This article seeks to examine the political relations between sending states and their migrants abroad by focusing on the less explored context of Colombian, Peruvian and Uruguayan migration to Spain. In contrast to other research, it analyzes both the policies and programs designed by sending states to engage with their diasporas and the political actions of migrants, rather than focusing exclusively on one or the other. The aim is to understand how state-diaspora relations emerge and evolve in the transnational political field, in response to an evaluation of opportunities and costs on the part of the states and to migrants’ involvement in home country politics. To achieve this, the authors use a historical and comparative approach to draw similarities and differences between the three countries studied. The main contribution of the article is to highlight the importance of the historical and political context in which state-diaspora relations occur, as well as the migration history and characteristics of different migrant communities.