migration
Against "Immigration Reform", For Immigrants and Sending Countries
2010, March 28 - 10:21am — dr anonymousI'm wary about writing about topics that are too U.S.-centric, primarily for my own sake, but you can't escape your past. I spent some time from about 2002 to 2006 working on immigration issues in the United States as part of the post 9-11 cottage industry of non-profit workers assisting what have been called 'Muslim-looking people" and then writing about it. I just note those experiences for the record because they color how I talk about present-day politics around immigration - especially since I haven't been in the United States for 3 1/2 years.
How Jeremy Page was barred from reporting Tamil Tiger conflict
First person report on a Times of London reporter's deportation from Sri Lanka. The lede:
"The Sri Lankan immigration officer’s eyes narrowed as she swiped my passport at the international airport in Colombo last week. “Come this way,” she said, leading me into a side room, where a colleague typed my details into a computer.
Toronto Action Alert: Southern Ontario Immigration Raids and Detention Reviews
Economic downturn, recession, new depression. Call it what you will, but in times of economic crisis, non-status workers are more vulnerable than ever. No One Is Illegal-Toronto is having an emergency demo at the Heritage Detention Centre to protest the detention of hundreds of people following workplace raids across Southern Ontario over the past two days. This might be only the beginning of a coordinated attack on refugees and migrants among Canada's working poor.
Bangladesh's Remittance Flow Records Over 27 Percent Growth
Bangladesh expatriates sent home a record $6.148 billion in remittances during the first eight months of the current fiscal year, marking a 27.01 percent growth over the same period of the last fiscal year.
"The flow of remittances is still at a satisfactory level," a senior official of the Bangladesh Bank (BB), the country's central bank, told AHN Media in Dhaka on Tuesday.
The BB official also said that the total amount of remittances dropped slightly in February over that of the previous month due mainly to fewer working days.
Pakistan’s growing reliance on remittances amid political instability
Remittances to Pakistan rose by 24.0% year-on-year in July-November 2007, demonstrating the importance of the emigrant community. Remittances in fiscal year 2006/07 reached 4.3% of GDP. This has helped Pakistan's economy to remain relatively resilient to political turbulence. Since a growing amount of remittances come from the Middle East rather than the USA, this should provide some insulation in the event of a slowdown in the US economy.
