GLOBAL JUSTICE

Global Justice



Global Justice

Introduction

In the current U.S. immigration debate, many voices are heard, with one significant exception; there is virtually no attempt to analyze the issues of U.S. immigration policy and practices from the perspective of those family members left behind. Recent demonstrations throughout the U.S. have shown that the immigrants themselves are not voiceless(Suro, 2003).

Protesters are organized, asserting their voices and influencing the direction of the U.S. debate. On the other side, the anti-immigrant crowd has their say through their monopoly of cable news and talk radio(Blake 2003). We hear the voices of the undocumented in the U.S. and their U.S supporters on one hand and Rush Limbaugh and Lou Dobbs on the other, but who speaks for the wives and children forced by macroeconomic and political policies in which they have no voice to live without their husbands and fathers?

The Literature on Global Immigration

What is available in the literature on global immigration can be organized into three areas: 1) macroeconomic factors and their impacts of migration and immigration, 2) social changes due to immigration and emigration on individuals, family/gender roles, community and society, and finally, 3) how both the macro and micro issues impact the family members left behind(Benhabib 2004).

From a macroeconomic perspective, remittances, as they flow across borders emphasize shared economic ties. The amount of money earned in the U.S. and sent back to Mexico and Central America continues to grow, from more than in 14 billion dollars per year in 2002 (Suro, 2003) to over 20 billion today. In Mexico, remittances are the third leading source of revenue, behind only oil and tourism.

The very system involved sending the remittances raises important justice issues. Most attendees of this conference will transfer money from their home county to themselves here in Mexico by using an ATM machine, a quick and convenient process that carries a very low fee. Two- thirds of the of remittances from migrants in the U.S. to Mexico, however, are sent through non-bank companies, such as Western Union and MoneyGram, at comparatively exorbitant fees, since many migrants are prevented by regulations or policies from using inexpensive bank transfers(Durand, Massey, & Zenteno, 2001).

How remittance money is utilized in the receiving county is also an area of research focus (Newland, 2003;Durand, Kandel, Parrado, & Massey, 1996). Are remittances economic development opportunities for poor countries, building blocks for family economic growth and stability, or simply part of the consumer market designed to meet short-range and emergency needs? These issues are important to understand as we determine the economic impacts of immigration(Benhabib 2004).

The social implications and factors that drive U.S.-Mexico immigration (Kanaiaupuni, 2000;Massey & Expinosa, 1997), and the social and cultural changes that occur at the individual, family and social level as a result (Massey, 1995) are also important research areas. Immigration from Mexico changes the fabric of culture for the U.S. For Mexico, the reverse is also an issue. With migration heavily focused in a relatively small area of central-western states including Guanajuato, Jalisco and Michoacan, the ...