Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic 16 - 18 Janaury 2002

1. SEMINAR ON MODERNIZATION OF MIGRATION MANAGEMENT AND CROSS-BORDER COOPRATION MODERNIZATION OF MIGRATION MANAGEMENT AND CROSS-BORDER COOPERATIONWORKING PAPER(Prepared by the Regional Office of the IOM for Central America and Mexico) Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic 16 - 18 Janaury 2002

2. MAIN OBJECTIVE • Provide an analytical synthesis of some of the operational aspects of migration management that must be considered on a priority basis in the policies and actions leading to its modernization. • Analyze the operational aspects of migration management, in regards to control systems and cross-border cooperation.

3. CONTENT • General Considerations • Operational Aspects: • Migration Control Systems • Migration Control Procedures • Documentation • Information Systems • Training

4. CONTENT (2) • Operational Aspects (2) • Cross-border Cooperation • Integrated Control • Information Exchange • Consolidation of Forms • Experiences from the Mercosur • Conclusions

5. GUIDELINES FOR THE MODERNIZATION OF MIGRATION MANAGEMENT AND CROSS-BORDER COOPERATION IN THE FRAMEWORK OF RCM • Regional Integration • Regional Cooperation • Inter-institutional Coordination • Strengthening and modernization of migration government organizations. (Infrastructure improvement) • Compatibility of the Current Legislation • Full respect for Human Rights

6. OBJECTIVES OF MIGRATION MODERNIZATION AND CROSS-BORDER COOPERATION (1) • Make available comprehensive legislation that considers the entire migration issue; • respond to the challenges of preparing common integration policies and strategies in the area of migration; • harmonize migration procedures for admission and control among countries; • Make available objective and reliable information that allows for a design of policies and strategies in accordance with the migration situation in there region;

7. OBJECTIVES OF MIGRATION MODERNIZATION AND CROSS-BORDER COOPERATION (2) • provide for trained and structured human resources to manage migration services; • change organic structures of the migration organizations to suit the new requirements • decentralize the operations and budgets of migration governemnt organizations; • improve the infrastructure of the places equipped for the international transportation of individuals; • adequately equip migration offices.

8. MIGRATION MODERNIZATION AND CROSS-BORDER COOPERATION ACTIONS (1) • Coordinated formulation of regional migration legislation --> Benefits: Facilitation and legality of migrant transit, control, admission and residency • Coordination between migration organizations and bordering countries --> Quality and availability of information --> Coordinated facilitation activities Benefits: Facilitation in the international transportation of individuals and control and admission

9. MIGRATION MODERNIZATION AND CROSS-BORDER COOPERATION ACTIONS (2) • Provide greater administrative and financial autonomy to migration government organizations --> Decentralize their functions Benefits: Improve efficiency of migration procedures and service • Migration management training ---> Strengthen the administrative and operational capacity of migration organizations and others that handle migration issues Benefits: Adequate response to regional migration issues

10. OPERATIONAL ASPECTS 1. MIGRATION CONTROL SYSTEMS 2. CROSS-BORDER COOPERATION

11. MIGRATION CONTROL SYSTEMS(1) 1. Migration Control Procedures : • Suitability of procedures according to the characteristics of the means of transportation • Harmonization of the information that is incorporated • Integrated controls • Consolidation of the requiered documents and forms • Standardization of the hours of operation • Replicate the “invisible departure control” experience

12. MIGRATION CONTROL SYSTEMS(2) 2. Documentation: • Identify and document all citizens and aliens in each country • Incorporte security measures in the documents to prevent falsification • Create fingerprint files • Search for identity verification mechanisms when giving identity cards or passports. • Regional standardization of visa requirements

13. MIGRATION CONTROL SYSTEMS (3) 3. Information Systems: • Replace manual means of recording • Include simultaneous data entry with processing • Incorporate on restricted entries and exits in the automated record system • Equip migration government organizations with interrelated data systems

14. MIGRATION CONTROL SYSTEMS(4) 4. Training: • Centralize training in accordance with specific functions • Offer training to individuals that while not belonging to specialized organizations, do participate in migration management • Include information regarding international legislation for the protection of human rights and for migrant trafficking procedures and for dignified and safe deportations • Include basic aspects of migration control and resource management issues

15. CROSS-BORDER COOPERATION (1) 1. Integrated Controls • Can adopt two modes: • Single control: concentrate all the controls (entry and exit) at a central border site between two countries • Unified control:establish controls in the border posts of both countries, but unifying the arrivals and departures in each country, depending on the direction of the destination country • Include not only migration control, but also customs, sanitary and transport controls.

16. CROSS-BORDER COOPERATION(2) 2. Information Exchange • Acquire knowledge about and share all the information referring to restrictions on entry and exits • Agree on permanent consultation mechanisms related to the adulteration or falsification of travel documents

17. CROSS-BORDER COOPERATION(3) 3. Unified Forms • Revise Agreement CA4 for unification in regard to design, required data and temporal and territorial effectiveness • Standardize the design of the entry/exit cards with minimum contents common to the interests of each country • Replace/complement the CA4 form with the entry/exit card • Know all the information regarding entry and exit restrictions

18. EXPERIENCES FROM MERCOSUR(1) Common Southern Market: -- made up of the Republics of: Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay -- with objectives, structure and processes established by the Treaty of Asuncion, the Recife Accord and the Ouro Preto Protocol -- the Recife Accord establishes the technical and operational measures that regulate the integrated border controls -- Technical Committee constituted by a migration organizations and citizen identification agencies

19. EXPERIENCES FROM MERCOSUR(2) Some adopted measures: -- The creation of Integrated Control Areas between Party States on land routes (single and unified control). -- The creation of Integrated Migration Control Areas among the Party States, on air and riverine routes (unified control). -- The establishment of a single working schedule (7:00 A.M. to 7:00 P.M.), from Monday through Friday, for the operation of all the agencies that intervene in the Integrated Control Areas, although the authorized posts for international transit of persons by all routes operate 24 hours a day year-round (outside the official working hours, the service is provided by paying overtime).

20. EXPERIENCES FROM MERCOSUR(3) Some adopted measures: -- Determination of working documents for each Party State, for the transit of persons throughout Mercosur. -- The creation of Centers for Consulting Personal Documents (C.C.D.P.) from Mercosur, in each one of the Party States, for a direct exchange of information among the competent agencies in migration matters. -- The approval of a sole model for the Entry/Exit Card (Tarjeta de Entrada/Salida, TES), for international transit of persons within the territory of the Party States, by air, riverine/maritime, and land routes.

21. CONCLUSIONS 1. The challenge lies in approaching migration modernization from a regional perspective as well as in a joint effort. 2. The modernization of migration management is a process that requires a set of concrete and coordinated actions, at both the country and regional level. 3. The member countries of RCM have taken up this challenge through the activities carried out in their Plan of Action.

22. CONCLUSIONS (2) 4. This Seminar constitutes a stepping stone towards the achievement of this objective, in which we hope to strengthen regional mechanisms for coordination and define forms of cooperation among the countries to achieve modern and efficient migration management within the framework of the guidelines and principles of the RCM.