Contradictions and Shifts in Discourse and Application of the Refugee System in a Mixed-Migration Context: The Ecuadorian Case

Abstract

The refugee system in the Americas is codified in instruments like the Refugee Convention and Protocol, the Cartagena Declaration, the Mexico Action Plan and Brazil Declaration, and implementing legislation within member states. However, there is a widely recognized gap between institutional protections and implementation in practice. This chapter traces the case of Colombian forced migration in Ecuador to advance the argument that the conceptualization and application of the refugee system has shifted considerably over the past decade. Domestic political incentives, international reputation, and populist imaginaries of el pueblo have led to a discourse of openness that relies on generosity, globalism, and solidarity narratives that mask the regression of a rights-based refugee regime, exposing contradictions in the system. The chapter draws on discourse analysis of political speeches and media stories in Ecuador, as well as interviews with key stakeholders in the UN system, NGOs, the state, and migrants in Ecuador.