Politics of Immigration PS150A Dr. Saba Ozyurt

Politics of ImmigrationPS150A

Dr. Saba Ozyurt

http://polisci2.ucsd.edu/ps150/

What is International Migration? The movement of a person or group of

persons from one geographical unit to another across an administrative or political border, wishing to settle definitely or temporarily in a place other than their place of origin (birth and/or citizenship)

Who is a Migrant? The UN defines migrant as a person

who enters a country that is different from his/her country of origin for at least 12 months. Emigrant:Any person who leaves his/her

country with the intention to reside in another

Immigrant:From the perspective of the receiving country

Return Migration: The movement of a person returning to his/her country of origin after spending at lease one year in another country.

Forced migration: A non-voluntary movement of a person wishing to escape an armed conflict or a situation of violence or a natural or man made disaster. This term applies to refugee movements.

Irregular migration: (Undocumented, illegal or clandestine) Movement of a person to a new destination through illegal means without valid documentation.

Smuggling: Helping someone to enter a country illegally for financial benefits.

Trafficking: Recruitment, transportation, and harboring of persons by means of threat or use of force with the purpose of exploitation.

Voluntary v.s. Forced Migration Voluntary migrants:

Economic migrants Labor migrants Family reunification

Forced migrants: Asylum seekers Refugees Displaced persons Environmental migrants

Scale of International Migration: Estimated Number of People Living Outside of Their

Country of Birth or Citizenship:

1970: 82 million 1990: 120 million 2000: 175 million 2008: 200 million (67% increase, 1990-

2008)

(Source: International Organization for Migration on World Migration 2005: Costs and Benefits of International Migration)

Some Facts: 1 out of every 35 people in the world,

or 3% of world’s population 200 million estimated international migrants is

more than the population of Brazil 8% of Europe’s population 13% of North America’s population 75% of population growth in USA (1995-

2000) 89% of population growth in Europe (1990-

2000)

Some Facts (Cont’d)

Women account for 49% of international migrants

Remittance flows: $450 billion globally (2008) 20 to 30 million unauthorized migrants

worldwide, comprising around 10 to 15 % of the world's immigrant (2008)

U.S. unauthorized immigrant population (2005)

Estimated number: 11 million = 30% of total foreign-born population

Composition of unauthorized population:

Clandestine entrants: 55%

Visa over-stayers: 45%

Source: Pew Hispanic Center, Washington, D.C.

Unauthorized migration: a global perspective

Estimated 2.5 – 4 million migrants cross international borders illegally each year

500,000 undocumented migrants are estimated to arrive in Europe each year

At least 10% of Europe’s immigrant population had “irregular” status in 2000

Some Facts (Cont’d)

Refugees and asylum-seekers (“forced migrants”): 16 million worldwide (2008)

Bosnian refugees, 1999

Migration in the Global and Comparative Context How has Globalization affected global

migration patterns? How do scholars explain why people

migrate (or don’t migrate) What are the consequences of

increased population movements for sending and receiving countries?