Central America: USAID Assists Migrants Returning to their Home Countries, but Effectiveness of Reintegration Efforts Remains to Be Determined

In 2014, instability driven by insecurity, lack of economic opportunity, and weak governance led to a rapid increase of unaccompanied alien children (UAC) from El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras arriving at the U.S. border. In fiscal year 2017, the Department of Homeland Security reported (DHS) apprehending more than 200,000 nationals from these countries and removed nearly 75,000 nationals, including UAC, of these countries from the United States and returned them to their home countries. Current estimates also indicate nearly 350,000 individuals may need to be reintegrated to El Salvador and Honduras over the next few years when their Temporary Protected Status in the United States expires.

GAO was asked to review U.S. efforts to support the reintegration of Central American migrants. This report describes (1) USAID efforts to assist reception and reintegration of migrants from El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras into their home countries since fiscal year 2014; and (2) what is known about the effectiveness of these efforts. GAO reviewed agency program documents and funding data; interviewed officials from U.S. government agencies, IOM, and host governments and beneficiaries; and conducted site visits in these countries.

GAO is not making any recommendations in this report. USAID and IAF provided formal comments, which are reproduced in this report, and all agencies provided technical comments, which were incorporated as appropriate.

Since fiscal year 2014, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has provided approximately $27 million to the International Organization for Migration (IOM)—an intergovernmental organization focusing on migration—for assistance to migrants returning to El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras. Assistance to migrants includes short-term reception services, such as food and transportation, renovating reception centers, and collecting data on returning migrants that are used to support their reintegration. Assistance also includes long-term reintegration efforts, such as counseling services and employment assistance to make it easier for migrants to readjust to and stay in their home countries. These various efforts are in different stages of development.

While reception services for migrants have improved, USAID has not yet assessed the effectiveness of reintegration efforts. USAID monitored and assessed reception services through site visits, meetings, and reports from IOM. IOM's early efforts improved the three host governments' capacity to provide reception services to returning migrants. For example, since fiscal year 2014, IOM renovated the seven reception centers and shelters being used in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras. Further, with IOM's assistance, the host governments have improved their capacity to collect data about returning migrants. According to USAID and IOM, host governments are using these data to design policies and develop programs to provide reintegration assistance. While USAID has not yet assessed the effectiveness of reintegration efforts, many of these programs are just beginning. USAID expects to sign a new agreement by the end of December 2018 that would involve, among other things, monitoring and evaluating reintegration efforts in the three countries.

In 2014, instability in the Northern Triangle of Central America, driven by  insecurity, lack of economic opportunity, and weak governance, led to a  rapid increase of unaccompanied alien children (UAC) from El Salvador,  Guatemala, and Honduras arriving at the U.S. border. In response, the  U.S. government funded activities in these countries that, among other  things, created information campaigns about the dangers of the journey  and targeted criminal organizations involved in human smuggling.  Individuals from these three countries, however, have continued to  migrate to the United States, and, when apprehended and removed from  the United States, will ultimately need to be reintegrated into their home  countries. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) reported  apprehending more than 200,000 migrants from El Salvador, Guatemala,  and Honduras in fiscal year 2017. In addition, nearly 75,000 nationals  from these countries, including UAC, were removed from the United  States by DHS and returned to their countries in fiscal year 2017. In  2018, the Administration made the decision to terminate Temporary  Protected Status (TPS) for nationals of El Salvador and Honduras,  effective September 9, 2019, and January 5, 2020, respectively. The  decision has the potential to raise the number of nationals these countries  may need to reintegrate in the next few years by nearly 350,000 adults,  including approximately 262,500 Salvadorans and 86,000 Hondurans.  Many of these adults also have children who are U.S. citizens and may  return with them, according to DHS.

The U.S. government, primarily through the U.S. Agency for International  Development (USAID), the Department of State (State), and the Inter- American Foundation (IAF), has provided assistance to help address the  needs of returning migrants since 2014, including receiving them upon  arrival and reintegrating them in their home countries. The U.S.  government provides additional assistance to these countries through the U.S. Strategy for Central America, including the Central America Regional  Security Initiative. These programs focus on the drivers of migration  including violence and the lack of economic opportunity. While  reintegration efforts do not have dedicated funding, Central America  Regional Security Initiative and Development Assistance funds support  these programs.

We were asked to review a number of issues related to U.S. efforts to  assist the reintegration of Central American migrants. This report  describes (1) USAID efforts to assist the reception and reintegration of  migrants from El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras back into their  home countries since fiscal year 2014; and (2) what is known about the  effectiveness of these efforts. In addition, we reviewed how U.S. agencies  have coordinated efforts to assist the reintegration of returning migrants  (see appendix II).

To address the objectives for this review, we reviewed agency program  documents and funding data, and interviewed officials from U.S.  government agencies including USAID, State, and IAF; host  governments; and the International Organization for Migration (IOM). We  conducted site visits in March 2018 in El Salvador, Guatemala, and  Honduras. To determine what is known about the effectiveness of  reintegration efforts from fiscal years 2014 through 2017, the most recent  available information at the time of our review, we reviewed agency  evaluation policies and progress reports and evaluations. We interviewed  U.S. officials in Washington, D.C. We also interviewed U.S. government,  host government, and nongovernment officials in El Salvador, Guatemala,  and Honduras, where we also visited U.S. agency-assisted projects. For  more information on our scope and methodology, see appendix I.

We conducted this performance audit from November 2017 to November  2018 in accordance with generally accepted government auditing  standards. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to  obtain sufficient, appropriate evidence to provide a reasonable basis for  our findings and conclusions based on our audit objectives. We believe  that the evidence obtained provides a reasonable basis for our findings  and conclusions based on our audit objectives.

The rapid increase of UAC apprehended by DHS in 2014 led to USAID’s  assistance for reception and reintegration efforts in Central America’s  Northern Triangle. USAID’s efforts, carried out by its implementing  partner IOM, have focused on children and family units, as they are  considered the most vulnerable migrant populations. According to DHS,  the number of UAC from any country who were apprehended at the U.S.- Mexico border rose from nearly 28,000 in fiscal year 2012 to more than  42,000 in fiscal year 2013, and to more than 73,000 in fiscal year 2014.  Prior to fiscal year 2012, the majority of UAC apprehended at the border  were Mexican nationals. However, nearly three-fourths of UAC  apprehended in fiscal year 2014 were nationals from El Salvador,  Guatemala, and Honduras. In fiscal year 2014, approximately 122,000  nationals (both children and adults) from the Northern Triangle countries  were removed from the United States and returned to their home  countries, according to DHS. That number decreased to approximately  75,000 in fiscal year 2017. For the number of nationals from El Salvador,  Guatemala, and Honduras removed by DHS’s U.S. Immigration and  Customs Enforcement (ICE) from fiscal years 2014 through 2017, see  figure 1.

In addition to migrants returned from the United States, the Northern  Triangle countries also receive migrants returned from Mexico. In 2016  and 2017, the number of returnees from Mexico to these three countries  was greater than those returning from the United States, according to  information from countries’ migration directorates. In 2017, however, the  number of returning migrants from the United States and Mexico  decreased in all three countries, as figure 2 shows.

We have previously reported that the causes of migration from El  Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras to the United States are multiple and  include:  the lack of economic and job opportunities, gang-related violence and other insecurity issues, high poverty rates and poor living conditions,  the desire for family reunification, and perceptions of U.S. immigration policy.

A number of U.S. agencies provide assistance to these countries to  address some of these socioeconomic issues, such as violence and  poverty. For example, USAID, State, and DHS have programs providing  assistance in areas such as economic development, rule of law, citizen  security, law enforcement, education, and community development  funded through the U.S. Strategy for Central America, including the  Central America Regional Security Initiative. To support efforts to prevent  migration, such as targeting human smuggling organizations and  developing public information campaigns, the U.S. embassies in El  Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras coordinate through interagency  working groups. For more information on these coordination activities,  see appendix II.

USAID Provides Funding for Assistance to Reintegrate Migrants Returning to El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras

USAID has provided funding for short- and long-term assistance to  migrants returning to El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras, including  assisting returning migrants upon arrival at points of entry and  reintegrating them into their home countries. USAID provided  approximately $27 million to IOM through three program contribution  agreements to conduct these efforts. These efforts are in various stages  of development in all three countries. Host governments face challenges  in their efforts to reintegrate migrants, including limited resources and a  lack of employment opportunities.

USAID Provides Funding for Short and Long-Term Assistance for Returning Migrants

USAID has provided funding for short- and long-term assistance to  migrants returning to El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras, whether  they are returning from the United States or Mexico. Short-term efforts  assist returning migrants arriving at reception centers in their home  countries. These efforts involve processing migrants upon arrival at the  points of entry and generally providing post-arrival assistance, such as  food, transportation, hygiene and school kits, and clothes within the first  two days after returning (see fig. 3). Long-term efforts focus on  reintegrating migrants into their home countries. Reintegration seeks to  restore migrants into society and to reestablish economic, psychological,  and social ties.

USAID has assisted migrants returning to their home countries since  2014 through three program contribution agreements, implemented by  IOM.  1.  Reception/ In-Processing and Repatriation Assistance to Returning  Families and Unaccompanied Children in the Northern Triangle of  Central America Agreement (also known as Post-Arrival and  Reception Assistance or PARA), (July 2014–April 2016). This  agreement between USAID and IOM—established in response to a  rapid increase of UAC from El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras  arriving at the U.S. border in 2014—intended to, among other things,  achieve the overall objective of contributing to the “dignified, holistic,  and sustainable” return of children and families in the Northern  Triangle. According to the program description, IOM viewed  infrastructure improvements as a key component of the program. For  example, IOM included the renovation of reception centers and  shelters among the activities that might be carried out to meet one of  the program goals, which related to supporting the countries’  capacities to process and assist returnees at points of entry and  migrant shelters. Other goals included efforts to address topics such  as providing capacity building to key government agencies, non- governmental organizations, and other partners offering assistance to  returning migrants, and improving migration data collection and  information sharing among governments, donors, humanitarian  agencies, and civil society.  2.  Northern Triangle Migration Information Initiative Agreement (NTMI),  (September 2015–March 2018). This second agreement between  USAID and IOM focused on improving the quality, reliability, and  uniformity of migration information. According to the program  description, the program would address the need for improved  migration information to contribute to the development of more  strategic public policies among institutional counterparts involved in  the reception, assistance, and reintegration of returning migrants. The  program’s goal was to strengthen the governments’ capacity to  manage, collect, and analyze migration information to support  humanitarian action and protect vulnerable populations in the  Northern Triangle countries. This effort also involved taking steps to  develop and strengthen data systems to register returning migrants’  information.  3.  Return and Reintegration in the Northern Triangle Agreement, (June  2016–June 2019). This third agreement between USAID and IOM was  intended to continue to promote and ensure more humane and  dignified assistance to and sustainable reintegration of migrants upon  return to communities of origin by strengthening the capacities of key  stakeholders to assist, care for, and protect returning UAC and  migrant families in the Northern Triangle countries. According to the  agreement, the program would address things such as expanding the  range of government-supported opportunities for returning migrants  while providing high-quality services during the reintegration process  at the local level.

USAID Provided Approximately $27 Million for Assistance to Returning Migrants, in Fiscal Years 2014 through 2016

USAID provided approximately $27 million for assistance to IOM through  the three program contribution agreements. Once the program  contribution agreement is signed and the funds are disbursed to IOM,  USAID considers the funds expended for its purposes. As of April 2018,  IOM has expended all the funds for the first two agreements, $7.6 million  and $2.5 million respectively, and $7.1 million of $16.8 million, or 42  percent, of the funds for the third.

For all three agreements, from fiscal year 2014 through April 2018, IOM  expended about $9.1 million in El Salvador, about $5.4 million in  Honduras, and about $2.7 million in Guatemala, according to IOM. (See  figure 4.)

Asociación de Retornados Guatemaltecos  (ARG)   The civil society organization Asociación de  Retornados Guatemaltecos (ARG) begins its  work with returning migrants from the United  States at the Guatemalan Air Force Base  Reception Center. Members of ARG are  returned migrants themselves who started the  association in 2013 because they understood  the experiences of returning migrants and  wanted to help people in similar situations by  providing a support network. According to an  ARG volunteer and our observations, at the  reception center, an ARG volunteer greets  every returning migrant as they come through  the door. After migration authorities process  the returning migrants and provide them a  snack, an ARG volunteer helps them make a  domestic or international telephone call to  their family members. Once the migrants have  received any belongings and exchanged  money, ARG volunteers offer them clothing,  help with various tasks—such as receiving  money through wire transfers or registering  them for a new identity card—and, if  necessary, purchase bus tickets for them to  return to their communities of origin. ARG  volunteers stay until all the returning migrants  are served, and, if the migrants are fearful of  returning to their communities, accompany  them to the Casa del Migrante, a shelter that  provides protection assistance. The  volunteers told us that they maintain a  database to track the returned migrants, later  call the returned migrants to make sure they  arrived safely in their communities, and offer  them assistance in getting certified in skills  they may have acquired abroad, such as  construction work or speaking English. ARG  also connects returned migrants with  vocational or training opportunities and  potential scholarships. $49,740 to expand a network of migrant returnees to facilitate  reintegration and provide information on locally available resources to  returnees, such as credit access, government-training programs, market  information, and contracting opportunities. The grantee also developed a  working group to discuss with government officials and the private sector  the health issues returnees face. Even though the grant has ended, the  lnstituto Salvadoreño del Migrante’s efforts continue with funds from other  donors, according to IAF.

Efforts to Assist Returning Migrants are in Various Stages of Development in the Three Countries

Efforts to assist reception, migrant-related data collection, and  reintegration are in various stages of development in all three countries.  IOM, with U.S. assistance, has renovated seven reception centers and  shelters in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras and improved the  collection of migration data to understand the characteristics of the  population returning to their countries to inform decisions about allocating  resources needed for reintegration. However, in all three countries the  use of migration information varies and reintegration efforts are just  beginning.

Reception Centers and Post- Arrival Assistance

El Salvador has one reception center for returning migrants; Guatemala  has three reception centers and two shelters; and Honduras has three  reception centers. See figure 5 for the locations of these reception  centers and shelters as well as points of entry.

We observed that at the reception centers in the three countries, returning  migrants go through a similar reception process. The process may differ  slightly depending on the country and whether the returning person is an  adult, part of a family unit, or UAC. See figure 6.

IOM has assisted in the renovation of the countries’ reception centers and  shelters and provided post-arrival assistance to returning migrants.  Country-specific information on these facilities follows.

El Salvador has one IOM-supported reception center, called Dirección de  Atención al Migrante (DAMI), Directorate of Assistance to Migrants, but  informally known as La Chacra. IOM completed its efforts to renovate the  center in February 2016, and increased its capacity to receive up to 200  returning migrants at a time. The center serves adults, UAC, and family  units returned by chartered bus from Mexico or on chartered flights from  the United States. Post-arrival assistance is provided at the center. See  figures 7 and 8.

Guatemala has three reception centers and two shelters for returning  migrants. IOM renovated the two shelters in 2015 and one of the  reception centers in 2017. IOM also provided information technology  equipment for one reception center and plans to renovate another  reception center in 2018. See figure 9.

Sala de Recepción de Niñas, Niños y Adolescentes Migrantes no  Acompañados y Unidades Familiares (Reception Center for  Unaccompanied Migrant Children and Family Units), La Aurora  International Airport, Guatemala City. This center, which opened in  May 2017, serves UAC and family units returning by commercial  flights from Mexico or the United States. The center provides post- arrival assistance, and has areas for immigration processing,  psychological and social assistance, and breast-feeding. It also has a  medical clinic and a play area for children. See figure 10.

Centro de Recepción de Retornados de la Fuerza Aérea  Guatemalteca (Reception Center for Returnees at Guatemalan Air  Force Base), Guatemala City. This reception center serves adults,  UAC, and families returning by chartered flights from the United  States, and provides post-arrival assistance to them. See figure 11.  Adults traveling without children are processed separately from  families. In July 2015, IOM opened a small remodeled area of the  center that receives returning migrant families and provides post- arrival assistance.

Centro de Recepción de Retornados en Tecún Umán (Reception  Center for Returnees at Tecún Umán), Tecún Umán. This reception  center, on the border with Mexico, serves adults, UAC, and family  units returning by chartered bus from Mexico. IOM has supported the  center mainly by providing IT equipment in October 2016 to process  returning migrants. The children go through immigration processing at  Tecún Umán and are then moved to Casa Nuestras Raíces  Quetzaltenango by bus, accompanied by a government social worker  to ensure the protection of UAC until a parent or guardian picks them  up.

Casa Nuestras Raíces Guatemala (Our Roots Shelter, Guatemala),  Guatemala City. This shelter serves UAC returning by chartered  flights from Mexico and commercial or chartered flights from the  United States who have been processed at either La Aurora or Fuerza  Aérea Guatemalteca. IOM renovated this shelter in August 2015 and  supports post-arrival assistance for returning migrants and their  relatives who come to take them home. See figure 12.

Casa Nuestras Raíces Quetzaltenango (Our Roots Shelter,  Quetzaltenango), Quetzaltenango. This shelter serves UAC returning  by chartered bus from Mexico. UAC are processed first at Tecún  Umán and then transported to Quetzaltenango. Similar to the shelter  in Guatemala City, IOM renovated this shelter in August 2015 and  provides post-arrival assistance.

Honduras has three reception centers. IOM renovated two of the  reception centers and upgraded the third. See figure 13.

Centro de Atención al Migrante Retornado SPS (SPS Assistance  Center for Returned Migrants), San Pedro Sula. This reception center  serves adults returning by chartered flights from the United States.  IOM completed renovating and equipping this center in February  2016. It provides post-arrival assistance to returning migrants.

Centro de Atención para Niñez y Familias Migrantes Belén (Belén  Assistance Center for Children and Families), San Pedro Sula. This  center serves UAC and family units returning by chartered bus from  Mexico or commercial flights from Mexico or the United States. IOM  completed renovating and equipping the center in February 2016.  Post-arrival, psychological, and medical assistance is also provided at  Belén.

Centro de Atención al Migrante Retornado Omoa (Omoa Assistance  Center for Returned Migrants), Omoa. This center serves adults who  are returned by chartered bus from Mexico. IOM provided hygiene,  sanitation, and water upgrades to the center, and, according to IOM,  plans to make electrical improvements and construct a sports field,  sidewalks, and parking area; some of these efforts were started in  September 2018.

IOM began assisting the countries in September 2015 with the collection  and use of migration data with funding from USAID through its NTMI  agreement. Since September 2015, all three host governments collect  and digitize migration data. The governments use the data to  understand the characteristics of the population returning to their  countries so they can make decisions about allocating resources needed  for reintegration, according to IOM.

To facilitate the collection of relevant information, IOM helped each  government in the three countries develop its own form to gather the  information needed by the various ministries involved in reception and  reintegration efforts. According to IOM, this uniform questionnaire has  promoted data sharing among institutions, reduced interviewing times,  and helped ensure that returning migrants are not required to provide the  same information multiple times. In addition to counting the number of  returned migrants and recording where they are returning from, each  country now collects detailed information about each migrant. For  example, the Honduran government collects information on an  individual’s reason for migrating, labor skills, place of birth, and education  level.

Through the NTMI agreement, IOM also provided government agencies  in all three countries with information technology equipment, software,  and training to collect and analyze relevant information about returning  migrants. For example, IOM developed the Honduran government’s data  repository and official website for the agency responsible for the  registration and publication of data on returning migrants. In Guatemala,  IOM is helping the migration directorate implement a system to use  fingerprints to identify returning migrants who had migrated previously  and returned, providing information on recidivism. IOM has also trained  personnel involved with migrant programs in all three countries on how to  use and analyze this information.

El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras are at different stages in  establishing reintegration efforts, and each government has different  priorities, according to IOM. While some reintegration efforts began  earlier, IOM’s main reintegration efforts began under the third contribution  agreement with USAID in 2016, focusing on expanding the range of  government-supported opportunities for returning migrants while  providing high-quality services during the reintegration process at the  local level. Reintegration efforts in all three countries seek to support  returnees with resources in their home communities, including  psychological and social services, vocational and employment training,  employment opportunities, and upgrades to public spaces. Civil society  organizations support some of these reintegration efforts. USAID, through  its agreements with IOM, assists these reintegration efforts in a context in  which the three host countries experience challenges, such as limited  resources and employment opportunities, which affect implementation.

Reintegration Efforts in El Salvador  El Salvador is furthest along in establishing reintegration efforts, at both  the national and municipal levels. These efforts focus on the entire  spectrum of returnees—children, adolescents, and adults—by providing  education, psychological, and social assistance to children and families,  and reintegration information to adults. At the national level, IOM has  been working since November 2015 with the government of El Salvador’s  Assistance Centers for Returned Migrant Children and Adolescents and  its information centers that support reintegration services for adults, called  Ventanillas de Atención al Migrante, Migrant Assistance Windows  (commonly known as Ventanillas).

The Assistance Centers for Returned Migrant Children and Adolescents  are located in four municipalities, all of which have high numbers of  returning migrants, including children and adolescents. These centers  provide returning migrant children and families with social services and  case management to facilitate their economic and social reintegration.  These services include psychological and social assistance and crisis  intervention; legal assistance, including safety and protection; health  services, including nutrition and immunizations; educational support to  ensure children and adolescents are incorporated into the formal  education system; and referral services.

The Ventanillas are information centers supporting reintegration in the  five municipalities with the highest number of returning migrants. Each  center has one person who is responsible for providing assistance to  returned migrants such as employment assistance, school enrollment,  training opportunities, and lines of credit. IOM equipped the centers with  office furniture and such items as storage cabinets, water coolers, air  conditioners, and telephones.

At the municipal level, IOM is also assisting other government initiatives  in four communities that have high numbers of returned migrants and  which the government has prioritized under its Plan El Salvador Seguro  (Safe El Salvador Plan). Specifically, IOM is working with municipal  governments and community organizations to:  improve public spaces with small scale infrastructure projects;  raise awareness and knowledge of migration and reintegration at the  community level among local governments, communities, and  community leaders; and provide psychological and social assistance.

The infrastructure projects are meant to create safe, public spaces to  build social cohesion within communities. For example, in two areas in  Zacatecoluca that we visited, IOM supported an effort to rebuild a sports  complex, which included basketball and soccer fields, and a playground  and community center. In Usulután, IOM supported the renovation of the  municipal gym (see fig. 14). In January 2018, IOM also began providing  technical assistance to the Zacatecoluca municipal government to help it  obtain feedback from the community on services needed and working  with local service providers to facilitate assistance to beneficiaries, among  other things.

Guatemala also has government reintegration efforts at both the national  and municipal levels. The current reintegration activity underway is the  municipal level Centro de Formación Quédate (Stay Here Vocational  Training Center), supported by IOM. Implemented by the Secretariat for  Social Welfare, this technical and vocational center provides certified  vocational courses and alternative education opportunities for youth,  including returned UAC and host community adolescents. While the  Secretariat for Social Welfare began operations at the center in 2015,  IOM’s support started in July 2018. In addition, Guatemala’s President  and First Lady launched a national strategy in March 2017 that aims to  prevent migration and to care for returning Guatemalan migrants and their  families. The strategy’s goal is to consolidate all government agencies’  activities and create a comprehensive system for returning migrants,  including children.

Honduras, with support from IOM, has focused at the national level on  improving and maintaining its reception centers, and at the municipal  level on opening reintegration assistance centers. In addition, the  Honduran First Lady has concentrated on UAC and their needs, such as  prioritizing secure reunification. Honduras’ effort to link returned migrants,  specifically families and UAC, with government services in the  municipalities are focused on reintegration assistance centers. There are  nine centers, with plans to open seven more by the end of 2018. The  Belén Assistance Center, discussed earlier in this report, refers returning  migrants to the reintegration assistance centers, according to a center  official. The reintegration assistance centers then obtain information from  the returning migrants about assistance they are seeking and send it to  one of 12 government agencies, such as the Ministries of Development  and Social Inclusion, Education or Health, and the Women’s National  Institute.

In addition to assisting government-sponsored reintegration efforts, IOM  supports civil society organizations in Honduras that provide reintegration  services. In Honduras, we visited three civil society organizations whose  programs work directly with returned UAC.

Casa Alianza. Casa Alianza provides reintegration support including  psychological and social assistance, child protection services, and  children’s rights advocacy for returnees as well as internally displaced  persons. The organization worked in the Belén Assistance Center  from 2014 to 2017 with returning UAC, according to Casa Alianza  officials.

Mennonite Committee for Social Action. This organization’s Support  for Returned Migrants Program began in 2014 and has various  components including: (1) vocational training, (2) psychological  assistance, (3) complementary workshops on life skills, and (4)  humanitarian assistance. The program focuses on youth between  ages 15 and 25 returning to the San Pedro Sula area.

Collaboration and Effort Association. This program in Tegucigalpa  focuses on providing returned children a safe place to live, teaching  them responsibility and cooperation, and supporting their education.  Many of the adolescents are returned UAC, and all beneficiaries must  themselves help run the association’s programs.

Host Government Challenges Affect Reintegration Efforts  USAID, through its agreements with IOM, is providing assistance to host  countries where various challenges affect reintegration efforts. Some of  these challenges affecting host countries, such as limited employment  opportunities and resource constraints, are long-standing in nature.

Limited resources: With limited resources dedicated to reintegration  efforts, the centers can connect few returning migrants with the  appropriate government services. For example, at a Ventanilla we  visited in El Salvador, just one official—who has no vehicle—is  responsible for providing services to all returning migrants in an area  roughly one-fifth the country’s overall size and containing roughly one- fifth of its returning migrants. Similarly, at the Honduran reintegration  assistance center we visited, there was only one staff member and no  psychologist. As of July 2018, the Honduran government had opened  9 of the 16 planned reintegration assistance centers; it plans to open  the remaining ones by the end of 2018.

Few training and employment opportunities: There are limited training  and employment opportunities for returning migrants. One of the  primary reasons cited for migration is the lack of employment  opportunities in the countries. Additionally, the employment  opportunities that are available may not fit the migrants’ skills. For  example, only migrants with sufficient English skills can be placed in  call centers. At the same time, the training programs being offered at  a particular time may not interest the migrant. Further, the few  opportunities available may not be offered in the locations where  migrants can readily access them. Finally, an official from a  multilateral organization working in the region raised the concern that  many of the training opportunities offer similar skills, such as training  to be a barber, beautician, or mechanic, and the market can support  only so many people in these professions.

Need for individualized services: Each returning migrant has a  different set of needs, skills, and interests, but providing customized  assistance takes time and resources. Staff at reintegration assistance  centers we visited told us that they try to match a migrant with the  services or opportunities they need. For example, a returning migrant  may be a single mother with good English skills and referred to  services and opportunities based on that profile. Additionally,  according to U.S. and Honduran government officials, large-scale  reintegration efforts encounter the challenge of reintegrating migrants  with different and individualized profiles.

Voluntary nature of seeking and finding assistance: Receiving  reintegration assistance and services depends in part on the initiative  and desire of the returning migrant. Returning migrants must seek  assistance to receive reintegration services, and so must be aware of  and connect with the reintegration assistance centers. In El Salvador,  only about 7 percent of returning migrants requested help from the  reintegration assistance centers in 2017; of those who requested  assistance, however, 91 percent received it, according to El  Salvador’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In both El Salvador and  Honduras, the reintegration assistance offered by the government is  publicized at the reception centers where migrants are processed  upon their return. However, in El Salvador, a government official told  us that migrants may not have the patience to wait to receive  information after traveling and going through the reception process.

Termination of TPS May Increase the Need  for Reception and Reintegration Services  in El Salvador and Honduras  With the Secretary of Homeland Security’s  decisions to terminate TPS in the United  States for nationals of El Salvador and  Honduras, as of September 9, 2019, and  January 5, 2020, respectively, both countries  face the possibility of a significant influx of  returnees—as many as 262,500 Salvadorans  and 86,000 Hondurans, along with their U.S.  citizen children. Reintegration efforts may also  be complicated by the different backgrounds  and needs of returning migrants who  benefited from TPS. According to State  officials, returning migrants who had TPS are  likely to be older with more skills and  education than those who left the country  more recently. Successful strategies to  reintegrate former TPS beneficiaries will be  different than those that are currently in place.  TPS beneficiaries may also have children who  are U.S. citizens with different needs than  UAC.  During our country visits in March 2018, State  officials indicated that official planning for the  return of former TPS beneficiaries was either  just beginning, as in El Salvador, or had not  begun, as in Honduras because an official  decision on the termination of TPS for  Hondurans had not yet occurred. U.S.  officials, though, were meeting with their  counterparts to discuss the challenges of  reintegrating TPS beneficiaries. In both El  Salvador and Honduras, U.S. officials have  encouraged the government to address the  challenges of reintegrating former TPS  beneficiaries. For example, in February 2018,  USAID’s mission in El Salvador convened a  one-day conference on current efforts to  prevent migration and to plan for the return of  migrants with TPS. At the same time, U.S.  government officials also stated that some or  most TPS beneficiaries might choose to stay  in the United States without lawful status,  attempt to adjust their status, or move to a  third country rather than return to their home  countries.

Leadership turn-over and guidance: Elections in the three countries,  and the subsequent turnover of government officials, also affect  implementation, according to IOM. Furthermore, in Guatemala  leadership turn-over in key agencies has affected what the  government can achieve in terms of reintegration of returning  migrants, according to IOM officials. Both the Secretariat of Social  Welfare and the Directorate of Migration have had various leaders  over the past few years. The government of Guatemala has not yet  determined which institution is responsible for reintegration activities  and a national plan has not yet been developed, which complicates  reintegration efforts, according to IOM.

USAID Assessed Reception and Data Collection Efforts, Which Were Improved, but Effectiveness of Reintegration Efforts Remains to be Determined

USAID assessed the effectiveness of its reception and migrant-related  data collection efforts through site visits, meetings with IOM, and report  reviews. This assistance has improved the capacity of the governments of  El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras to provide reception services to  returning migrants and to collect and utilize migration information. USAID  has not yet assessed the effectiveness of reintegration efforts conducted  to date, but plans to sign an agreement by the end of December 2018 for  a new reintegration program which will include a monitoring and  evaluation component.

USAID Assessed the Effectiveness of its Reception and Data Collection Efforts through Program Monitoring and Report Reviews

Beginning in October 2014, after signing the first agreement IOM, USAID  monitored program implementation and assessed the effectiveness of  IOM’s efforts to assist returning migrants and improve migration  information through site visits, regular meetings with IOM, and review of  IOM reports. USAID and IOM officials noted that USAID’s periodic site  visits to IOM projects and frequent communications between the two  parties helped USAID track progress and results, and make needed  adjustments in a timely manner. In a memorandum approving the third program, USAID’s mission in Honduras stated that IOM “responded  quickly and satisfactorily to any concerns.” IOM, in consultation with  USAID, adapted activities as needed for each country, such as by  rebidding a contract to renovate a reception center in Guatemala City in  response to corruption allegations. During our site visit in March 2018, we  observed USAID officials’ familiarity with specific details related to IOM’s  activities and the close working relationship between USAID and IOM  staff.

In addition, USAID regularly reviewed the activity and progress reports  provided by IOM, which included weekly, monthly, and quarterly reports.  According to USAID officials, these activity and progress reports served  as the basis for conversations with IOM about program progress and  assessment. The reports included information such as an overview of  achievements, activity updates by country, and challenges and actions  taken. For example, the reports detailed information such as the number  of returning migrants provided with post-arrival assistance, including food  or hygiene kits, as well as progress on larger projects such as  constructing small-scale, community-based infrastructure or renovating  reception centers. IOM also explained challenges encountered and plans  for overcoming them, such as building strong relationships with new key  government personnel when there was turnover in Guatemala and  Honduras. IOM also provided information to USAID through periodic, two- page information sheets that summarized its activities in a certain  geographical area, such as a municipality in El Salvador, or with a certain  program, such as NTMI in Honduras.

As part of the agreements with USAID, IOM agreed to conduct mid-term  and final evaluations of the three programs. IOM produced written mid- term and final evaluations for the first program (PARA) based on reviews  of documents, field visits, and interviews with government counterparts  and USAID, among others. The final evaluation highlighted the program’s  achievements, challenges, effective practices, lessons learned, and  recommendations. For example, it noted IOM’s strong working  relationship with USAID and host government agencies, as well as the  need to conduct high-quality assessments in each country during  program design. Instead of a written mid-term evaluation for the second  program (NTMI), IOM held an internal workshop, which a USAID  representative attended. According to IOM officials, IOM plans to present  USAID with a mid-term evaluation for the Return and Reintegration  program and a final evaluation for the NTMI program, although both have  been delayed due to staffing issues.

USAID also assessed IOM’s programs during internal USAID meetings.  For example, according to USAID officials, when USAID considered  IOM’s requests for no-cost extensions for the PARA and NTMI  agreements, USAID assessed the progress and challenges of the  activities implemented as part of the agreements and whether they were  fulfilling their goals. USAID also discussed the effectiveness of IOM’s  programs at a strategic level during portfolio reviews and program  performance reports, according to USAID officials. USAID officials told us  that because the first program with IOM was productive and had good  results, USAID also funded the second and third programs through  program contribution agreements. In the memorandum approving the  third program, USAID’s mission in Honduras stated that “IOM has been a  very effective partner in the first Program Contribution” and noted that  IOM collaborated with USAID, the host governments, and other donors to  design the follow-on program focused on reintegration efforts. The  memo also stated that IOM has “sound management systems and  controls, and has long been an effective partner” of the U.S. government.

U.S. Assistance Has Helped Improve Reception Centers and Data Collection

With U.S. assistance, IOM improved the capacity of the Northern Triangle  governments to provide reception services to returning migrants and to  collect migration information. With U.S. assistance, IOM renovated the  region’s seven reception centers and shelters currently in use and  provided post-arrival assistance such as hygiene kits and medical  services. The final evaluation for IOM’s first program indicated that IOM  designed the renovations in consultation with the host government  agencies to meet their needs and to provide a welcoming space for  returning migrants. During our site visit in March 2018, we visited five  reception centers and one shelter in the three countries, including the  Belén Assistance Center in Honduras, which we had visited in March  2015, prior to its renovation. The Belén Assistance Center renovations  were extensive, including the dining areas, kitchen, bathrooms,  dormitories, play spaces, clinics, and counseling areas as well as a  conference room used for facilitating meetings and workshops among  government entities and partners. We observed the improved facilities as  well as the processing of returning migrants (see fig. 15).

Likewise, IOM extensively renovated the Casa Nuestras Raíces Shelters  in Guatemala City and Quetzaltenango, Guatemala, including the kitchen,  bathrooms, dormitories, play spaces, clinics, and counseling areas.

In addition to improving infrastructure, IOM provided the governments  with post-arrival assistance such as hygiene kits, clothing, meals, buses,  and medical, psychological, and social support for returning migrants. For  example, from 2014 through 2017 in all three countries, IOM reported that  it supplied in total: nearly 60,000 hygiene kits, nearly 34,000 items of clothing, and more than 75,000 meals to returning migrants.

In fiscal year 2017, IOM provided post-arrival assistance to over 29,000  returning migrants, according to IOM. Additionally, IOM provided the host  governments with 12 buses to transport returning migrants from the  airport to the reception center and from the reception center to the bus  station to return to their communities. U.S. and host government officials  in the three countries noted that, with USAID and IOM’s assistance, the  reception of returnees has improved. For example, IOM expanded and  renovated the DAMI Reception Center in San Salvador, adding separate  areas for the various ministries involved so that returning migrants can  receive specialized services such as a medical examination,  psychological and social assistance, and the beginning of job placement  assistance. The center also provides integrated child protection and  social services. During our site visits to the reception centers and shelter  in Guatemala City and San Pedro Sula in March 2018, we observed staff  distributing food to returning migrants upon their arrival.

Through technical assistance and other support, IOM also helped build  the capacity of host government institutions as it relates to the reception  process and their ability to provide better reception services. For  example, IOM worked with government agencies to develop protocols  and procedures for receiving returned migrants and trained reception staff  on issues such as human rights. At the reception centers in all three  countries, multiple government agencies are now working together to  assist returning migrants, according to IOM.

With IOM’s support, the governments of the Northern Triangle have  improved their capacity to collect data about returning migrants.  According to USAID, the technical assistance and support provided by  IOM through the NTMI agreement strengthened the governments’  capacity to collect, manage, analyze, and share migration information.  Prior to these USAID-assisted efforts, data on returning migrants was  limited in all three countries and the information produced was not readily  available for use by other government agencies, according to USAID.  Since 2015, with IOM equipment and training, all three countries have  moved toward uniform, more detailed data collection systems. In  Honduras, for instance, technical assistance from IOM enabled the  creation of a single data repository, which provides migration data for all  agencies to use.

IOM has trained staff of the countries’ migration directorates to use the  registration systems for returning migrants and has trained personnel of  other government agencies on how to analyze and use the data produced  by the migration directorates. Each government now knows the number of  migrants returning to the country—information that was not available  previously. (See fig. 2 earlier in this report.) In addition, the governments  now have such information as:  the causes of migration reported by returnees;  the location from which the migrants are returning; and  the location to which they are returning.

For example, in El Salvador, approximately 27 percent of children and  adolescent migrants returning in 2017 said they left because of violence,  approximately 27 percent left to reunify with families, and approximately  43 percent left for economic reasons, according to IOM’s analysis of  information from El Salvador’s Directorate of Migration. Additionally,  according to USAID officials, IOM trained the staff at El Salvador’s  General Directorate of Statistics and Census and the agency is now  conducting its own surveys of migrants.

According to USAID and IOM officials, the Northern Triangle governments  are using the expanded information about returning migrants to make  informed decisions, design public policies, and develop programs to  provide reintegration assistance. Prior to USAID and IOM entering into  the NTMI agreement, no official statistics were available that allowed for  evidence-based decisions or public policy design. Now, during the  registration process in Honduras, for instance, returning migrants are  asked what trade they would like to learn, which can inform host  government planning. With information about the reasons migrants left  the country, governments can also refer migrants to existing programs or  create programs to address those issues, such as developing training and  employment opportunities. According to IOM and USAID officials,  examples of how governments use this information include the  following.

In El Salvador, multiple government institutions use returning migrant  information to design specific programs for this population and  redirect programming if necessary. The Ministry of Labor, for instance,  uses this information to design entrepreneurship programs. Relevant  migration information is also shared with committees of the Alliance  for Prosperity Plan.

In Honduras, returning migrant information is used by government  institutions for planning, budgeting, and monitoring reception,  assistance, and reintegration activities. For instance, the First Lady of  Honduras’ Task Force for Child Migrants bases its strategy for the  reception centers on returning migrant data.

Detailed information on returning migrants in these countries has also  been useful for U.S. government officials and has informed USAID’s  strategy and programming. According to a USAID official in Guatemala,  the new information has been integral to USAID’s ability to evaluate  migration issues in a more informed manner. For example, USAID  officials in Guatemala told us that much of their programming is based in  the Western Highlands because they now have data showing most  migrants come from this area of the country. In addition, USAID’s mission  in El Salvador convened a conference in February 2018 to discuss the  termination of Temporary Protected Status for Salvadorans and used  information gathered by El Salvador’s Directorate of Migration about  reasons for migration and returnees’ profiles to discuss possible  reintegration strategies for this population.

USAID Has Not Yet Assessed the Effectiveness of its Reintegration Efforts

USAID has not assessed the effectiveness of reintegration efforts  conducted to date. Reintegration is a long-term process and many of the  reintegration assistance programs are just beginning. Specifically, El  Salvador began opening five information centers supporting reintegration  in November 2015, Honduras opened nine reintegration assistance  centers in 2017 and early 2018, and Guatemala’s one center began  assisting returned adolescents in July 2018. Given the number of  returning migrants and the nascent reintegration services, relatively few  have benefited from services offered by these centers. For example, in El  Salvador, only about 1,700 of nearly 26,500 returning migrants were  connected with government reintegration services through the centers in  2017.

In addition, determining the effectiveness of reintegration efforts is  challenging because of the difficulties of tracking migrants once they  return to their communities and of accounting for the various external  factors that influence an individual’s decision to migrate again. USAID,  IOM, and host government officials cited the challenges of tracking and  following up with returned migrants once they leave the reception centers.  Although the countries are beginning to offer reintegration assistance,  through the information and municipal assistance centers in El Salvador  and Honduras, there are currently no systems in place to track migrants  when they return to their communities. U.S. government officials also  noted there are multiple external factors that may influence an individual’s  decision to migrate again, some of which cannot be addressed through  reintegration assistance programs. For example, the desire to reunify with  family may affect an individual’s decision, as well as the country’s  economic conditions and levels of violence and insecurity.

Although USAID has not yet assessed the effectiveness of reintegration  efforts, it plans to monitor and evaluate efforts. As part of the third  program, IOM plans to evaluate each country’s reintegration assistance  projects. In addition, by the end of December 2018, USAID expects to  sign a 3-year agreement with a Public International Organization (PIO) for  a new program which will, among other things, continue assisting the host  governments’ efforts to reintegrate returning migrants. According to the  USAID memorandum describing the new program, it will be underpinned  by a monitoring and evaluation plan, and is expected to result in, among  other things, a strengthened focus on monitoring and evaluation systems  to track reintegration at the community level. Additionally, according to the  memorandum, the new program will use a cost-type agreement which is  structured such that the PIO will be reimbursed or advanced funds for  costs of goods and services to achieve the agreement purpose.

We are not making any recommendations in this report. We provided a  draft of this report to DHS, IAF, State, and USAID. All the agencies  provided technical comments, which we incorporated as appropriate.  USAID and IAF provided written comments which we have reprinted in  appendices III and IV.

As agreed with your offices, unless you publicly announce the contents of  this report earlier, we plan no further distribution until 30 days from the  report’s date. At that time, we will send copies to the appropriate  congressional committees and the Administrator of the U.S. Agency for  International Development, the President of the Inter-American  Foundation, and the Secretaries of Homeland Security and State. In  addition, the report will be available at no charge on the GAO website at  http://www.gao.gov. Contact points for our Offices of Congressional  Relations and Public Affairs may be found on the last page of this report.  GAO staff who made major contributions to this report are listed in  appendix V.

If you or your staff has any questions about this report, please contact me  at (202) 512-7141 or groverj@gao.gov.

Appendix I: Objectives, Scope, and Methodology

This report examines (1) the U.S. Agency for International Development’s  (USAID) efforts to assist the reception and reintegration of migrants from  El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras into their home countries since  fiscal year 2014; and (2) what is known about the effectiveness of these  efforts. In addition, we reviewed how U.S. agencies have coordinated  efforts to assist the reintegration of returning migrants.

To examine USAID’s efforts to assist the reception and reintegration of  returning migrants from fiscal year 2014 through fiscal year 2017 in El  Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras, we reviewed USAID’s three  program contribution agreements with the International Organization for  Migration (IOM). We also reviewed grant agreements for Inter-American  Foundation (IAF) projects in El Salvador and Guatemala. In addition, we  obtained data from USAID, the Department of State (State), and IAF on  agency funding to El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras from fiscal  years 2014 through 2017. We assessed the reliability of USAID  expenditures by reviewing expenditure data from USAID’s Phoenix  system for the three contribution agreements. We determined these data  to be sufficiently reliable for reporting the amount of funding U.S.  agencies expended on reintegration programs. We also reviewed IOM  expenditure data from fiscal year 2014 through April 2018. We  determined these data were sufficiently reliable to illustrate the general  scale of IOM’s expenditures. Additionally, we reviewed IOM program  reporting documents detailing the status of the projects, including weekly,  biweekly, and monthly progress reports and project presentations related  to renovations, information management, and reintegration efforts.

During our March 2018 site visit, we interviewed USAID, State, IAF, and  IOM officials in all three countries regarding the status of the projects  being implemented under the contribution agreements or grants, and we  met with host government officials to discuss these projects. We  interviewed representatives from nongovernmental organizations in the  three countries to learn about how their work supports reintegration. We  conducted five site visits to reception centers, one in El Salvador, two in  Guatemala, and two in Honduras, where we observed the reception  process, and we visited one shelter in Guatemala City, Guatemala. We  selected the locations to visit based on the location of the majority of  reception centers and shelters in the countries. In Honduras, we met with  unaccompanied children (UAC) at three centers operated by different  nongovernmental organizations with IOM support, where we discussed  their reasons for making the journey to the U.S, and how the programs  were assisting their reintegration. Spanish-speaking GAO staff primarily  conducted the interviews and GAO contracted for interpreters with State  to help facilitate the interviews, when necessary. We also interviewed  USAID, State, and IAF officials in the  United States who are responsible  for these programs.

To determine the number of migrants returned to El Salvador, Guatemala,  and Honduras, we reviewed and tabulated IOM data from calendar year  2015 to 2017. We did not review 2014 data because IOM’s effort had not  yet begun. To determine the number of people removed from the United  States, we reviewed and tabulated Department of Homeland Security  (DHS) data from fiscal years 2014 through 2017. We assessed the  reliability of IOM migration data on the number of returnees, and DHS  data on people removed, by reviewing documents and interviewing  knowledgeable agency officials and host government officials about how  the data were produced, selected, and checked for accuracy. We  determined the IOM data to be sufficiently reliable to provide background  information on the number of migrants returning to the three countries.  We determined the DHS data was sufficiently reliable for reporting on  number of removals of migrants from the United States to El Salvador,  Guatemala, and Honduras from fiscal years 2014 through 2017. The data  for the number of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) beneficiaries is from  DHS reporting in the Federal Register, which is sufficiently reliable for  reporting the approximate number of TPS beneficiaries.

To examine how USAID assessed the effectiveness of its assistance for  reintegration efforts in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras, from fiscal  years 2014 through 2017, we reviewed IOM’s contribution agreements,  USAID’s evaluation policies for the agreements, country strategy  documents for each country, and regional planning documents. We also  interviewed USAID officials. To gather migration related information and  requirements, we reviewed the U.S. Strategy for Central America, the  associated quarterly reporting cables, and State’s Justification  Memoranda for releasing foreign assistance to Central America. During  our March 2018 site visit, we also interviewed USAID and IOM officials at  overseas locations regarding their evaluation requirements and policy and  how they monitored and evaluated the projects. We reviewed IOM’s  reported progress towards achieving its goals by reviewing its mid-term  and final evaluation reports for the first contribution agreement, and other  reporting documentation containing progress updates for the other two  contribution agreements.

During our site visit to El Salvador, we visited renovation projects that  IOM supported, including two playgrounds, a municipal gymnasium, and  a community center in Zacatecoluca and Usulután. In addition, we visited  several reintegration initiatives, including an Assistance Center for  Returned Migrant Children and Adolescents and, one municipal  information center supporting reintegration center, both in El Salvador,  and one municipal reintegration assistance center in Honduras. We  selected reception and reintegration initiatives to visit based on proximity  to San Salvador and San Pedro Sula. We also met with U.S. embassy  officials, including the U.S. Ambassador to Guatemala and acting chiefs  of mission in El Salvador and Honduras, to obtain their views on U.S.  assistance for returning migrants and to understand what efforts were  underway to address the impact of termination of Temporary Protected  Status for El Salvadoran and Honduran beneficiaries. We also  interviewed IOM officials in El Salvador on the host nation’s ability to  reintegrate Temporary Protected Status beneficiaries, and reviewed  documents regarding El Salvador and Honduras by DHS and State on  this topic.

To examine interagency coordination, we obtained information on how  USAID, State, DHS, and IAF headquarters offices with responsibility for  overseeing assistance for reception and reintegration activities and  country team operations in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras have  been coordinating with each other and with host country partners. During  our March 2018 site visit, we interviewed USAID and IOM representatives  at overseas locations to discuss their coordination efforts. We also  interviewed USAID, State, and DHS officials in the United States who are  responsible for these programs to obtain their views on interagency  coordination. In addition, we obtained related information from IAF  officials on coordination by email.

We conducted this performance audit from November 2017 to November  2018, in accordance with generally accepted government auditing  standards. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to  obtain sufficient, appropriate evidence to provide a reasonable basis for  our findings and conclusions based on our audit objectives. We believe  that the evidence obtained provides a reasonable basis for our findings  and conclusions based on our audit objectives.

Appendix II: U.S. Agencies Coordinate on Reception and Reintegration Efforts for Migrants Returning to El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras

Interagency Coordination on Reception and Reintegration Efforts Takes Place in All Three Countries

Interagency coordination on reception and reintegration efforts takes  place at U.S. embassies among the U.S. Agency for International  Development (USAID), Department of State (State), Department of  Homeland Security (DHS), and others, in El Salvador, Guatemala, and  Honduras. These efforts occur on a formal basis as part of interagency  working groups focused on migration at the U.S. embassies in El  Salvador and Honduras and on an ad hoc basis in Guatemala, where no  formal migration working group exists. Additionally, the Inter-American  Foundation (IAF) coordinates its reintegration efforts with USAID’s  missions in El Salvador and Guatemala, where it funds such projects.

The migration working group at the U.S. embassy in El Salvador,  according to group officials, coordinates the efforts of the various U.S.  agencies working on migration issues, in support of the U.S. embassy’s  overall goal of curbing illegal migration to the United States. Members of  the working group come from USAID; State, including various sections  such as Political, Consular, and Public Affairs; DHS components,  including U.S. Customs and Border Protection and U.S. Immigration and  Customs Enforcement; and others as appropriate. According to these  officials, the working group’s purpose is to have all the agencies at the  U.S. embassy support and work together on migration-related issues,  share information, and avoid duplication of effort. These officials told us  the working group also responds to issues raised by State headquarters.  For example, State officials in Washington asked the working group to  assess the potential impact of former beneficiaries of Temporary  Protected Status in the United States returning to El Salvador.

The migration working group at the U.S. embassy in Honduras initially  focused on addressing the rapid increase of unaccompanied children  (UAC) from El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras arriving at the U.S.  border in 2014, according to group officials. Members of the working  group include individuals from USAID, State, DHS, and others as  appropriate. In September 2017, the working group, according to these  officials, shifted its focus to reintegration, as well as issues related to  internally displaced persons. Officials told us that the working group has  spun off other working groups, including one to address the issue of  beneficiaries with Temporary Protected Status returning to Honduras.

The U.S. embassy in Guatemala had no formal inter-agency migration  working group, in March 2018 when we visited, but it had several others,  including a law enforcement working group that meets once a week.  According to the working group, the Ambassador meets with them if any  sensitive issues regarding migration arise. In addition, it has an economic  and political working group focused on the ports and trade that regularly  discusses what is occurring at the ports of entry. Among these working  groups, migration is discussed at the U.S. embassy as needed, according  to embassy officials we spoke with who participate in these groups.  Members of the working groups include individuals from USAID, State,  DHS, and others as appropriate.

IAF also coordinates its reintegration efforts with all three U.S.  embassies, to ensure that (1) its projects are aligned with U.S. foreign  policy objectives and (2) its grantees are appropriate. State provides  feedback on IAF proposed grants and the relevant U.S. embassies  provide their approval. According to IAF officials, for each fiscal year  since 2016 IAF has presented a detailed proposal to USAID’s Latin  American and Caribbean Bureau, outlining its programing and funding  objectives, and monitoring and evaluation plan in the Northern Triangle  countries. The proposals are intended to facilitate USAID’s transfer of  funds to IAF, ensuring that community-led projects are included in the  efforts it supports to advance the U.S. Strategy for Central America.

USAID Coordinates with Foreign Partners Mainly through the International Organization for Migration

USAID coordinates its assistance for reception and reintegration efforts  with foreign partners, including host governments and international  organizations, through the International Organization for Migration (IOM),  which is the primary implementing partner for these efforts. USAID  officials told us, however, they engage with both the host government and  other national and multilateral organizations when it identifies a  constructive opportunity.

Specifically, USAID’s three program contribution agreements with IOM  addressed the benefits of partnerships and coordination with counterparts  in government, civil society, multilateral organizations, and the private  sector. Additionally, IOM noted it would engage with various stakeholders  to coordinate responses and avoid duplication. For example, according to  IOM, in 2014, it had already met with various private sector counterparts,  such as Americares, and the civil society organizations Glasswing  International and World Vision, to identify potential activities to build upon  USAID-funded assistance before the initiation of the first program  contribution agreement.

IOM also coordinated with various civil society, multilateral, and private  sector organizations in the three countries in its implementation of the  program contribution agreements. For example, in Guatemala, IOM  officials stated that their coordination with the United Nations Population  Fund enabled IOM to provide computer hardware, while the United  Nations provided computer software to the Ministry of Foreign Relations  to register UAC, thus avoiding duplication. IOM also coordinated with civil  society organizations such as:

Fundación Cristosal, in El Salvador, which is working to implement a  new registration system of victims of internal displacement.

Fundación Avina, in Guatemala, which assists returnees with social  and labor reintegration.

Scalibrini Missionary Sisters, in Honduras, which operates the  reception center at San Pedro Sula and provides returnees bus tickets  back to their communities of origin, if needed and also phone calls to  reach their family members upon their arrival.

During our site visit to Honduras in March 2018, we attended a roundtable  meeting with representatives from the International Committee of the Red  Cross, the Norwegian Refugee Council, and the United Nations High  Commissioner of Refugees, where these representatives discussed  coordination and efforts to avoid duplication at reception centers. For  example, officials at the meeting stated that during the post-election  protests in Honduras in late 2017 and early 2018, returning children and  families could not access the Centro de Atención para Niñez y Familias  Migrantes Belén (Belén Assistance Center for Children and Families) to  be processed by IOM, so they were processed by the Honduran Red  Cross at the Centro de Atención al Migrante Omoa (Omoa Assistance  Center for Migrants). The organizations worked together and consistently  communicated to ensure that there were no gaps in coverage for the  returning UAC and families, according to officials at the meeting.

USAID officials told us that IOM programs helped strengthen the  relationship between the U.S. government and the host country  governments. The host government agency must formally request IOM’s  assistance before IOM will provide support, and IOM officials said this  letter of request is important to ensure institutional support for and  cooperation with IOM’s programs. Additionally, IOM, USAID, and the host  government agencies worked together to improve reception and  reintegration services for returning migrants. For example, in Honduras in  March 2018, USAID, IOM, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the  National Center for Social Sector Information met to discuss what  additional information they would like to obtain about returning migrants  and how to analyze the data.

The program contribution agreements also called for the establishment of  coordination committees to facilitate coordination and consultation among  its members. According to the agreements, the committees were to share  information as needed to provide assistance, evaluate the effectiveness  of the assistance, and otherwise share relevant information. The  committee meetings, according to IOM officials, were held regionally  among representatives of IOM and the USAID missions under the first  program contribution agreement, Repatriation Assistance to Returning  Families and Unaccompanied Children in the Northern Triangle of Central  America, when the efforts were beginning and there was a sense of  urgency due the rapid influx of UAC at the U.S. border from El Salvador,  Guatemala, and Honduras. When the third program contribution  agreement, Return and Reintegration in the Northern Triangle, began in  2016, the meetings between IOM and USAID were held bilaterally in each  country.

The coordination committee played an important role during the beginning  of the first program contribution agreement because, according to USAID  officials, it facilitated interaction with the host governments, helped with  coordination, and established working relationships between USAID and IOM. Once the program and relationships were established by the time of  the third contribution agreement, coordination had evolved, according to  USAID officials. IOM officials said that although committee meetings  occur on an ad hoc basis under the third program contribution agreement,  coordination is stronger. For example, USAID and IOM coordinate closely  on strategic decisions, such as IOM’s decision to rebid the contract to  renovate and expand the reception center at the Guatemalan Air Force  Base, after allegations of corruption arose surrounding the initial  contractor.

Finally, USAID interacts in various ways with IOM, outside of the formal  terms of the contribution agreements. According to IOM and USAID  officials,

USAID and IOM engage in regular discussions about the programs’  progress and implementation challenges, to help IOM make decisions  and redefine plans of action if necessary.

USAID is involved in IOM’s strategic decisions, and IOM regularly  consults USAID for feedback and recommendations regarding  programming.

USAID and IOM participated in forums such as conferences and a  workshop where lessons learned and best practices were discussed.

Appendix III: Comments from the U.S. Agency for International Development

Appendix IV: Comments from the Inter- American Foundation

Appendix V: GAO Contact and Staff Acknowledgments

In addition to the contact named above, Judith Williams (Assistant  Director), Joe Carney (Assistant Director), Julie Hirshen (Analyst-in- Charge), Kathryn Bassion, Neil Doherty, Daniela Rudstein, Aldo Salerno,  Michael Silver, and K. Nicole Willems made key contributions to this  report.

In fiscal year 2017, the Department of Homeland Security returned nearly 75,000 migrants to El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras.

We examined U.S. efforts to help migrants reintegrate into their home countries—such as by helping them reestablish psychological, social and economic ties.

Since 2014, USAID has provided about $27 million to assist returnees. This assistance has included providing food, transportation, school supplies, and help finding work. It has not yet assessed the effectiveness of these efforts, but has plans to do so.