Countries: Panama, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Peru, United States of America, Uruguay, Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of) Source: Mixed Migration Centre Please refer to the attached file. The core areas of focus include mixed migration within South America, movements from this part of the region towards North America, and mixed migration in Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean. Depending on quarterly trends more attention may be given to some countries over the rest Key updates One year into the new United States administration, historical records continue to be broken. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detentions reached a record high of 37,840 people in December 2025; deportation flights increased by 46% and transfer flights by 132% during the administration’s first year; and more than 30,000 habeas petitions have been filed since January 2025, more than were filed under the last three US administrations combined. Northward and southward migration through Panama remains steady at new low rates. In the first two months of 2026, an average of 26 refugees and migrants crossed northwards through the Darién, signalling a return to the lows of the third quarter of 2025. Meanwhile, at least 500 people on the move were reported travelling southwards between January 1 and 18. Countries in the region are bracing for a potentially large-scale increase in Cuban migration, as more Cubans want to stay in the Americas. Mexico and the Cayman Islands are alarmed about an eventual large-scale migration. Meanwhile, more Cubans are looking to stay across the region, with countries like Costa Rica, Uruguay, Brazil and Guayana as prior destinations. New presidents in Costa Rica and Chile promise to strengthen migration policies. The newly elected president of Costa Rica, Laura Fernández, intends to strengthen border controls, expand the use of databases, and increase the size of the immigration police. In Chile, President José Antonio Kast plans a ‘humanitarian corridor’ to facilitate the return of Venezuelans, as he starts reinforcing the borders with Peru and Bolivia. Aruba and Trinidad and Tobago advanced in regularisation processes. The measures to offer migrants the right to live and work in the country have garnered significant interest, with more than 7,000 migrants registered in Aruba, and at least 29,000 registered in Trinidad and Tobago.