Several Latin American countries—and the region collectively —have pioneered policies that radically reimagine how migration is understood and treated. While comparative public policy debates highlight Latin American approaches in other policy areas, innovations in this field remain under-recognised, and not due to ignorance. Backed by extensive academic and policy literature, I briefly revisit three of them: the decriminalisation of irregular migration, the extension of citizenship rights to both emigrants and immigrants, and policies enabling emigrant engagement and protection across borders. Despite knowledge about these innovations, North-South power dynamics and epistemological biases contribute to their dismissal as primarily symbolic or marginal. I propose a more nuanced argument: these policies are substantive responses to migration realities amid limited state capacity, contested rule of law, and stark asymmetries of power, all of which challenge governance. Nonetheless, they run deep and express common approaches: a systemic perspective, sensitivity to the challenges confronted in transit spaces, and scepticism towards conventional statehood paradigms. Recognising the inclusive migration policies emerging from Latin America—and the analytical insights behind them—is urgent for addressing migration governance challenges that not only originate in the Global North but are also increasingly characteristic of it.