil society partners of the International Detention Coalition from the Bahamas, Jamaica, and Trinidad and Tobago.

Operations

Canada received nearly 27,000 refugees in 2017, two thirds of which were privately sponsored, surpassing its annual target of 25,000. The Government focused on strengthening integration services for resettled refugees and reducing timelines for private sponsors. Canada and UNHCR continued cooperating within the Global Refugee Sponsorship Initiative (GRSI) to support emerging resettlement countries in the Americas in developing tailor-made community-based sponsorship programs.
 
Canada’s new Feminist International Assistance Policy makes women’s and girls’ empowerment and gender equality the cornerstone of Canada’s foreign policy. UNHCR welcomed this development and appealed to expand support to address specific needs and allow for resettlement of additional vulnerable refugee women.