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Roots causesimmigration

Eccentric Man
Eccentric Man

Immigrants often come to the U.S. due to desperate circumstances such as poverty, war, or lack of economic opportunity in their home countries. Poverty remains a major global issue, with over a billion people living on less than $1 per day. Many international trade, debt, and development policies have exacerbated global poverty and pushed more people to immigrate. Addressing the root causes of poverty, such as unfair trade rules, excessive debt, and insufficient foreign aid, is needed to reduce the pressures that force people to immigrate.

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IMMIGRANTS Looking at Root Causes: Why do Immigrants Come to the U.S.? We must never forget that many immigrants come to this country in desperate circumstances. Some have fled political persecution, war, and economic devastation . . . Others have wagered on finding a better life in this country in the face of economic desperation at home. As Pope John Paul II has noted, In many regions of the world today people live in tragic situations of instability and uncertainty. It does not come as a surprise that in such contexts the poor and the destitute make plans to escape, to seek a new land that can offer them bread, dignity and peace. This is the migration of the desperate. . . U.S. Catholic Bishops, Welcoming the Stranger Among Us: Unity in Diversity, Nov. 15, 2000 There are 60 countries in todays world that are poorer than they were thirty years ago. A fifth of the worlds population (1.2 billion people) lives on less than $1 per day and almost half the worlds population, or 2.8 billion people, live on less than $2 a day. Every second, a child dies of malnutrition. Economic injustice still plagues most of the world, providing a strong impetus for immigration. Given this situation, any true solution to illegal immi- gration to the U.S. must take into account the root causes of the poverty from which many immigrants are trying to escape. An Unjust Trading System The poorest countries of the world account for only 0.4 percent of international trade, yet they lose and estimated $700 bil- lion a year due to unfair trade rules. The U.S. and other developed countries are currently pursuing free trade agree- ments with many developing countries. Developing countries, which often utilize higher levels of tariffs and taxes on incom- ing goods in order to gather revenue for their governments, are often forced to eliminate these tariffs and taxes as part of free trade agreements. Yet, many people concerned with poverty are pointing to statistics that show that unregulated, free trade primarily benefits wealthy corporations and wealthy countries; poverty is increasing around the world despite increased free trade. They point to the fact that the gap between the rich and the poor has increased under free trade: the median income of the richest 10 percent is 122 times higher than the poorest 10 percent. From the perspective of Catholic Social Teaching, this is not authentic human development for all groups of people. One of the most unjust aspects of the trade system is the use of agricultural subsidies by the U.S. and the EU. The U.S. provides hundreds of billions of It is evident that the principle of free dollars of agricultural subsidies, most of which goes to a few large trade, by itself, is no longer adequate agribusinesses who control most of the agricultural production in the U.S. for regulating international agreements. This allows agricultural production to occur en masse and to knock smaller It certainly can work when both parties competitors - in the U.S. and in developing countries - out of business. are about equal economically; in such cases it stimulates progress and re- The Failure of the Washington Consensus wards effort. That is why industrially In the 1980s and 1990s, the international financial institutions, such as the developed nations see an element of International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, promoted a set of justice in this principle. But the case is policies called the Washington Consensus. Many developing countries quite different when the nations in- were pressured to liberalize trade and the financial sector, cut back on volved are far from equal . . . (T)rade social spending, and privatize services that were run by the state. relations can no longer be based solely on the principle of free, unchecked Most countries, for example, those in Latin America, followed the recom- competition. mended policies. Unfortunately, economic growth rates were generally Pope Paul VI, Populorum Progressio, #58-59 better before the changes than after, and the region remains very poor. Many experts agree that this was a major setback for Latin America. Unfortunately, some of the same policies are still being recommended by the financial institutions. 1 / 2 April 2006
IMMIGRANTS The Continuing Debt Crisis Despite recent initiatives to reduce the debt of poor countries, Case Study: At the Root of Immigration such as the Heavily-Indebted Poor Country (HIPC) Initiative As a volunteer in Duran, Ecuador, I worked and the Multi-laterial Debt Relief Initiative (MDRI), dozens of with a scavenger community which subsisted off a countries have still not received relief and are still enslaved to garbage dump. Alongside diving vultures, emaciated debt. High levels of debt hurt the poor because the money cows, and a thick wall of flies and insects, adults and that governments must spend on paying interest on debts children dug through rotting trash with their bare takes valuable resources away from much-needed social hands. They were trying to find tin, metal, wood, services in poor countries. plastic, glass-anything-they could sell for money to buy food. Many of these people had no other choice: in a According to Jubilee USA, debt slavery is foreign aid in country with high unemployment and very few oppor- reverse--for every dollar sent to the poorest countries in aid, tunities, this became the way of life for many people. $1.30 flows back to lenders in debt interest. Additonal debt Many children in the school where I taught had skin forgiveness is needed to help alleviate poverty in these covered with diseases like scabies and impetigo. They countries. were often hungry and had trouble concentrating. Although they were forced to live like animals, they Insufficient Development Aid were beautiful, loving, and so generous. In 1970, at the UN General Assembly, developed country One day, when my volunteer term was governments pledged to devote 0.7% of their Gross National nearing an end, Monica, a wonderful, dynamic, loving, Income (GNI) on Official Development Assistance (ODA) woman who had been voted Mother of the Year by by the mid-1970s. the community, pulled me aside. She grasped me by the arms and looked desparately into my eyes. She However, none of the developed country donors reached this said to me, Please, if you can, if theres any way you goal. Instead of 0.7%, the amount of aid has been around 0.2 can, take my son with you when you go back to the to 0.4%, some $100 billion short. The U.S. has fallen short U.S. I love him so much. But there is nothing for him even worse than other developed countries, allocating just here. If he stays, he will only live like me, in this 0.22% of its GNI to ODA. (Compare this to: Norway-0.93%, dump. My heart almost broke: she loved her son so Denmark-0.81%, Sweden-0.92%, Austria-0.52%, UK-0.48%, much and conditions here were so terrible, that she France-0.47%, and Canada-0.34%.) was willing to sacrifice her motherhood. It was in that moment that I truly understand the push factors of In 2005, the European Union pledged to spend 0.56% of GNI immigration. In Monicas desparation, I saw why on poverty reduction by 2010, and 0.7% by 2015. People people come. concerned about global poverty are calling the U.S. to take - A former volunteer with Rostro de Cristo (Face of Christ) similar action. Prayer to Change Our Hearts, Our Policies Undocumented persons among us are often accused of breaking the law. Instead, it is our poverty-produc- ing policies which have broken the law of human dignity. Change our hearts and our policies, O God. Our leaders sometimes see these persons as a burden. Yet, if we came from a life without opportunities, wouldnt we do the same? Change our hearts and our policies, O God. We long for a more just world, where families need not be separated for lack of opportunity. Inspire us to challenge the systems and structures that perpetuate poverty. Change our hearts and our policies, O God. Amen. - prayer by Jill Rauh 2 / 2 April 2006

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Roots causesimmigration

  • 1. IMMIGRANTS Looking at Root Causes: Why do Immigrants Come to the U.S.? We must never forget that many immigrants come to this country in desperate circumstances. Some have fled political persecution, war, and economic devastation . . . Others have wagered on finding a better life in this country in the face of economic desperation at home. As Pope John Paul II has noted, In many regions of the world today people live in tragic situations of instability and uncertainty. It does not come as a surprise that in such contexts the poor and the destitute make plans to escape, to seek a new land that can offer them bread, dignity and peace. This is the migration of the desperate. . . U.S. Catholic Bishops, Welcoming the Stranger Among Us: Unity in Diversity, Nov. 15, 2000 There are 60 countries in todays world that are poorer than they were thirty years ago. A fifth of the worlds population (1.2 billion people) lives on less than $1 per day and almost half the worlds population, or 2.8 billion people, live on less than $2 a day. Every second, a child dies of malnutrition. Economic injustice still plagues most of the world, providing a strong impetus for immigration. Given this situation, any true solution to illegal immi- gration to the U.S. must take into account the root causes of the poverty from which many immigrants are trying to escape. An Unjust Trading System The poorest countries of the world account for only 0.4 percent of international trade, yet they lose and estimated $700 bil- lion a year due to unfair trade rules. The U.S. and other developed countries are currently pursuing free trade agree- ments with many developing countries. Developing countries, which often utilize higher levels of tariffs and taxes on incom- ing goods in order to gather revenue for their governments, are often forced to eliminate these tariffs and taxes as part of free trade agreements. Yet, many people concerned with poverty are pointing to statistics that show that unregulated, free trade primarily benefits wealthy corporations and wealthy countries; poverty is increasing around the world despite increased free trade. They point to the fact that the gap between the rich and the poor has increased under free trade: the median income of the richest 10 percent is 122 times higher than the poorest 10 percent. From the perspective of Catholic Social Teaching, this is not authentic human development for all groups of people. One of the most unjust aspects of the trade system is the use of agricultural subsidies by the U.S. and the EU. The U.S. provides hundreds of billions of It is evident that the principle of free dollars of agricultural subsidies, most of which goes to a few large trade, by itself, is no longer adequate agribusinesses who control most of the agricultural production in the U.S. for regulating international agreements. This allows agricultural production to occur en masse and to knock smaller It certainly can work when both parties competitors - in the U.S. and in developing countries - out of business. are about equal economically; in such cases it stimulates progress and re- The Failure of the Washington Consensus wards effort. That is why industrially In the 1980s and 1990s, the international financial institutions, such as the developed nations see an element of International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, promoted a set of justice in this principle. But the case is policies called the Washington Consensus. Many developing countries quite different when the nations in- were pressured to liberalize trade and the financial sector, cut back on volved are far from equal . . . (T)rade social spending, and privatize services that were run by the state. relations can no longer be based solely on the principle of free, unchecked Most countries, for example, those in Latin America, followed the recom- competition. mended policies. Unfortunately, economic growth rates were generally Pope Paul VI, Populorum Progressio, #58-59 better before the changes than after, and the region remains very poor. Many experts agree that this was a major setback for Latin America. Unfortunately, some of the same policies are still being recommended by the financial institutions. 1 / 2 April 2006
  • 2. IMMIGRANTS The Continuing Debt Crisis Despite recent initiatives to reduce the debt of poor countries, Case Study: At the Root of Immigration such as the Heavily-Indebted Poor Country (HIPC) Initiative As a volunteer in Duran, Ecuador, I worked and the Multi-laterial Debt Relief Initiative (MDRI), dozens of with a scavenger community which subsisted off a countries have still not received relief and are still enslaved to garbage dump. Alongside diving vultures, emaciated debt. High levels of debt hurt the poor because the money cows, and a thick wall of flies and insects, adults and that governments must spend on paying interest on debts children dug through rotting trash with their bare takes valuable resources away from much-needed social hands. They were trying to find tin, metal, wood, services in poor countries. plastic, glass-anything-they could sell for money to buy food. Many of these people had no other choice: in a According to Jubilee USA, debt slavery is foreign aid in country with high unemployment and very few oppor- reverse--for every dollar sent to the poorest countries in aid, tunities, this became the way of life for many people. $1.30 flows back to lenders in debt interest. Additonal debt Many children in the school where I taught had skin forgiveness is needed to help alleviate poverty in these covered with diseases like scabies and impetigo. They countries. were often hungry and had trouble concentrating. Although they were forced to live like animals, they Insufficient Development Aid were beautiful, loving, and so generous. In 1970, at the UN General Assembly, developed country One day, when my volunteer term was governments pledged to devote 0.7% of their Gross National nearing an end, Monica, a wonderful, dynamic, loving, Income (GNI) on Official Development Assistance (ODA) woman who had been voted Mother of the Year by by the mid-1970s. the community, pulled me aside. She grasped me by the arms and looked desparately into my eyes. She However, none of the developed country donors reached this said to me, Please, if you can, if theres any way you goal. Instead of 0.7%, the amount of aid has been around 0.2 can, take my son with you when you go back to the to 0.4%, some $100 billion short. The U.S. has fallen short U.S. I love him so much. But there is nothing for him even worse than other developed countries, allocating just here. If he stays, he will only live like me, in this 0.22% of its GNI to ODA. (Compare this to: Norway-0.93%, dump. My heart almost broke: she loved her son so Denmark-0.81%, Sweden-0.92%, Austria-0.52%, UK-0.48%, much and conditions here were so terrible, that she France-0.47%, and Canada-0.34%.) was willing to sacrifice her motherhood. It was in that moment that I truly understand the push factors of In 2005, the European Union pledged to spend 0.56% of GNI immigration. In Monicas desparation, I saw why on poverty reduction by 2010, and 0.7% by 2015. People people come. concerned about global poverty are calling the U.S. to take - A former volunteer with Rostro de Cristo (Face of Christ) similar action. Prayer to Change Our Hearts, Our Policies Undocumented persons among us are often accused of breaking the law. Instead, it is our poverty-produc- ing policies which have broken the law of human dignity. Change our hearts and our policies, O God. Our leaders sometimes see these persons as a burden. Yet, if we came from a life without opportunities, wouldnt we do the same? Change our hearts and our policies, O God. We long for a more just world, where families need not be separated for lack of opportunity. Inspire us to challenge the systems and structures that perpetuate poverty. Change our hearts and our policies, O God. Amen. - prayer by Jill Rauh 2 / 2 April 2006