Lesson 5: Migration
Adapted from Rubenstein textbook, Chapter 2
and Glendale PowerPoint
Migration
Today, the number of
people living outside their
country of birth is larger
than at any other time in
history. International
migrants would now
constitute the world's fifth
most populous country if
they all lived in the same
place” (UNFPA).
Migration – 3 Key Ideas
At the end of this section you should be able to explain:
1. Why people migrate
2. Major current and past migration flows
3. Migration Challenges and Patterns
Why do people migrate?
 Push factors: factors drive people
to leave home.
 Lack of Jobs/Poverty:
Economics provides the main
reason behind migration (about
half of the current migrants
have left to find a better job
and lifestyle for their family)
 Civil Strife /War:
 Political and Religious
Persecution
 Environmental Problems:
natural disasters,
desertification, etc.
 Can you think of other “push”
factors?
Why do people migrate?
 Pull factors: factors attract
migrants to a new location
 Higher standards of living/Higher
wages: i.e. US-Mexico. wages are
an estimated 13 times higher in
the U.S. than of Mexico
 Labor Demand: Many developed
countries rely on migrant labor for
agriculture, construction, and
other low-paying jobs.
 Political and Religious Freedom:
for example, Israel was founded
as a refuge for Jews who faced
persecution in their countries of
origin.
Types of Migration
 Voluntary migration
 The migrant makes the decision to move.
 Most migration is voluntary.
 Push and Pull Factors determine whom and where.
 Forced Migration
 The migrant has no role in the decision-making process.
 Slavery.
 About 11 million African slaves were brought to the Americas
between 1519 and 1867.
 In 1860, there were close to 4 million slaves in the United States.
 Today: U.S. State department estimates that there are annually
800,000 new victims of slavery world-wide. The International
Labor Organization estimates 2.5 million. Unfortunately, the UN
states that these numbers are only rising.
 Refugees. (15.2 million refugees world-wide as of 2009)
 Military conscription.
 Children of migrants.
Types of Migration
Spring
Summer
Circular migration
 "the fluid movement of people between
countries, including temporary or long-term
Fall / Winter
movement which may be beneficial to all
involved, if occurring voluntarily and linked to
the labour needs of countries of origin and
destination“ (IOM definition)
 Temporary or seasonal migration, usually
associated with agricultural work.The migrant
follows the harvest of various crops, moving
from one place to another each time.
 Very common in the US Southwest (Mexican
farm workers) and in Western Europe (Eastern
European farm workers).
 If managed properly to ease the transition of
workers to and from their origin and destination
countries, policymakers view this a potential
solution to current migration challenges. What
do you think?
Types of Migration
 Sojourners
 Workers intend to stay only until they save enough
money to return to their homeland with wealth.
 Common in the U.S. with Italians between 1890-1910.
Common now in the U.S. with workers from Latin
America.
 Remittances are a substantial part of the economy of
some migrant source countries. For example
Somaliland receives about $500 million in remittances,
four times the income it receives from its major export
(livestock).
 Remittances worldwide were estimated at $414 billion
in 2009.
World Refugee Patterns, 2007
U.S. Immigration
Prior to 1840, 90% of U.S. immigration was
from Britain
1840 - 1930: W. and N. European
transitioning to Southern and Eastern
European by 1910


Irish (potato famine in 1840s) and
Germans
During 1900s: Italians, Russians, AustriaHungary (Czech, Poland, Romania, etc.)
1950 - Today: Asians and Latin
Americans; declining Europeans


Asians: China, India; 1980s -1990s:
Philippines, Vietnam, and South Korea
Latin America: Mexico, Dom. Rep., El
Salvador, Cuba, Haiti
1986 Immigration Reform and
Control Act

admitted former illegals in 1990, 1991.
Ellis Island 1911
U.S. Immigration Patterns
U.S. Immigration Policies
 1882, Bars Asian immigration for ten years (extended)
 1921, Quota Act - country by country quotas
 1924 National Origins Act - country by country quotas
 1965, Immigration Act - quotas for countries replaced, in 1968, with
hemisphere quotas of 170, 000 for East and 120,000 for West
 Relatives and family member preference begins
 1978, Immigration Act - global quota of 290, 000
 1980, Refugee Act - quotas do not apply to those seeking political asylum
 1986, Immigration Reform and Control Act admitted large numbers of former
illegals.
 1990, Immigration Act raised global quotas to roughly 675,000
 1995, visas begin to be issued preferentially:
Relatives and family members get overwhelming priority (see next slide)
Current Total (2004): 950,000 legal entries
Top 10 Countries of Origin for US Legal
Immigrants, 2000, 2004, 2010
Population Pyramid of Native and Foreign
Born Population, U.S., 2000 (in %)
Foreign Born
Male
Native
Female
Age
Male
Female
85+
80- 84
75- 79
70- 74
65- 69
60- 64
55- 59
50- 54
45- 49
40- 44
35- 39
30- 34
25- 29
20- 24
15- 19
10- 14
5- 9
0- 4
8
6
4
2
0
Percent
2
4
6
8
8
6
4
2
0
2
4
Percent
Slide graphic courtesy of Dr. Jean-Paul Rodrigue, Hofstra University
6
8
Interregional Migration
Populations in the less developed world are rushing to cities in search of
work and income.
Urbanization
 migration from rural areas
 lack of jobs in countryside
 lack of services in cities
Top Tier Cities in 2007-- Cities with over 1 million
in foreign-born residents
U.S.: San Francisco, Los Angeles, Dallas, Houston,
Chicago, Toronto, New York, Washington, DC, and
Miami
Europe: London, Paris, Moscow
,
Middle East: Dubai, Riyadh Medina, Mecca
Asia: Hong Kong, Singapore, Sydney, Melbourne
Lagos, Nigeria
Mumbai, India
Mexico City, Mexico
Migration Challenges
 Human Trafficking : there are 2.45 million trafficking victims who are living
in exploitive conditions and another 1.2 million people who are trafficked
across and within borders. Those who are unable to pay for their passage are
sometimes forced to work in sweat shops or forced to prostitute themselves.
Curbing human trafficking while minimizing the suffering inflicted on illegal
immigrants presents a formidable challenge to governments as they devise
new immigration policies.
 Security: Post 9/11 – the U.S. (and other countries) fear the migration of
terrorists to their countries
 In Europe, migration and integration policies are complicated by the fact that
the European Union (EU) now comprises twenty-seven member states. The
concern expressed by some Europeans is that this continuous expansion of the
EU will generate more immigration into Western Europe, bringing with it
numerous problems, such as inadequate integration.
 What other challenges can you think of for developed and for developing
countries?