Timeline: U.S. Intervention and Modern Migration in the Americas

Why have so many people in the Americas made the perilous migration journey to the United States, especially in recent years? Why have migration patterns in the Western Hemisphere shifted over the years, and why are migrants from some countries treated differently than others? How are the policies and practices of the U.S. connected to the reasons people in the region have moved over time?

To get at the root of these questions, GCIR is releasing a new timeline: U.S. Intervention and Modern Migration in the Americas, which delves into this history to allow for a nuanced analysis and deeper understanding of the migration flows and patterns we see today.

Last year marked the 200^th anniversary of the Monroe Doctrine, in which the United States declared that Europe must not interfere with the independent nations of the Americas, thus preventing those powers from further colonizing the continent. Over the course of two centuries under the cover of that supposedly neighborly policy, the U.S. invaded or occupied countries in the Western Hemisphere, engaged in covert operations in the region, and economically supported countries or entities perceived to be aligned with U.S. interests.

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Our new timeline documents the history of U.S. intervention in nations throughout the Western Hemisphere since the 19th century and tracks the migration patterns of people from Latin America and the Caribbean to countries including the United States following those interventions. It also addresses how the U.S. government modified its immigration policies and practices accordingly.

In line with GCIR’s Theory of Change, this timeline demonstrates how the history of U.S. intervention – including militarism, imperialism, and racial capitalism - has impacted and influenced current migration flows. We hope this timeline prompts reflection about what it looks like to support migrant populations so that they have the freedom not just to move, but also to stay in their countries of origin.

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By interacting with this timeline, we hope philanthropy will explore support for cross-border and in-country development, including transnational organizing, economic and social investments, and resourcing diaspora groups in the U.S. and in their home countries. We also aim to highlight the centrality of racial justice to the migration story, and how corporate interests and imperialism have impacted migration. There is explicit and implicit bias against, for example, migrants from Haiti vs. Cuba, a disparity which reflects both geopolitical considerations and anti-Blackness.

With this timeline, we are examining and expanding how we think about migration. In the context of historical harms that have been perpetrated against nations and people, could migration itself be a form of reparations? A way to make people whole? It is easier to look away from the role we have played than to address the modern-day consequences of long-standing policies and practices, but we think it is essential to understand where we have been and how we got here in order to adequately address the challenges and opportunities we face today.

U.S. Intervention and Modern Migration in the Americas is the second installment of GCIR’s Im/Migration timeline project. We invite you to explore the first installment, Timeline: Citizenship in the United States, 1781 – Present, which focused on the question of "Who gets to be an American?" and how fights for U.S. citizenship rights have evolved for various groups of people over time.

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how to navigate the timeline

You can explore this timeline by visiting six historical eras, some of which overlap. For example, the period highlighting America’s “War on Drugs” happened concurrently with U.S. efforts to roll back communism:

• 1791–1903: U.S. Expansion and the Introduction of the Monroe Doctrine
• 1904–1946: The Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine
• 1947–1980: The Truman Doctrine and the Containment of Communism
• 1971–Present: Declaration of the “War on Drugs”
• 1980s–1990s: Beyond Containment, the Rolling Back of Communism
• 1996–Present: Enforcement and the Externalization of Borders

Each era will provide necessary historical context to understand our current picture of modern migration.

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ERA 1: 1791–1903: U.S. EXPANSION AND THE INTRODUCTION OF THE MONROE DOCTRINE

The Monroe Doctrine was introduced in 1823, and over the next two centuries the U.S. invaded or occupied countries in the Western Hemisphere, engaged in covert operations in the region, and economically supported countries or insurgents that were perceived to be aligned with U.S. interests.

 

ERA 2: 1904–1946: THE ROOSEVELT COROLLARY TO THE MONROE DOCTRINE

In this period, the U.S. expanded the Monroe Doctrine through the Roosevelt Corollary, which the U.S. used to justify intervening in places like the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, Haiti, Cuba and other nations on the basis of protecting U.S. interests and defending against “foreign aggressions.”

 

ERA 3: 1947–1980: the truman doctrine and the containment of communism

In the cold war era, U.S. intervention in regional affairs was guided by policies and practices designed to contain Communism, an approach that would expand in the 1980s. The U.S. engaged in a series of proxy interventions by supporting governments or rebel forces that opposed the Soviet Union.

 

ERA 4: 1971–PRESENT: DECLARATION OF THE 'WAR ON DRUGS'

In the 1970s, the U.S. launched the "war on drugs," exacerbating violence in the region. Subsequent policies such as Plan Colombia or the Merida Initiative led to profound violence and displacement.

 

ERA 5: 1980s–1990s: BEYOND CONTAINMENT, THE ROLLING BACK OF COMMUNISM

During the 1980s, the U.S. strategy of containment was expanded significantly in the Americas, with the stated objective of rolling back Communism. Cross-border solidarity response to the fallout from these policies led to the creation of the Sanctuary Movement.

 

ERA 6: 1996–present: enforcement and the externalization of borders

In the 1990s, the U.S. ramped up its externalization of immigration enforcement beyond U.S. borders. People fleeing violence continue to be classified as economic migrants and are therefore ineligible for asylum. Meanwhile, the number of people on the move due to natural disasters and climate change is on the rise.