Chapter 3 - Migration

Mexico/U.S. Border

Rural areas and small towns are guarded by only a handful of agents. Crossing the foot legally is possible in several places. Driving across the border can be fraught with heavy traffic and delays. Many others are trying to cross the border using quota preferences.

E.G. Ravenstein

Wrote the 11 migration laws which served as a basis for contemporary geographic migration studies. He organized the laws into three groups: the distance migrants move, the reasons migrants move, and the characteristics of migrants.

International Migration

A permanent move from one country to another. 1. Voluntary Migration — The migrant has chosen to move, especially from economic improvement or gain. 2. Forced Migration — The migrant has been compelled to move, especially by political or environmental factors.

Characteristics of Migrants

Most long-distance migrants are male. Most long-distance migrants are adult individuals rather than families with children.

Refugee

A refugee is a person who has been forced to migrate to another country to avoid the effects of armed conflict, situations of generalized violence, violations of human rights, or other disasters and cannot return for fear of persecution because of race, religion, nationality, membership in a social group, or political opinion. Most refugees move due to cultural factors. Ex: The total number of refugees in the world today: 19.5 million people. The two largest groups of refugees are Syria and Afghanistan. Syria has become the largest source of refugees in 2015.

Migration

A relocation diffusion which is a permanent move to a new location.

Intervening Obstacles

An environmental (crossing over a lot of land or sea) or political (passport needed to emigrate and a visa to immigrate) feature that hinders migration. Environmental factors used to be the major problem, but transportation aided that. Now the main factor hindering migration are due to political reasons.

Pull Factor

Induces people to move into a new location. Ex: more appealing weather, The Gold Rush, job opportunities

Asylum Seeker

Someone who has migrated to another country in the hope of being recognized as a refugee.

Why Did People Migrate to the U.S.?

**U.S. has the most immigrants of all other countries—we grow 1 million immigrants a year*** - 1790: Hugging the Coast — Native American (unfamiliar) lands in the middle/frontier - 1800-1840: Crossing the Appalachians — Louis and Clark Expedition, occurred due to transportation and canals - 1850-1890: Rushing to Gold - 1900-1940: Filling in the Great Plains — Farmers became a regular job - 1950-2010: Moving South —New job opportunities and warmer climate.

Immigration Concerns in the U.S.

- Border Patrols: Most Americans want more effective border patrols to fewer immigrants can get into the country, but do not want to see their money spent towards building fences. - Workplace: Americans recognize that unauthorized immigrants take jobs that no one else wants, so they support work-related programs to make them legal. - Civil Rights: Americans favor letting law enforcement officials stop and verify the legal status of anyone they suspect of being an unauthorized immigrant. - Local Initiatives: Americans believe that enforcement of unauthorized immigration is a federal government responsibility and do not support the use of local law enforcement officials to find unauthorized immigrants.

Migration Between Regions in Other Large Countries

- Canada: Interregional migration from east (net-out) to west (net-in) for more than a century—Alberta, British Columbia, Saskatchewan - China: Emigration from rural areas to the interior of the country where jobs are plentiful (factories). Net-in into their urban areas and net-out of their rural areas. - Brazil: Most Brazilians live in a string of large cities near the Atlantic Coast. Has the world's two largest cities—Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. Brazil's tropical interior is very sparsely inhabited so to increase the attractiveness of the interior, the government moved its capital from Rio to a newly built city called Brasilia.

Mobility

A general term covering all types of movements from one place to another.

Characteristics of Unauthorized Immigrants

- Source Country: 58% of authorized immigrants emigrate from Mexico. - Children: 11.2 million authorized immigrants included 1 million children. Unauthorized immigrants have given birth to 4.5 million babies who are legal citizens of the U.S. - Years in the U.S.: Residency years have increased in the U.S. for unauthorized immigrants. 35% of adult unauthorized immigrants had resided in the U.S. for 15 years or more. - Labor Force: 8 million unauthorized immigrants are employed in the U.S. (5% of the labor force). Usually employed in construction and hospitality jobs (food service and lodging) and less likely to be employed in white-collar jobs (education, health care, finance) - Distribution: California and Texas have the largest number of unauthorized immigrants. Nevada has the largest percentage.

Immigration Concerns in Europe

- Sources of European Immigration: European countries have an agreement that give a citizen of one European country the right to hold a job, live permanently, and own property in other European countries. This removal of migration restrictions has set off large migration flows within the region—usually flowing from poorer European countries to richer ones due to an increase in job opportunities. 1. From Southeastern Europe (Romania, Bulgaria, Albania, and Serbia) to Italy and Spain. 2. From Eastern Europe (Poland, Russia, Ukraine) to the U.K. and Ireland. 3. From Northern Europe (U.K. and Germany) to attractive climates in Southern Europe (Spain) - Opponents of European Immigration: Most European countries are in Stage 4 of the demographic transition (low NIR) so the safety valve of emigration is no longer needed. Hostility towards immigrants have become the central platform of political parties. They are blamed for crime, unemployment, high welfare costs—most importantly, they are considered a threat to the centuries-old cultural traditions of the host country. Due to the recession, the number of immigrants in the U.S. and Europe has reduced and destination countries (Ireland, Poland, Spain) have net-out migration. - Europeans as Emigrants: During the 19th century, Europe was the source of the world's most emigrants. With the Industrial Revolution spreading to Europe, population increasing, and thus, a lack of economic opportunities, many found safety in other countries (U.S., Canada, Australia). This caused European culture to spread and mesh with residing cultures.

Controversy on what to Call a Group of Immigrants

- Unauthorized Immigrant: Neutral term, term used by academic observers. - Undocumented Immigrant: Used by groups that advocate for more rights for these individuals. - Illegal Alien: Used by a group who favors tougher restrictions and enforcement of immigration laws.

Brain Drain

A large scale emigration by talented people. This ensures that skilled workers will be immigrating; Europe and the U.S. contribute to this immigration policy. Many Asians make use of this law and then bring their families over under the reunification provisions.

Europe's Migrant Workers

14/16 countries with the highest per capita income are found in Northern and Western Europe; these regions attract migrants from poorer regions in the south and east. These people have a useful role in Europe's economy: taking low-status, low-skill, and lower paying (more than they would in home countries) jobs that local residents will not accept. This reduces employment rates immensely. Also, with immigrants sending most of their money back to families in their home countries—it stimulates Europe's economy as a whole, as well as local economies.

Age and Education of Migrants

40% of immigrants are young adults between 25-39. Immigrants are less likely to be elderly people; only 5% of immigrants are over age 65. 16% of immigrants are children under 15 years. Mexican immigrants are less likely to have more schooling than U.S. citizens, but a year more than the average Mexican.

International Migration Patterns

9% of the world's people are international migrants. There are three large flows of migrants: 1. From Asia to Europe 2. From Asia to North America 3. From Latin America to North America

Internal Migration

A permanent move within the same country. 1. Interregional Migration — Movement from one region of a country to another. Mostly from rural to urban areas in search of jobs. However, there have also been movements in MDCs from urban to environmentally attractive rural areas. Ex: Katrina survivors come to Wisconsin to seek shelter, coast to coast 2. Intraregional Migration — Movement within one region. Mostly from older cities to new suburbs. Has slowed down due to the recession. - Rural to Urban Areas: Occurs in both LDCs and MDCs. Began in 1800s in Europe and North America as part of the Industrial Revolution. Urbanization has diffused to developing countries of Asia, Latin America, and Africa. Pushed from rural areas and pulled into the cities. Urbanization usually occurs in order for people who are seeking economic advancements (factories/service industries). 80% of US people live in urban areas. - Urban to Suburban Areas: Mostly occurs in MDCs. Migration from cities to surrounding suburbs. Most people are pulled towards the safer suburban lifestyle in a detached house with a yard. - Urban to Rural Areas: Mostly occurs in MDCs. Net migration from urban to rural areas is referred to as counter-urbanization. The boundary where suburbs end and countryside begin cannot be clearly defined; thus, counter-urbanization results partly in the expansion of suburbs, but also in migration from cities and suburbs to small towns and rural communities. Ex: Rocky Mountain States (Net-in Migration)

Internationally Displaced Person (IDP)

A person who has been forced to migrate for similar for similar political reasons as a refugee but has not migrated across an international border.

Asia's Migrant Workers

China: 40 million Chinese currently live in other countries, with most of them emigrating from southeastern China. China's booming economy is not attracting immigrants from neighboring countries (Vietnam). Southwest Asia (Middle East): Include wealthy oil-producing countries. Most immigrants came in from South and Southeast Asia (India, Pakistan, Philippines, Thailand). Working conditions in this region are poor.

U.S. Quota Laws

Helped fix the unrestricted migration problem in the U.S. This problem was also ended by Congress passing the Quota Act in 1921 and the National Origins Act in 1924. - 1924: For each country that has native-born persons already living in the United States, 2% of their number could immigrate each year; this ensured that most immigrants would come from Europe. - 1965: Quotas for individual countries were replaces with hemisphere quotes—170,000 from the Eastern Hemisphere and 120,000 from the Western Hemisphere) - 1978: A global quota of 290,000 was set, including a maximum of 20,000 per country. - 1990: The global quota was raised to 700,000 Since the number of admission applicants to the U.S. far exceeds the quotas, Congress has set preferences: - Family Reunification: Approximately three-fourths of immigrants are admitted to reunify families, primarily spouses or unmarried children of people already living in the U.S. The typical wait for a spouse to gain entry is about five years. - Skilled Workers: Exceptionally talented professionals receive most of the remainder of quota. - Diversity: A few immigrants are admitted by lottery under a diversity category for people from countries that historically sent few people to the U.S.

Guest Worker

Immigrants from poor countries were allowed to immigrate temporarily to obtain jobs. They are protected by minimum wage laws, labor union contracts, and other support programs, but were expected to return home in a few years. Germany and other wealthy European countries took in this operation program during the 60s and 70s. The first guest worker programs involved emigration from Souther European countries: Italy, Portugal, and Spain. Today, most immigrants in search of work in Europe come form Eastern Europe, such as Poland and Romania, but the term "guest worker" and guest worker programs no longer exist.

Push Factor

Induces people to move out of their present location. Ex: natural disaster, political unrest, war

Migration Between Regions in Russia

Interregional migration throughout Russia opens new regions for economic development. However, the Eastern side of Russia is considered Siberia—frigid, nasty cold—so Russia tried to make it attractive through construction and railroads by going to a different region of Russia in order to experience forests and rich minerals. Example of push and pull because When the Soviet Union crashed, so did interregional migration.

1986 Immigration Reform and Control Act

Legislature which issued visas to several hundred thousand people who had entered the U.S. in previous years with out legal documents.

Quota

Maximum limits on the number of people who could immigrate to the United States during a one-year period. Quota does not apply to refugees, who are admitted if they are judged genuine refugees. Also, spouses, children, and parents of U.S. residents are admitted without limit.

Environmental Push and Pull Factors

People are pulled towards more attractive environments such as mountains, seasides, and warm climates. People are also pushed away from their homes by adverse physical conditions such as flooding, extreme heat, constant earthquakes or wildfires.

Economic Push and Pull Factors

People often emigrate from places that have few job opportunities and immigrate to places where jobs seem to be available. The U.S. and Canada have ben prominent destinations for economic migrants.

Unauthorized Immigrants

People who enter a country without proper documents. There are 11.2 unauthorized immigrants living in the U.S. in 2010. The number declined in 2008 when the recession hit and there was a decrease of job opportunities.

Political Push and Pull Factors

Political factors often force people to emigrate from a country (i.e. slavery). People are pulled to a certain location for political (cultural, religious) freedom.

Gender of Migrants

Since finding work is the main reason for international migration, men are more likely than women to migrate long distances. The increased female migration to the U.S. partly reflects on the changing role of women in Mexican society—more are following husbands, or searching for jobs as opposed to marrying young.

Floodplain

The area of a river subject to flooding during a specific number of years based on historical trends. Many people are unaware that they live in a floodplain.

Net Migration

The difference between the number of immigrants (Net In Migration—North America, Europe, and Oceania) and the number of emigrants (Net Out Migration—Asia, Latin America, Africa)

Trail of Tears

The forced migration of the Native Americans westward in the nineteenth century. Coincided with the Indian Removal Act of 1830. The removal of five major tribes opened up lad for whites to settle and relocated the tribes to land that was too dry to sustain their traditional ways of obtaining food. Many Native Americans died along the way.

Chain Migration

The migration of people to a specific location because relatives or members of the same nationality previously migrated there.

Ellis Island

Twelve million immigrants were processed at Ellis Island, officially a part of New Jersey, not New York.

Migration Transition

Wilbur Zelinsky, geographer identified Migration Transition which consists of changes in a society comparable to those in the demographic transition. A change in the migration pattern in a society that results from the social and economic changes that also produce the demographic transition.

Circulation

Types of short-term, repetitive, or cyclical movements that recur on a regular basis, such a as daily, monthly, or annually.