U.N: The Americas world's leading region for forced displacement
By the end of 2025, Colombia was hosting 2.8 million people, most of them Venezuelans, surpassing countries such as Germany, Turkey and Uganda.
Colombia's position as a major host country is largely linked to the massive arrival of Venezuelans over the past decade. The agency highlighted that regularization policies implemented by Bogotá have allowed millions of migrants to gain access to documentation, employment and basic services, facilitating their integration into host communities.
Although Colombia tops the global list of host countries, it also continues to face one of the world's largest internal displacement crises.
The Victims Unit reported that 7.2 million people continue to live in situations of internal displacement caused by armed conflict and violence, while the cumulative historical registry exceeds 8.9 million victims.
"The Americas demonstrate that solidarity and shared responsibility produce real results for people and societies," said Juan Carlos Murillo, the United Nations refugee agency official in charge of the region.
The Venezuelan crisis remains one of the main drivers of displacement. By the end of 2025, there were 417,000 Venezuelan refugees and another 6 million people in need of international protection. Ninety-seven percent remained in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Colombia hosted the largest displaced Venezuelan population, with 2.8 million people. It was followed by Peru with 1.1 million, Brazil with 699,000, Chile with 662,600 and Ecuador with 435,800.
The Regional Inter-Agency Coordination Platform for Refugees and Migrants from Venezuela, known as R4V, estimates that nearly 7 million Venezuelans remain outside their country.
The report also notes that returns to Venezuela have increased in recent years.
However, a survey conducted by the agency in six countries found that only 9% of displaced Venezuelans plan to return during the next 12 months, while the majority remain cautious and condition their return on improvements in living conditions.
Haiti recorded one of the most severe deteriorations in the region. The number of internally displaced people reached 1.4 million, an increase of 38% compared with the previous year.
The International Organization for Migration reported this month that the number of internally displaced people has already surpassed 1.47 million, equivalent to approximately 12% of Haiti's population, and noted that more than half are women and girls.
The agency also warned that gang violence is spreading beyond Port-au-Prince into new regions of the country.
Meanwhile, the International Committee of the Red Cross estimated in April that more than 6 million Haitians require urgent humanitarian assistance. The organization also said gangs exercise control over approximately 85% of Port-au-Prince, a situation that has contributed to rising displacement and a worsening humanitarian crisis.
The report also indicates that 987,700 people from countries in the Americas sought international protection in different parts of the world during 2025, representing approximately one in five asylum applications registered globally.
Venezuela, Cuba, Mexico, Haiti and Colombia rank among the main countries of origin.
Despite the increase in displacement, the United Nations refugee agency highlighted the Americas as a region that has advanced in integration policies.
The agency cited migrant regularization programs, access to employment and partnerships with the private sector, noting that more than 1,500 companies currently participate in initiatives to incorporate displaced people into the labor market across eight countries in the region.
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Cuba implements economic reforms amid new U.S. sanctions
June 12 (UPI) -- Cuba's government on Friday announced a broad package of economic reforms aimed at restructuring key aspects of the country's economic model, just hours after the United States imposed a full financial blockade on state oil company Unión Cuba-Petróleo, or CUPET.
Speaking on state television, Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel defended the shift toward decentralization, saying that "these are times when change is necessary."
The measures are part of the government's 2026 Economic and Social Program, a roadmap inspired by the economic models of China and Vietnam. Havana says the plan is intended to address the island's deep economic crisis, high inflation and widespread shortages of goods and services.
The reforms came only hours after U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on X sanctions against CUPET, freezing all of the company's assets under U.S. jurisdiction and prohibiting commercial transactions with it.
Rubio said that "Cuba's communist elites have turned energy into a tool of social control and profit," accusing the government of hoarding fuel supplies for its own benefit and using them to repress the Cuban people.
"President Donald Trump wants a new future for the Cuban people with greater freedom and opportunity," Rubio wrote.
The secretary of state said the sanctions were justified because CUPET operates assets that were allegedly confiscated from U.S. owners decades ago. Washington also warned that foreign companies continuing to do business with the state oil company could face secondary sanctions.
Cuba announced the measures two days after the Miami Herald reported on a proposed commercial agreement between Florida-based Vanguard Energy and Cuban agencies to deliver 250,000 barrels of gasoline and diesel fuel intended exclusively for Cuba's private sector, small and medium-sized enterprises and humanitarian organizations.
The arrangement included a five-year lease of state-owned storage tanks operated by CUPET. Under the proposal, Vanguard would retain ownership of the fuel to prevent it from being diverted to the Cuban government and would operate outside the island's banking system.
However, within hours of the agreement becoming public, the U.S. State Department halted the shipment, saying the company did not possess a specific license authorizing the transaction and reaffirming that the Trump administration's sanctions against Cuba remain fully in force.
Despite the tightening U.S. restrictions, Díaz-Canel rejected suggestions that the reforms were a response to pressure from Washington, describing them as a necessary internal restructuring effort.
The economic plan centers on decentralization and greater openness to investment. Municipal governments and state-owned companies will receive expanded authority over imports, exports and foreign currency management in an effort to reduce bureaucratic obstacles.
The government also plans to ease restrictions on private small and medium-sized businesses, open financial investment opportunities for Cubans living abroad and allow foreign companies to lease agricultural land to boost food production.
To support the reforms, Havana plans a significant reduction of the central bureaucracy, cutting the number of government ministries to 20 from 27 through mergers and eliminations.
Díaz-Canel said Cuba must move toward "new models and new actors" capable of making use of existing infrastructure, acknowledging that sectors such as tourism have been hurt by U.S. sanctions.
"We cannot focus only on the large international hotel chains when many of them, because of pressure from the United States government, have left the country," he said. "We are developing real estate and tourism projects with new models and other actors that have not traditionally participated in these sectors."
On energy policy, Díaz-Canel said Cuba would continue shifting toward solar power and renewable energy sources.
"We are going to eliminate, as much as possible, the restrictions that exist on vehicle imports," he said. "We will continue prioritizing, through tariffs and pricing policies, the importation of electric vehicles powered by solar energy."
Recent U.S. measures against Cuba have significantly tightened the decades-old embargo through Executive Order 14404 and additional restrictions targeting the energy sector, including CUPET. The sanctions also affect senior government officials, their relatives and military-linked entities.
Washington says the measures are intended to cut off revenue to the Cuban government, encourage political change and punish human rights abuses.
Cuban authorities argue that the restrictions have worsened an already severe economic crisis marked by chronic shortages and power outages that have lasted more than 48 hours in some parts of the island.
International organizations, including the United Nations, have warned about the humanitarian impact on the civilian population.
Argentina plans to allow sale of 10,000 U.S. vehicles duty-free
The plan would allow up to 10,000 vehicles a year to enter Argentina without paying the 35% tariff currently applied to most automobiles imported from countries outside Mercosur, the South American trade bloc that comprises Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay.
The government is finalizing details of the initiative, which local media reports say could be announced in August. If implemented, it would mark one of the most significant changes to Argentina's automotive trade policy in recent years.
Industry analysts said the impact is likely to be more noticeable in vehicle prices than in sales volumes.
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Gabriel Silveira, automotive editor at Argentine newspaper Clarín, told UPI the agreement would apply to a limited number of vehicles and that most qualifying models would be concentrated in higher-priced market segments.
"This agreement would involve only 10,000 vehicles annually and there are not that many cars imported from the United States. It would particularly benefit brands such as Ford and General Motors," he said.
Silveira said several luxury automakers that manufacture vehicles in the United States also would benefit, including BMW and Mercedes-Benz. He said eliminating the tariff could significantly reduce the retail price of those models.
Some companies already have begun to anticipate the agreement's potential effects. Silveira noted that Ford is offering discounts on several U.S.-built vehicles, including the F-150 pickup truck, Mustang sports car and Bronco sport utility vehicle.
"They are already being sold at discounted prices in anticipation of the agreement's final implementation," he said.
According to business news outlet iProfesional, Imports exceeding the 10,000-unit limit would continue to pay the full tariff. Import permits would be granted on a first-come, first-served basis, and no plans exist to automatically increase the quota in coming years.
The measure could benefit U.S. automakers such as Ford, Chevrolet and Stellantis, as well as European and Asian brands that manufacture vehicles in U.S. plants, including Toyota, Honda, Hyundai, BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen.
Financial newspaper Ámbito Financiero reported that the agreement will cover passenger cars, SUVs, pickup trucks and light commercial vehicles powered by internal combustion, hybrid and electric drivetrains.
Models that could become available in Argentina under the program include the Toyota Tundra, Chevrolet Tahoe and Suburban SUVs and the Mercedes-Maybach GLS.
The White House said last year that the understanding is intended to promote economic growth and expand business opportunities between the two countries.
While Argentina's government has presented the measure as part of its broader trade liberalization strategy, some sectors of the domestic automotive industry are closely monitoring its potential effects on competition and local manufacturing.
