Health policies for international migrants: A comparison between Mexico and Colombia

Abstract Objective The aim of this study was to compare the health policies for international migrants in Mexico and Colombia. Methods A descriptive comparative study of the documents issued by the national-level government of the most recent past administrations in each country (2012–2018 for Mexico, 2013–2018 for Colombia) was conducted. We identified the documents' objectives, strategies, and evaluation of results, and the representation of international migrants and migrant health in the policy. Results Both countries situate health care policies for international migrants in a human rights framework. In both, migrants are entitled to health care, but access is limited by migration status. The main contrasts are the focus on different migrant populations (Mexican migrants in the Mexico-US migration circuit in Mexico; Venezuelan immigrants and Colombians returning from Venezuela in Colombia), and the discursive framing of policies as a response to the crisis in Colombia. As a result, while concrete actions are detailed in the Colombian policies, most documents in Mexico are limited to general strategies. These differences can be explained by the context in which each set of policies was issued: a relatively stable Mexico-US migration flow in Mexico, and the reception of hundreds of thousands of migrants from Venezuela in a very short time in Colombia. Conclusions Tradition in matters of migration, and the current migration context, influence health policies for migrant populations.