Immigration as a Global Issue - Essay Example

Immigration as a Global Issue Immigration is a global phenomenon which has been intensified over the past few decades. Although immigration is closely associated with global change, numerous other factors also contribute to the significant growth of international immigration. Irrespective of its nature (whether voluntary or forced), immigration always causes positive and negative effects on the host country as well as on immigrants. This paper tends to discuss major causes of immigration, their effects, and subsequent issues. Causes of Immigration Various socio-economic and political factors cause forced migration in many parts of the world. African countries have been the world’s leading source of immigrants for centuries. As Okome (2005) states, the ceaseless civil wars, communal riots, famine and military sabotage in African countries including Ethiopia, Nigeria, Liberia, Democratic Republic of Congo and Sierra have been providing the world with thousands of refugees every year. Among these, a major portion is accommodated by the US. Nigerian civil war, Somalia conflict, Liberian civil war and the Eritrean-Ethiopian war also caused intense immigration to western countries and to the US (Okome, 2005). Since religious and ethnic conflicts have increased more than ever before, people in many parts of the world are under the threat of anytime forced migration. In other words, ‘ethnically and politically divided states, unstable and corrupt governments and political systems, and dictatorships, lack of civility, increased lawlessness’ (Cox & Pawar (2005 p.277), are the major causes of forced migration. In addition, certain environmental factors also cause massive migration in various parts of the world. For instance, natural phenomena such as sea level rise, hurricanes and typhoons, drought, wildfire, heat waves, volcanoes, and earthquakes make millions of people ecological refugees every year. Furthermore, governments’ infrastructure projects such as building of dams, roads or tourist resorts often demand forced migration. World Bank estimates that 90 million people were displaced in the 1990s as a result of infrastructure projects (Digby B, 2001p.167). Therefore a few causes of immigration such as globalization, financial policies, and infrastructure modification are closely associated with global change. The recent developments like globalization and the subsequent economic growth and downfalls also contributed to the extraordinary level of migration. Obviously, Globalization exposed a new world of opportunities to the people of African Continent and other poor regions. According to Okome (2005), ‘the advancements in international communication increased the awareness of national and international differences’ and the potential migrants utilized it. According to the author, the other impacts of globalization (‘pushing factors’), like unemployment, recession, and economic instability also have accelerated immigration. In addition to the adverse economic condition of the homelands, fiscal policies of international business corporations and governmental policies of developed nations also sometimes cause migration. The recent global recession which resulted in great job uncertainty and crisis can be counted as an example in this context. Besides, international terrorism has emerged to be a major cause of immigration. For instance, the notorious organizations like the Al- Qaeda and Taliban which are being driven by odd religious ideology create inestimable atrocity. The terror attacks and war against terror have equally contributed to the immense migration in the recent past. Children and women are highly victimized and compelled to flee to other regions as refugees. Horrible uncertainty is prevailing in many of the Asian, Middle-East countries like Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq, and Palestine where terrorism is highly prevalent. Effects of Immigration Although immigration has turned to be a global issue, one can not ignore the positive effects of immigration. Industrialized countries especially, the United States and UK have been highly benefited by immigrants of African and Asian races for centuries. Governments of developed countries had liberalized their immigration policies for promoting potential immigrants until it became a hot button issue. As the inevitable effect of global immigration, many of the modern democratic nations introduced their own multi-cultural policies to ensure the rights of the immigrants. Irrespective of its pros and corns, The United States like many other European nations has become an agglomeration of various ethnic groups. The historical factors and the ancestral linkage also enhanced African and other immigrants to make developed countries their major destination. Although the immigrants got benefited from the destinations and vise versa, in the long run it turned to be problematic. Unlike voluntary immigrants, forced or illegal immigrants have become a burden to developed countries. The alarming growth of immigration has compelled governments to review their immigration policies. Until the recent economic downturn, the United States and European nations were the major destinations of immigrants. However, the persisting threat of terrorism and increasing unemployment have impeded the easy immigration to many of the countries. Major Problems Immigration becomes a global issue when it begins to perturb domestic peace and increase international tension. As we discussed earlier, recent developments and incidences have made immigration a global issue as well as a domestic security problem more than ever before. (Freedman, 2004 p.2). If critics are to be believed, immigration has far reaching adverse effects on a nation’s culture. Initially, as many are skeptical, it eliminates the cultural identity and uniqueness of a country by adopting from other cultures (Nye J.S., 2002 p.117). Furthermore, immigration would promote ethnic conflicts and regionalism. Governmental policies that are intended to ensure equal opportunities and participation often create frustration and disappointment among majority groups. Although multiculturalism has been imposed as a tool to promote cohesion, it has given way to social segregation. Racial discrimination is emerging in the form of misanthropic feeling or ideologies in various parts of the world. Social segregation disturbs many multicultural states more than ever before because people of same ethnic group or religion tend to form their own legal or illegal groups. The dramatic changes in the number and nature of immigrant population force many of the western nations to review their immigration policies. Britain must be the leading one confronted with this issue more than any other western countries (Saraga E., 1998 pp.101-103). To conclude, an array of reasons including socio-economic, environmental, political, and historical aspects add to the remarkable growth of voluntary or forced immigration all over the world. Exceeding level of immigration has both domestic and international impact. Therefore, in the current international scenario, it has become a global issue that needs to be addressed by collective efforts. Works Cited Cox D., Pawar. International Social Work: Issues, Strategies and Programs. SAGE, 2005. Digby B. Global Challenges, Edn.2, illustrated, Heinemann. 2001. Freedman J. Immigration and Insecurity in France. Ashgate Publishing Ltd. 2004. Okome, “The Antinomies of Globalization: Causes of Contemporary African Immigration to the United States of America”. 2005. 28 Oct. 2009 Nye J. S. The Paradox of American Power: Why the World’s only Super Power Can’t Go it Alone. Oxford University Press. U.S. 2002. Saraga E. (Ed.). Embodying the Social: Constructions of Difference. Routledge, 1998. Read More