Migrants and Refugees: Safety & Economic Factors

• Migrants and refugees, including children, women, and men, leave their homes for various reasons, seeking knowledge, possessions, and an improved life.

Safety Factors

• Safety factors, such as persecution and discrimination based on nationality, race, religion, political beliefs, or group membership, can cause people to migrate.
• Individuals seek safer locations where they can have freedom over their lives, moving to escape danger imposed by war or gang activity
• In 2016, Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador, known as the Northern Triangle, were among the world's most violent regions.
• These countries experience thousands of crimes by local and international gangs, with most crimes going unpunished
• Approximately 10% of the Northern Triangle's population has already left, and more are expected to flee due to extreme violence.

Economic Factors

• A commonly cited reason for migration is economic factors, whether permanent or seasonal.
• People tend to migrate from poorer developing areas to richer areas where wages are higher and more jobs are available.
• People from rural areas move to more competitive urban areas to find additional opportunities

Environmental Factors

• Migration caused by environmental factors is increasingly involuntary, resulting in displacement or forced movement due to social or environmental factors.
• Crop failure often leads to food scarcity and a decline in agricultural jobs, prompting people to seek better job opportunities and climate.
• Pollution of water, air, and soil in both urban and rural areas poses health risks, compelling people to seek better living conditions.

Social Factors

• Social factors are based on the human desire to achieve a better quality of life.
• Migrants often seek better opportunities for themselves or their families, such as safer schools or jobs with sufficient salaries, benefits, and career prospects.
• United States graduate programs attract talented individuals in regards to education
• Individuals may migrate to access services like life-saving surgery and medical treatment unavailable in their home area.

Illegal Migration

• Illegal migration refers to people entering or staying in a country without legal permission, also known as illegal immigration or undocumented immigration.
• Examples of illegal migration:
  • Entering a country lacking an immigration inspection
  • Entering a country with an expired visa
  • Entering a country fraudulently
  • Crossing a border without using the proper channels
  • Remaining in a country after a visa expires

Key Points of Migration Causes

• Economic drivers are a significant factor, with people moving to areas with better-paying jobs, business opportunities, or to escape poverty.
• Environmental factors include climate change events like rising sea levels, droughts, and extreme weather, forcing people to leave their homes for safer areas.
• Political factors involve persecution, human rights abuses, and armed conflict, leading to large-scale forced migration as people seek asylum in other countries.
• Social factors include family reunification, where people move to join family members already living in another country.

Specific Examples of Migration

• Labor migration: Moving to a new country to work in a specific industry with high labor demand
• Brain drain: Highly skilled professionals leaving for better opportunities abroad
• Refugee migration: Fleeing war or persecution and seeking asylum in another country
• Internal migration: Movement within a country, often due to economic disparities between regions
• Climate change migration: People displaced from their homes due to extreme weather events caused by climate change

Many individuals, including children, women, and men, migrate or seek refuge to improve their lives and safety. Safety factors include persecution, discrimination, war, and gang activity. Economic factors also play a significant role in migration patterns.