Why Do People Immigrate? Holiday Ponderings Continued…
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) Migration | United Nations 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 Refugees | United Nations John Oliver Is Officially an American Citizen | Vanity Fair Celebrities You Didn’t Know Were Immigrants to the United States (insider.com) Migrants, asylum seekers, refugees and immigrants: What’s the difference? | International Rescue Committee (IRC) 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?
