Death at the border

"Debates about United States border control policies have generally ignored the human costs of undocumented migration. We focus attention on these costs by estimating the number, causes and location of migrant deaths at the southwest border of the United States between 1993 and 1997.... Deaths from hyperthermia, hypothermia and dehydration increased sharply from 1993 to 1997 as intensified border enforcement redirected undocumented migration flows from urban crossing points to more remote crossing areas where the migrants are exposed to a greater risk of death."

Labor contractors: a conceptual overview

"The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of labor brokering or contracting that helps to explain why employers turn to foreign workers to fill certain vacant jobs, and how the presence of foreign workers brought to a country by labor contractors can affect the size and duration of migration flows. The major conclusion is that East Asian policies that aim to avoid the settlement of unskilled foreign workers also make labor brokering a prominent feature of labor migration and migrant labor markets in the region."

[Quebecers, foreigners or citizens? The basis of the sense of belonging of immigrants to Quebec]

"In light of information concerning the issues of immigration in Quebec, gathered in [the] course of semi-directed interviews, I have identified three overriding viewpoints. The first attributes to the State the role of consolidating a Francophone Quebec, [and] it suggests that the imposition of linguistic and territorial references is the only manner by which one can define a Quebecer and a Quebec nation.... The second viewpoint, by contrast, wants to superimpose linguistic, territorial, cultural and historical references when defining a Quebecer, and by so doing, excludes the immigrants from the nation-State it wants to construct. The third viewpoint, radically opposed to aforementioned approaches, refuses all State intervention imposing a definition of a national collectivity, whether it be based upon language, history or culture; from its perspective, the State has but one role: the protection of liberties and...redistribution." (SUMMARY IN ENG AND SPA)

New Zealand's "targeted" immigration policy, 1991 to 1996

"The tide of economic rationalism which has swept over New Zealand since 1984 included a new enthusiasm for business migrants and other well-qualified immigrants. In 1991 a points test was introduced to target these groups for selection but, while the overall intake had a nominal cap of 25,000 per annum, keen demand for places in the new program meant that the cap was soon exceeded by more than 100 per cent. Immigration became increasingly controversial. In October 1995 the points system was adjusted so that annual caps would not be exceeded, selection criteria were tightened, and steep fees were introduced for applicants with inadequate English."

How labour market experiences of migrants differ: Australia and Austria compared

The author compares migration policies and their economic impact in Australia and Austria. "The second section of the article presents the framework of Austrian and Australian migration policy....A comparison of the Austrian and Australian Gross Domestic Product (GDP)/unemployment/foreign employment-relationships displays different forms of flexibility. The third section of the article examines some distinctive features of migrants in both countries, including labour force participation, distribution by industry, wage policy and unemployment. The final section is a brief summary and some political reflections." (SUMMARY IN FRE AND SPA)

Family reunification: policies and issues

"International standards provide for protection of the family as the fundamental unit of society. However, a consequent right to family reunification for migrants is not sanctioned and continues to be resisted. This article reviews the formulation of the possibility for family reunification as provided for in international and regional standards and by migration policies. It argues that family separation, if inherent in some forms of migration, should not be institutionalized by migration policies and that state sovereignty is limited when dealing with human rights. More specifically it argues that labor migration, as currently developing in Asia, will require appropriate family reunification policies, because it will evolve into some form of settlement."

Undocumented migration to Venezuela

"In 1980 Venezuela took...steps to regularize the undocumented migrant population. While the number responding to the amnesty was small relative to expectations, the majority of illegals appeared to have regularized their status. For the first time it was possible to assess objectively the characteristics of the undocumented population. Moreover, the problem of illegal migrants seems to have been temporarily solved, a result of both the amnesty and the country's declining economic activity." Topics covered in the present article include the nationality, geographic distribution, sex and age distribution, educational status, and occupations of undocumented migrants.

[Foreign immigration in Spain (1985-1994)]

"During the decade 1985-94, Spain [has had]...some growing and unexpected flows of foreign immigrations. The tradition of emigration of Spanish people, some grave difficulties of [the] employment market in the country, irregular entrance of workers from developing countries, the fear of a very rapid growth of these immigrants, the instability and marginality of their work, and the agreement of Spain in the European Union have led the government to develop an active migratory policy, first against the illegal flows and, more recently, in direction of the integration of immigrants in Spanish society.... The article analyzes main features from some different groups of foreign workers, and in particular Africans: spatial repartition, demographic profile, migratory strategies and trajectories, uneasy insertion in the national employment market, and draws lastly the main features of the Spanish migratory policy." (SUMMARY IN ENG AND SPA)

The crisis of international migration in an integrating West Africa: a case study of Nigeria and Ghana

The mass expulsions of illegal immigrants that have taken place in recent years in Western Africa are examined, with particular reference to those in Ghana in 1969 and Nigeria in 1983. The author considers "the context within which they have taken place, including some of the longterm causes, and the systematic nature of the migrations which preceded them; the ways in which these have been handled by the states concerned; and their implications for the rights and status of migrants as a particular form of exploited labour within the development process in the subregion." (SUMMARY IN FRE)

The environment and refugees: theoretical and policy issues

"The concept of ¿environmental refugee' is not included in the definition of refugee as established by the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees and its 1967 Protocol, which are the most widely used instruments providing the basis for granting asylum to persons in need of protection. Yet, it is increasingly being recognized that environmental factors interact with political, economic, social and biopsychological factors to generate mass movements of people which may require a humanitarian response by the international community. In order to improve our understanding of the role that environmental factors play in triggering migration, it is necessary to recognize the multivariate nature of the phenomenon under consideration, where the difference between internal and international migration is often accidental and there is a continuum between proactive and reactive migration."

International migration and development

"This article assesses the effects of migration on development, emphasizing the shift from a national to an international perspective. The issue of migration, trade and international cooperation is considered next. The last section of the article is devoted to policy with reference to development cooperation as an alternative to migration."

The "new" immigration and the politics of cultural diversity in the United States and Japan

"Certain parallels between the recent experience of Japan and that of the United States with immigration from Third World countries are increasingly evident. In this discussion, I shall focus on these key similarities rather than the obvious differences between the two countries, in terms of culture, economy, political system, and 'immigration profile'." Aspects considered include the structural nature of the demand for foreign labor, the composition of immigrant stocks and flows, public tolerance, and contradictions in government policies.

The law and the management of Australian immigration

"Two new reports document the growing role of migration advisers, lawyers and the courts in Australian immigration, as well as the conflict between the judiciary and the executive over immigration control. One consequence of this conflict is that some foreigners now have a legal right to immigrate. Foreigners continue to be able to draw on legal aid to enforce this right and the Attorney General's Department does not record the costs."

The politics of immigration reform

The US is the target for international migration, now more than ever. Population growth and economic stragnation in the Third World are increasing the pressures for out-migration, and current immigration law is wholly incapable of responding to the ever increasing flow of illegal immigrants. Border apprehensions of illegal aliens in the US were up 40% during 1983, and total apprehensions reached 1.25 million by the year's end. Recent public opinion polls have disclosed that an overwhelming majority of the American public demands immigration reform, and yet we as a nation have been distinctly unwilling or unable to respond to this clear public sentiment. This paper discusses the politics of the "Simpson-Mazzoli" Immigration Reform and Control Act, previous immigration legislation, current counterproposals for US immigration policy, and the political realities of immigration reform.

Movement in the French Pacific: recent situation and prospects

"Population movements in the French Pacific territories (French Polynesia, New Caledonia, Wallis and Futuna) are discussed. The local government of French Polynesia and the French authorities have tried since the beginning of the 1980s to prevent migration to Tahiti by retaining the population on the outer islands and by encouraging return migration.... The purpose of this paper is not to describe in detail the population movements in the French territories, but to review recent changes in the course of these movements, examine the impact of policy measures, and discuss the prospects for the next ten or twenty years."

Welfare payments and New Zealand migration: myth and reality

"There has been much concern about the level of social welfare payments reputedly received by New Zealanders in Australia. Analysis of these payments shows that the recent renegotiation of the Australia and New Zealand Social Security Agreement will shift much of the financial burden to the New Zealand Government. Recent migration patterns show increasing shares of non-New Zealand-born persons and older persons amongst the New Zealand citizens arriving in Australia."

[East-West migration in Europe (1918-1993)]

"This paper analyses available demographic data on international migration within and to Europe during the period 1918-1939 and 1945-1993. The main focus is on the east-west dimension of this migration. In the inter-war period some 9.2 million people either left their countries as labour migrants or were displaced.... In the post-war period (1945-1950) some 15.4 million people fled or were displaced within Europe.... Between 1950 and 1992 another 14 million people migrated from a country in East-central and Eastern Europe to the West.... In recent times the wars in Croatia and Bosnia as well as ethnic cleansing have led to the largest wave of refugees and displaced persons since 1945.... Our paper concludes that push and pull factors causing massive migration cannot only be contained by erecting new legislative barriers and deploying more armed border guards against newcomers." (SUMMARY IN ENG AND SPA)

Policy implications of recent migration patterns

The author examines changing trends in migration in Australia and possible policy implications. "There have been sharp recent increases in the arrivals of Independent, and spouse and fiance(e) category migrants. In both cases, the likely outcome from the point of view of costs to the Australian community are canvassed and policy implications reviewed."