The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2024Vera Espinoza, MarciaCrawley, HeavenTeye, Joseph Kofi2024-01-222024-01-222023-12-28Vera Espinoza, M. (2024) ‘Migration governance in South America: change and continuity in times of “crisis”’, in H. Crawley and J.K. Teye (eds) The Palgrave Handbook of South–South Migration and Inequality. Cham: Springer International Publishing, pp. 631–652. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-39814-8_29.978-3-031-39813-1https://eresearch.qmu.ac.uk/handle/20.500.12289/13664https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-39814-8_29Marcia Vera Espinoza - ORCID: 0000-0001-6238-7683 https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6238-7683This chapter provides an overview of recent South America migration governance. Recent migration dynamics in South America have been marked by intra-regional and extra-regional mobility patterns. While such intra-regional movements have had as their destination mainly countries of the Southern Cone—such as Argentina, Chile and Brazil—recent mobility has also changed migration patterns in countries such as Peru, Colombia and Ecuador. In particular, the exodus of more than seven million Venezuelans has led to significant changes in migration flows and policies in the region. This chapter reflects on the changes in migration governance in South America in the last decade, and how it has been framed and justified through the lens of “multiple crises”. The chapter argues that South America has been developing a patchwork approach to migration governance, characterised by fragmented and reactive measures, with practices that evidence both continuity and change. The development of this approach is leading to more control, the criminalisation of migration, increased migrant irregularity and less protection for people on the move.631–652enCC BY 4.0 DEED Attribution 4.0 Internationalhttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/MigrationSouth-South MigrationSouth AmericaCrisisMigration GovernanceMigration PolicyMigrants RightsGlobal SouthBook chapter