I must apologize for my tardiness in posting this second part article on immigration. I was myself, ironically, experiencing some “migrating” issues and trying to deal with a few unripe lemons dropped my way. Thank you for your patience.
Recap from Part One:
In my last article, we took a quick jaunt down Historical-Holiday Lane and pondered the reasons behind the diaspora of our migrating European ancestors to New England. The famed Mayflower with her passengers and crew traversed the Atlantic for a better life and celebrated their first year in New England with their generous Indian neighbors by having a Harvest Feast. Today we remember that celebration with our version of Thanksgiving. What was surprising to learn was how many of the Mayflower’s passengers died in that first winter, about half of them. If they left in September to cross the ocean and knowingly landed in winter with all the hardship that implies… Why do it? If the risk of sea travel were so well known, why did they even go at all? Why do people risk life and limb, family and home, to make a go in another land? Let’s find out…
Migration:
To begin with, let’s settle on the idea that “migrating”, or moving around to find new places to live due to food, climate or war, is nothing new. Historically, man has been on the move for millennia. The basic causes for migration are still the same. But in today’s day and age, we have political, cultural, population and global warming issues that make immigration a little more complex.
The Past, Present, and Future of Human Migration | Omnia (upenn.edu)
WorldRiskReport_2021_Online.pdf (weltrisikobericht.de)
Personal “immigrating” experience.
For myself, I have been an “migrant” a few times in my life. I have lived overseas as an exchange student in the United Kingdom and as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Africa. My reasons for “migrating” are therefore not the same as those mentioned above, nor was my life “threatened” by my actions of choice. So how do we distinguish between an avid traveler with a penchant for service, like myself, from someone with a more driving need to migrate? Maybe we need some definitions…
Defining clarifications:
Immigrant: noun, a person who comes to live permanently in a foreign country. (North American Term)
OR
Migrant: noun, a person who moves from one place to another, especially in order to find work or better living conditions. Can be permanent.
Refugee: noun, a person who has been forced to leave their country in order to escape war, persecution, or natural disaster. (Simplified)
Hmmm… Quite the difference in the application of a simple word in describing the “person” involved. One implies choice, the other states a clear lack of choice. The Ukrainians come to mind.
Specific Immigration Categories.
According to the Migration Policy Institute, there are five categories of immigrants:
Naturalized Citizen – Citizenship is granted after a certain period of time. John Oliver is an example.
Permanent Resident – Legal residents who can choose to become Naturalized.
Twilight/Liminal – Protected status for a limited period. The construction workers in Qatar… A whole other topic!
Refugee/Asylee – Forced to flee their homes due to lack of government protection. Again, the Ukrainians for example.
Unauthorized – Undocumented or Illegal.
Choosing to immigrate.
Based off these definitions, I was a “liminal” immigrant while I lived overseas. This may be somewhat simplified, but I had the legal status to live overseas for a limited period of time. In the case of Naturalized, Permanent and Liminal it would seem that being an immigrant is one of choice. You choose when to travel and you choose where you travel. Therefore there is some form of monetary expense involved, and in some cases, a sense of limited time abroad. For our Thanksgiving ancestors, they were “paying” immigrants who choose to travel abroad and stay in the United States.
Explainer: Who Is An Immigrant? | migrationpolicy.org
John Oliver Is Officially an American Citizen | Vanity Fair
Celebrities You Didn’t Know Were Immigrants to the United States (insider.com)
Now that we have our immigration terms clearly defined and a few examples provided… Let’s get into what is driving the immigrants and refugees to our American Soils today.
The Push and Pull of Immigration.
The causes for immigration are many and varied. If we were to use the terms “push” and “pull” that the Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Services uses, we would then know the following:
“Push factors are reasons that compel or push people to leave the area of where they reside and settle someplace else. Common factors can include armed conflict, disaster exposure, gender inequality, lack of job opportunities, political corruption, and lack of access to competent healthcare and education. In simple terms, push factors are negative reasons that prompt individuals to leave.”
Some of these factors would seem to describe reasons for the of risk-of-life-and-limb for a safer home abroad.
“Pull factors are, on the other hand, the exact opposite of push factors. They attract or pull people to move and settle in a particular area. Common pull factors may include better work opportunities, greater security, and access to adequate healthcare and education. Simply put, pull factors are positive reasons that prompt individuals to move.”
“Immigration, however, is not as simple as being pulled and pushed for merely a few reasons. The push and pull framework is a combination of factors that encourage a person to leave a place of origin and factors that draw a person to a destination. Push and pull factors are never the same for everyone, and the reasons for immigration are unique to each individual. However, even though factors can change depending on age, gender, health, social class, and ethnicity, a push or pull factor may describe a pattern that can be attributed to many different reasons.”
Why reinvent the wheel? Thank you LIRS.
Why do People Immigrate? – The Different Causes of Immigration | LIRS
First Focal Point: Push Factors.
These generic factors/causes are somewhat obvious when you think about it, but again, most of US here are “comfortable” and would probably never conceive of emigrating (to leave one place or country, especially one’s native country, in order to settle in another). For the sake of clarity and ease of writing, I will now focus on the PUSH factors that drive immigration, since it is the push factors that cause people to risk hazardous travel conditions for a better life. As the “immigration umbrella” is more like a pavilion, this will make my article a little more user-friendly. Please feel free to dig deeper on any of the topics mentioned!
Origins of Our Immigration Guests
What are the countries that were “home” to the immigrants venturing to the United States? The Top Three (of Ten) Immigration Countries as of 2020, including their basic Push Factors, are:
COUNTRY – PUSH
Mexico Crime – Cartels/Drugs – Unemployment – Poverty – Climate
Central America Crime – Gangs/Drugs – Poverty – Climate – Corruption
India Crime – Unemployment – Poverty – Climate – Overpopulation
China Cost of Living – Politics China is economically stable, but environmentally “dirty” in terms of food, air and water.
Considering the depth of detail that each country and factor entails, I tried to put this in basic table format to make for easier reference. I included Central America as some of the “caravans” mentioned in the news have originated in these countries and El Salvador was #7 from the list above. The exception in this table is the Chinese immigrant, as the pull factors of the United States plays a greater role than the push factors of China as the cause for their immigration.
US Immigration by Country 2022 (worldpopulationreview.com)
Chinese Immigrants to the US: Past and Present – Re-imagining Migration (reimaginingmigration.org)
Migrant caravan heads to US as key summit begins – BBC News
Some Push Factor Details.
India
What is shocking is some of specific descriptions of the Push factors. I list “crime” and “poverty” above, but somehow that is too generalized for India. The Tribune, an Indian paper, stated that a study by the Canadian Border Services gave a list of 15 specific Push factors. “Organised human smuggling: India is a known source, destination and transit country for human trafficking; insurgency; overpopulation; environmental degradation (i.e. dangerous levels of air pollution); extensive poverty; discrimination; widespread corruption; poor infrastructure; drought; increasing religious tensions (i.e. attacks on religious minorities); violence against women and girls (i.e. sexual assault); honour killings; lack of access to sanitation facilities; lack of access to health care; discrimination against the LGBTQ2 community”. I don’t even know what to “say”. Organized Human Trafficking..? Honor Killings..? Wow. Just wow.
More Indians seeking to migrate to Canada due to ”push factors”: Report : The Tribune India
Honor Killings
To be clear, honor killings happen around the world, even in the US. “Women around the world suffer so-called “honor violence” at the hands of relatives, usually male, in an effort to reclaim family “honor.” If a woman or girl is accused or suspected of engaging in behavior that could taint her family’s status, she may face brutal retaliation from her relatives that often results in violent death.”* “Honor cultures develop and persist in places characterized by economic vulnerability and the absence of the rule of law.”** Therefore poverty and government corruption would lend itself to such behavior. I was surprised to learn that religious views are not the dominant cause of honor killings.
*The Horror of ‘Honor Killings’, Even in US (amnestyusa.org)
**How to Understand Honor Killings | Psychology Today
Murder Rates
For the people in the Northern Triangle of Central America; Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, the greater issue is simply trying to remain alive. These three countries have some of the highest murder rates outside of war zones as of 2019. Ranging from 34 murders per 100K in Honduras, 35 in Guatemala and 49 per 100K in El Salvador, the combined common push factors to leave the country would far outweigh the dangers of the trip north.
Homicide Rates for 15-49 Year Olds
If you were to compare the homicide rates of all the countries discussed so far; Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras all rank homicide as the number one cause of death for ages 15-49. India ranks homicide at 12th and China ranks homicide at 13th. What was interesting to note was the United States ranked homicide as the SIXTH leading cause of death for ages 15-49, and Suicide as fourth. Hmmm… Sad fodder for future (gun) thoughts?
At this point I have established immigration definitions, push and pull factors that lead to immigration and the extremes that some of these push factors entail. The next point, and final point of this article, is the traveling conditions the migrants face when leaving their home country. This means that I am no longer discussing “choice”. These would be the people forced to flee their homes, or forced out of their homes without the true means of safely traveling, i.e. the poor’er and the desperate.
Second Focal Point: Mexican Border
Since our borders include Canada, the Pacific, Atlantic and Gulf waters, as well as Mexico and the literal air above us, I will limit my article to those people who have to physically walk to the United States and cross the Mexican Border.
The Long “Walk” Through.
From Central America to the Mexican Border, there are geographical issues such as deserts, jungles, rivers, or mountains, as well as climate exposure issues. In such rugged terrain, wildlife encounters must also be included. The 38-minute CBS documentary Border Business followed migrants as they traveled from the Darien Gap in southernmost Panama to the border town of Tijuana, Mexico. What I found interesting was that it was not simply Central and South Americans immigrating via Mexico. The restaurant in Tapachula, Mexico, had many photos of immigrants from all over: the Caribbean, South Asia, Africa and the Greater Middle East.
Border business: Inside immigration | Full Documentary – YouTube
Central American child migrants move in ‘shadows’, at risk from traffickers: U.N. | Reuters
Cuba: Migrant Journey From Havana to the United States (time.com)
The walkers: Venezuelans travel hundreds of kilometres by foot | Humanitarian Crises | Al Jazeera
“Consequential” Numbers.
What was not clearly stated in the documentary were the numbers: deaths, kidnappings, robberies, arrests, etc. The numbers reported from 2018 were a tad overwhelming; deaths were estimated at 2200, that’s about six deaths per day. Of the 1.1 million immigrants trying to cross into the US from Mexico, half would be arrested. 2018 immigrants faced a 1.4 chance of victimization and predation from the “coyotes”, smugglers, cartels and gangs, all in the hope of a better life.
1.1 Million Cases of Migrant Victimization in 2018 — Princeton Policy Advisors
Dangers on the Migrant Path | Recent Central American History (uvm.edu)
Success Upon Entry?
Sadly, once in the US, there is no guarantee that their hard efforts will pay off. Those that try to become permanent immigrants have to pay for legal costs, and that only offers a 46% chance of obtaining legal status. Those who try to represent themselves in court only have a 10% chance. Of those who risk being an illegal, deportation can occur at any time, regardless of of how long they have lived here or what they have built up for themselves while here. This includes people with homes, businesses and children, some of whom were born in the US and have never lived anywhere else.
Border business: Inside immigration | Full Documentary – YouTube
Illegal Immigration Statistics – FactCheck.org
Here’s the Reality About Illegal Immigrants in the United States – The New York Times (nytimes.com)
Some Final Thoughts…
In the end? All I have covered are the “basics” of the Push Factors that cause people to walk across the Mexican Border… And clearly immigration is a MUCH bigger topic than what I have covered here. Therefore, I would like to finish this article by providing some broad ideas; you know, food-for-thought or topics for conversation that could be used in a group setting… like a classroom. Once a teacher, always a teacher.
1. The people who have come to our borders, any of our borders, are not all immigrants who have made the choice to travel here. Those who have risked their lives to travel here by-foot-boat-plane-train-horse, whatever… Are seeking refugee/asylee status and want a better life. They are not illegal nor are they breaking any laws by coming to our borders and requesting asylum. “Those arriving at the U.S. border are being depicted as “illegal immigrants,” but in reality, crossing an international border for asylum is not illegal and an asylum seeker’s case must be heard, according to U.S. and international law. It doesn’t matter how you enter the country: If you’re in the U.S. or you arrive at a port of entry you can seek asylum. There’s no way to ask for a visa or any type of authorization in advance, you just have to show up.”
UNHCR – The 1951 Refugee Convention
2. Not all the immigrants that come to our borders are from Mexico, regardless of the fact that we have so many crossing the Mexican border. As the CBS documentary Border Business showed, there is a huge number of global immigrants using Central America-Mexico as their way to cross into the United States.
US Immigration by Country 2022 (worldpopulationreview.com)
Here’s the Reality About Illegal Immigrants in the United States – The New York Times (nytimes.com)
3. Building a border wall will not stop immigration. While the wall may alter the route that walking immigrants take to enter the US, it is noteworthy that many illegals are here on expired visas, where the wall would have no effect.
Trump’s border wall would stop less than half of illegal immigration in the U.S. – CBS News
4. Not all immigrants, refugees, asylees are criminals. Period.
The Myth of the Criminal Immigrant – The New York Times (nytimes.com)
5. Immigration does not cause a drain on our economy or our resources. Even the undocumented immigrants pay taxes, almost 12 BILLION in 2017.
6. Immigrants do not take jobs away from Americans. Immigrants are 80% more likely to become entrepreneurs and create jobs, while many first- and second-generation immigrants have founded Fortune 500 Companies.
How Immigration Impacts the Economy (thebalancemoney.com)
Undocumented Immigrants’ State & Local Tax Contributions – ITEP
Here’s the Reality About Illegal Immigrants in the United States – The New York Times (nytimes.com)
7. We are not the only country facing immigration issues. While it is true that we are the country receiving the most immigrants, there are plenty of other countries who are faced with immigrants, refugees and asylees. The top five countries of 2020 are the USA, Germany, Saudi Arabia, Russia and the UK.
International Data | Migration data portal
8. Americans are also EMIGRATING to other countries… Food for thought.
Countries With the Most American Emigrants – WorldAtlas
9. Accepting the reality of limitations. While I have tried to create a broad and empathetic picture of the plight of the immigrant community that numbers over 280 million globally, as of 2020; there is also no denying the eventuality of finite space and resources that any country could reasonably provide. It is also naive to think that the political-finger-pointing-to-blame and glorified-wall-building will curtail the desperate efforts made by people who are willing to risk their lives and the lives of their children in hopes of a better life somewhere else… Anywhere else. There must be, at minimum, a compassionate and empathetic approach as we deal with these desperate, searching peoples.
Answers to the Problem…
I acknowledge that I cannot provide an answer. I acknowledge that “the answer” will not be simple or singular. I personally believe that the answers must come from our humanity, from our global and local communities. Through the efforts of small grass roots, non-governmental agencies, governmental agencies and places like the United Nations, we can surely find a means to go to the source and create more equitable living in the “home” countries… With a little effort, compassion and hope for a better future, maybe we can keep the desperate safely at home.
Yearning to Breathe Free.
I began the last article with a whimsical poem. I think I should end this article with a famous poem, known almost as well as the Lady it is posted upon…
The New Colossus
Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
“Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!” cries she
With silent lips. “Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”
Emma Lazarus
November 2, 1883
The New Colossus – Statue Of Liberty National Monument (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov)
My Final Words?
There but for the grace of God… May you never find yourself at the end of that sentence.
