The chapter begins with a short conceptual discussion of what we mean by immigration policies, policy liberalisation and discursive policy gaps and continues with a brief description of migratory movements in the region. The third section analyses the liberalisation of immigration discourses in Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Chile, Ecuador and Uruguay. The fourth part discusses to what extent these discourses have translated into liberal legislative reforms. The fifth section takes a closer look at the ‘right to migrate’ as a central piece of South American legislative liberalisation, and the conclusion links the study’s main findings to different phases of the policymaking cycle.
Suggested citation: Luisa Feline Freier and Diego Acosta, ‘Beyond Smoke and Mirrors? Discursive Gaps in the Liberalisation of South American Immigration Laws’ in D. J. Cantor, L. F. Freier and J.-P. Gauci (eds.) A Liberal Tide? Immigration and Asylum Law and Policy in Latin America (London, Institute of Latin American Studies, 2015), pp. 33-56.
