February 5, 2026

Topic:  Refugees in the Western Hemisphere

We often associate mass migration and large numbers of refugees and displaced people with other regions of the world, but there are millions of people in the western hemisphere currently in this situation. Venezuela has become the largest driver of migrants in the last five years, as millions of Venezuelans fled the Maduro regime. Ever since the 2010 earthquake, Haitians have also been a significant source of migrating and displaced people in the hemisphere. 

In this session, we will examine what is the scale and scope of migration and displacement in the region - who has moved, where do they go, what are the issues and what are the structures and supports for them? What are the trends and gaps?

We will be joined by Bridget Wooding, an expert on migration and refugee issues in the region.  Bridget is Executive Director…