Challenges of migration in Chile in the face of precariousness and anxiety
A recent study entitled “Perspectives on Resilience and Mourning in the Historical and Current Chilean Migration Context” warns that migrants in Chile face a high level of precariousness that leads to increased anxiety. The research was conducted by Liliana Acero (FCYE/UFRJ), Pablo Zuleta Pastor (FCYE/UBO) and Claudia Dides Castillo (UFRO), with funding from the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI) through the Belmont Forum call “Integrated Approaches to Migration/Human Mobility in an Era of Rapid Global Change”.
The study analyzes resilience and migratory grief, two key factors in the integration of migrants in Chile, especially in the Venezuelan and Haitian communities. According to the results, there is a need for an intersectional approach to understand the structural discrimination faced by these populations.
Resilience and grief in migrant integration
One of the main contributions of the study is the distinction between resilience and coping. While coping is an immediate response to stress, resilience involves sustained adaptation. The study identified three resilience strategies of migrants:
- Conservative: Attempt to restore previous stability without major changes.
- Adaptive: Adjustment to new conditions without modifying deep structures.
- Progressive: Significant transformations in the migrant's life and social environment.
The study highlights that resilience does not depend only on individual effort, but is influenced by factors such as gender, race and social class. In the case of migrant women, job insecurity and vulnerability to gender-based violence are additional barriers to their integration.
In addition, the study analyzes migratory grief, i.e., the psychological impact of migration. Three types of anxiety affecting migrants in Chile are identified: 1) depressive, related to the loss of the family and cultural environment; 2) dufusional, product of culture shock and uncertainty about the future; 3) attack, generated by discrimination and social exclusion.
The impact of Chilean migration policy
Chile has gone from being a country of emigration to a key recipient in Latin America. However, the study warns that the current model is exclusionary. Between 2013 and 2022, Chile received more than 26,000 refugee applications, but only 2.3% were approved. The research also warns that the concept of resilience has been used politically to justify the lack of public integration policies, promoting the idea that migrants can adapt without state support.
Another phenomenon analyzed is deterritorialization and reterritorialization, which describes the process of losing the link with the country of origin and rebuilding identity in a new environment. Without adequate structures, this transition becomes even more difficult for migrants.
The challenge of migrant integration
In a context of growing uncertainty, Chile faces the challenge of deciding whether to view migration as an opportunity for development or not, which will require changes in public policies to better integrate migrants.
Among the recommendations for integration are, first, that the concept of refuge be redefined to include people displaced by economic crises and structural violence. Second, there is a need to strengthen access to education, health and employment, as well as to combat structural discrimination.
The study is available in the IAI Publications repository: https://www.iai.int/es/article/detail/life-quality-and-social-integration-of-migrants-settled-in-chilevenezuelan-narratives.