Migration over the last year has been dominated by economic issues, as European migration became a balance, and sometimes a conflict, between new cultures and old cultures. Rights and migration were the questions in places like Calais and reducing illegal immigration on European beaches and discovering a new way to take in immigrants who can support the aging population in the EU and the region. In the Americas, the crunch of the recession has even affected illegal migration, so much so that the lack of jobs have reduced the numbers of illegal immigrants in the US, but also has taken one of the main sources of income for many in Mexico and Central America, transfers, and created a shortfall in funds in the process. While immigration policy worldwide is a distinct and unique challenge, economic policy in 2009 has taken hold of many migration issues and put them in the crosshairs, as poverty and migration often go hand in hand.

Person of the Year: Migration
It can be difficult to choose one person this year who could be seen as a champion or protagonist of immigration policy, but some notable groups of people or agencies should be noted as the policymakers in France who decided to address the refugee camp near Calais, France, and those policymakers in Switzerland who decided surprisingly that new Mosques would no longer be allowed to create Minarets which are higher that certain structures in Swiss cities and towns. Addressing Calais is a two edged sword, as while no one wishes that migrants from places like Iraq and Afghanistan should be camped in limbo in Northern Europe, awaiting a lorry and pushing to move into the UK, at the same time there is a paralysis on what to do with so many migrants wishing to make the dangerous journey. The normally passive Swiss Muslim community was shocked to find one of the most integrated societies in Europe creating a policy which while not having a direct effect on European Muslim’s daily lives, does show signs of a division in the normally passive Swiss society. While the fear of the other is a theme of many political debates in Europe, a ban on a part of Middle Eastern culture will do nothing more than create more debate and encourage feelings of divided societies.

Most Unexpected Event: Migration
It is difficult to say if this event was unexpected, but with an economic downturn the effect on illegal immigration to the US created a slow in the number of illegal migrants in general. The surprising factor however was the numbers of illegal immigrants already in the US migrating back to their countries of origin due to the lack of employment in the US in general. Often with economic struggles, the poorest in society are affected the greatest, and with the US those migrants from poorer countries have opted in some cases to return to their home countries until the economy recovers.

What to Watch for in 2010: Migration
The next year in 2010 will be the year where environmental issues and migration will become an issue of greater importance. Many larger economies will start to earn back some of their lost funds from 2008-2009 and refocus their immigration policy on migrants who can contribute to the economy and how to integrate their skills and tax making power into countries with larger aging populations. Policy to make immigration part of the overall economic engine of those countries who lost much of their revenue will be key, while those same immigrant rich societies will become the norm in policy approaches over the next year.

Next year I will move from being the Migration blogger since 2007 toward writing on my other blog, Latin America, and start to write for the European Union blog as well. I will still be writing on Migration issues and put up the occasional post, but have taken my three years writing on Migration and will post on larger issues of the EU and Latin America. Thanks for reading!!

The global economic recession has had mixed effects on migration. In some cases it led to clear decreases in remittance-sending, while many migrants also lost their jobs. In the United States, for example, a large number of immigrants worked in low-skilled industries such as construction, where available jobs dropped precipitously after the collapse of the housing industry. The unemployment rate for Central Americans and Mexicans, who make up the majority of immigrants in the US, is a few points worse than the national average. (October 2009 unemployment rates: 9.5% for native-born; 11.5% for Mexicans and Central Americans)

Interestingly, however, rather than causing a mass outflow of migrants from developed nations to countries of origin, a recent study by Migration Information Source found that most migrants are remaining where they are. This may be due to a number of factors, some of which are:

• Migrants may have moved with the intention of their new residence being a permanent home.
• It might be prohibitively expensive for migrants to return to their country of origin (not to mention difficult to once again re-enter the destination country).
• Economic conditions in the source country may be no better – and instead, actually worse – than where migrants currently live.

Perhaps we could also interpret the migrants’ decision to remain where they are as a positive and bullish outlook on their long-term prospects in their new country. Those without jobs believe that once the economy picks up they will be back to work. This is no doubt a desire shared by many, whatever their immigration status.

Migration Information Source’s report, providing the basis for the statistics above, can be found on their website.

A little over one year ago a 37-year old immigrant from Ecuador, Marcelo Lucero, was stabbed to death in Patchatogue, NY, a town on Long Island. The community recently held a vigil and called for increased understanding. One can only hope that the memorial service helps to spread open-mindedness and serve as a counterweight to xenophobia.

Who carried out such a hate-crime and why did they do this? The police arrested a group of teenagers who said that they went around town beating up Hispanics as a kind of “sport”. I would argue that this behavior and the fear of others is learned, and that families can raise children who accept and even appreciate differences.

While violence against immigrants is rare, it unfortunately remains all too common.

In 2005, assailants shot six Mexican immigrants and beat them to death with a baseball bat in Tifton, Georgia. Aside from robbery, the crime included racial motivation. A jury convicted the main perpetrator for 120 years in jail, without parole.

Everyone, whatever their immigration status and legality may be, deserves physical protection and the guarantee of their basic human rights.

This past weekend the US Congress passed a bill to reform the country’s health care system. It must now be merged with legislation in the Senate and pass through an additional vote in that house.

One aspect of the bill rarely mentioned in the past week, but which attracted scrutiny, is health care coverage for legal and “illegal” immigrants. The issue rose to the forefront of public conscience during President Obama’s speech to Congress in September. Joe Wilson, a Congressman from South Carolina, shouted “You lie!” after Obama stated that Democrats did not intend for “illegal” immigrants to receive health care coverage. (Note: Please see my posting here that discusses terminology.)

Concerns over spending finite resources on health care for undocumented persons are understandable, though the numbers are not as large as one might be led to believe from the media. While the country’s undocumented population remains substantial, statistics show that less than one in 11 of the uninsured is an “illegal” immigrant.

A report by the Migration Policy Institute details those immigrants who would and would not be covered. Some Representatives want to withhold health benefits from legal immigrants who have lived in the US for less than five years, affecting more than 1 of the 4.2 million uninsured permanent residents.

Given that these green card holders reside legally in the US and may one day be citizens, it seems more than reasonable that they too should be able to pay for and receive health insurance.

Getting health care right is important. So too, is immigration reform. The uncertainties on coverage would be less complicated if the United States had successfully solved its immigration quandary. The Obama administration considers this a priority, and should health care reform pass successfully, immigration policy is on the docket for 2010.

If you were looking for a reprieve from the town hall meetings and tea parties marked by with emotion and rhetoric, don’t hold your breath. Immigration debates, here we come.

The FPA Migration Blog is proud to post a film review by Sean Patrick Murphy of the FPA Global Film Review Blog.  Sean’s review involves issues regarding migrants from Central America coming to the US, namely Honduras to Texas, and the increasing numbers coming from the region and the dangers they face in the process. Sin Nombre (2009) is a film which addresses these issues. Sean’s review is posted below:

Right from the start this film draws the audience in. It is a movie about a young Honduran woman named Sayra who rides on top of trains hoping to reach Texas through Mexico. It is also about Casper (a.k.a. Willy), a Mexican gang member in trouble who meets up with Sayra along the way. Casper’s association with the gang shows how brutal life is for him and his protégé, Smiley. Their initiation rituals are physically punishing.

This film is also about desperation, about the crushing poverty that leads people to risk everything to find a better life. It is also about gang style brotherhood and the long reach of certain gangs. There is at least one point when Casper, who protected Sayra once, tries to leave Sayra by hopping off a train while she sleeps. But she is stubborn and places her fate in his hands and joins him. The acting is superb. All of the characters are believable and the audience sees clearly, even in his quietest moments, how Casper (played by Edgar Flores) struggles with his past, a past he is trying to leave behind. The story also shows how one decision can alter a person’s life, how difficult it is to escape one’s lot in life.

The relationship between Sayra and Casper is refreshingly non romantic. They have an affinity for each other and look out for one another but remain just friends. This film also puts a human face on migration. All the while the audience asks, “Will Casper escape his past? Will Sayra make it to the United States?” It is worth watching to find out.

“Sin Nombre” is available for rent.

Murphy can be reached at:  Lojano at comcast.net

Somalia does not often benefit from positive stories in the press. At present it is probably best known for its ongoing civil war - which has lasted for nearly two decades - pirates operating along its coasts, and recently, reporting on the return of young Somalis from Minnesota to fight for the Shabaab, a group of Islamic militants with ties to Al Qaeda.

Readers, however, might overlook another outcome of this conflict – the displacement of Somalis throughout the globe, and the creation of a wide-ranging diaspora. All one needs to do is search “Somali” and “community” on the web to get an idea of the global spread of Somalis.

A 2009 UNDP report provides a summary of the Somali diaspora. It found that approximately one in every seven Somalis now live overseas, totaling more than one million persons. Top locations, outside of Kenya and Yemen, in Europe (rank order) are the UK, “Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Italy.” In North America large communities reside in the Minneapolis region, Columbus, Ohio, and Toronto, Canada.

Collectively, these overseas Somalis act as a powerful financial force by sending back remittances. This strong tradition of giving uses hawala, an informal system for transferring funds, and monies may be used to support family members, or also as business investments. The aforementioned UNDP report states that the diaspora sends $1 billion, or even as much as $1.6 billion annually back to Somalia. This appears to be an impressive amount, particularly when compared to the $214 million in aid pledge by foreign donors earlier this year.

The latest body of a Colombian migrant – now the eleventh – was recently found along the border region of Venezuela. The victim had been playing pick-up soccer when kidnapped two weeks ago.

Who would massacre these Colombians, and to what end? It may be an extreme sign of anti-immigrant sentiment within Venezuela; Colombians make up its largest foreign-born group and often compete for jobs while being labeled with negative stereotypes. Another more likely possibility is that Colombian guerrillas, such as the ELN and FARC, crossed the border in order to kill suspected paramilitary adversaries.

The region between Venezuela and Colombia is relatively porous, allowing the movement of migrants as well as armed groups. Venezuela’s border-states host more than 200,000 persons who are forcibly displaced due to the ongoing civil conflict in Colombia, as well as tens or even hundreds of thousands of others who seek better economic opportunities. Meanwhile, Bogotá has presented evidence that the government in Caracas allows Colombian guerillas to use its territory for sanctuary.

Whether or not the intent of the murders was to send a message or settle an old score, the Colombian migrant community must live with a deepened sense of their own vulnerability. They often live on the margins, struggling to find adequate housing or jobs. Many are also without legal documentation, and open to intimidation and abuse from local authorities. At the same time, Venezuela’s murder rate has unfortunately skyrocketed within the past decade, and few perpetrators are ever brought to justice. Under these circumstances one can only hope that no additional massacres take place.

More information on the latest victim can be found here.

Over the past months significant press attention has focused on the Honduran government, after the ouster of its former president. Manuel Zelaya, however, is not the only person dislocated by the political crisis.

Today, a National Public Radio (NPR) story highlighted the increased northward movement of Hondurans, as they seek employment, not to mention a safer locale. As one of the poorest countries in the hemisphere (along with Haiti, Nicaragua and Guyana), Hondurans have often found better financial circumstances elsewhere. Now their country’s weak economy has been made worse due to a still uncertain political situation.

At present, Honduran emigration may be a relative exception. For example, while the global economic troubles have led to a steep reduction in the immigration of Mexicans into the United States, Hondurans continue to look for jobs abroad. Many of them end up seeking opportunities in Mexico.

Although a range of factors are at play, economic migration generally takes place if an international migrant perceives that the likely financial benefits to movement – taking into account the costs and risks involved – outweigh the opportunities of remaining in their country of origin. Interestingly, with the current financial climate this means that Mexico remains the location of choice for more of its citizens, while also remaining attractive to the comparatively poorer Honduras.

Further information on the decline in Mexican migration to the United States can be found here.

As if the passage northward were not dangerous enough for a migrant trying to enter the US without documentation, human rights organizations now report an epidemic of kidnappings. Irregular migrants are often beaten and detained by their captors until they provide the contact information of family members, who must then send money for their release. Some migrants are raped and/or murdered.

Regardless of where one stands on the debate over immigration and borders, we can agree that these human rights violations are detestable. Mexican authorities are doing what they can to improve the situation, but there are accusations that some police officers are in cahoots with the kidnappers.

Despite the high cost and physical danger, thousands of migrants continue to attempt to cross into the United States. This signals the desperate economic situation in their country of origin, and the enduring hope and dream of building a better life elsewhere.

The NYT that provides further information can be found here.

What would it be like to live near one of the world’s most treasured natural habitats? Some Ecuadorians who once inhabited the Galapagos can no longer respond to this question.

Concerned about negative impact of human settlement, the Ecuadorian government has forced more than one thousand migrants to return to the mainland. Originally, they had traveled to the Galapagos in order to seek wages in service industries that are double what they could earn elsewhere. (The NYT article on this topic can be found here.)

This situation serves as an example of the interconnectivity of migration and the environment.

Migrants tend to move to where they can best make a living, even if it will cause harm to local environments. The priorities of housing, food, and seeking a livelihood often outweigh concern for natural habitats, unless they can be convinced of the long-term benefits of sustainability. On the other hand, environmental change, whether a rapid and devastating hurricane or slow-onset desertification, can lead to the need for people to migrate.

How should governments balance the welfare of their people with the need environmental protection? The answer is not clear. Now some Ecuadorians on the Galapagos ask whether foreign tourists and tortoises are more valued than they are. This is similar to concerns by Kenyans who live outside their country’s national parks.

In the end, perhaps better management of the Galapagos by the Ecuadorian government could have avoided this situation in the first place. It continues to subsidize flights to and from the mainland, and has permitted the islands’ population to double in the past decade, to 30,000 persons.