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handle is hein.crs/govzgk0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Cogesoa Resarc Sev1 0 Updated April 10, 2019 The Global Compact on Migration (GCM) and U.S. Policy Congress has demonstrated interest in the global migration crisis, particularly as a result of the recent flows of migrants and refugees to the United States from Central America and Mexico. In 2017 (latest data available) an estimated 232 million international migrants formed roughly 3% of the world's population. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) defines a migrant as any individual who has temporarily or permanently crossed an international border and is no longer residing in his/her country of origin/habitual residence. The decision to move is usually made out of a choice related to livelihood, improved economic circumstances, or family ties. However, as discussed below, certain factors may force individuals to leave involuntarily. In response to increasing numbers of people on the move, the U.N. General Assembly High-Level Plenary Summit on Refugees and Migrants in September 2016 adopted the New York Declaration, which aims to save lives, protect rights, and share responsibility for refugees and migrants on a global scale. Building on this initiative, U.N. member states developed two global compacts-a Global Compact on Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (GCM) and a Global Compact on Refugees (GCR). In December 2017, the Trump Administration withdrew the United States from the GCM negotiations. (In November 2018, it also withdrew U.S. participation in the GCR.) Refugees are distinct from migrants because of their specific status and protections under international law. In July 2018, U.N. member states finalized the text of the GCM. Governments signed the compact at the U.N. Intergovernmental Conference to Adopt the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration in Marrakech, Morocco, on December 10-11, 2018, with 152 votes in favor, 5 against (Czech Republic, Hungary, Israel, Poland, United States), and 12 abstentions. The U.N. General Assembly adopted the GCM on December 19, 2018. International Migration Trends In recent years, the attention of the media, public, and governments on migrants, refugees, and other vulnerable groups on the move has given rise to protection and human rights concerns, as well as questions pertaining to the form and extent of state responsibility. While refugees are granted certain rights and protection under international refugee law, migrants are not protected by a comparable set of rules or treaties. Consequently, if migrants enter a country illegally, they are often without legal protection. The GCM is nonbinding but has sought to negotiate principles to address some of the contentious issues surrounding migration, such as the root causes of the decision to leave, the dangers people face on their journey, and the treatment of migrants at borders. The prevailing view has been that the challenges of migration cannot be tackled by one country alone. Significant refugee and migrant flows are taking place globally as people have fled conflict and poverty, as well as natural disasters, which may be sudden events or unfold over a long period. While movement of people is most common among countries in close proximity, worldwide the main migration routes flow (1) north through Central America and Mexico toward the U.S. border; (2) from East Africa and countries in the Middle East to the Eastern Mediterranean and toward Europe; (3) from other parts of Africa across the Mediterranean Sea to Europe; and (4) from Southeast Asia south toward Australia or north to other parts of Asia. Experts often characterize these flows as mixed migration, defined as different groups of people-such as economic migrants, refugees, asylum-seekers, stateless persons, trafficked persons, and unaccompanied children-who travel the same routes and use the same modes of transportation. Sometimes referred to as irregular/ undocumented migrants, these migrants usually do not have the required documentation, such as passports and visas, and often use unauthorized border crossings or pay smugglers to assist them. The distinctions between groups in these flows have raised questions about their status and rights. A key policy consideration is whether the movement is viewed as voluntary or forced. The U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) asserts that many arrivals may be from refugee-producing countries and require due process for asylum claims. Many also need humanitarian assistance and protection, even if they do not qualify as refugees. At the same time, at least some of the arrivals are considered to be economic migrants. GCM: Selected Themes and Objectives The GCM seeks to highlight and optimize the economic benefits of migration while tackling the challenges for communities and individuals in countries of origin, transit, and destination. To minimize irregular/illegal migration, for example, the GCM highlights the need for the creation of bilateral, regional, and multilateral labor mobility agreements to reflect the demographics, labor markets, and needs of vulnerable migrants, while recognizing that states have to evaluate regulations on illegal entry/visa overstayers and strengthen border management and capacity. U.N. member states, except the United States, typically completed their own consultations across government policy sectors and levels, along with migrants, diasporas, local communities, civil society, academia, private sector, trade unions, national human rights institutions, the media and various relevant stakeholders in migration. In the final GCM agreement, member states identified 23 objectives, which primarily focus on several key themes (see text box) that affect vulnerable migrants https://crsreports.congressg

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