#circular migration

 In podcast titled General Chapman’s Last Stand, Gladwell explains just how we got to this point in American history, where a large part of the population (mostly called Trump supporters) believe there is a serious immigration issue along the southern border and that strict (or biblical) enforcement is the only solution. Not only does Gladwell tells us how got we got to a policy of separating immigrant families, he also illustrates the solution to the “problem” created the problem in the first place. Everyone on both sides of the debate should listen to this podcast. It puts all the recent developments in this debate into sharp focus.

Though you can’t tell from the title, the episode is about illegal Mexican immigration into the US. The immigration of Mexicans into the US has been extensively studied through a Princeton project called the Mexican Migration Project. The data from this project shows how the pattern has changed from “circular migration”, where the migrants come to the US to find work, but ultimately go back to Mexico because that is where their family roots are. Because of circular migration, the net immigration into the US was low.

This migration pattern changed, Gladwell argues, because of Commandant Leonard Chapman, retired from the Marines Corp, who made his mission to enforce the border regulations. Because crossing the border became so difficult, circular migration stopped. If you managed to cross the border, you didn’t return to your family. You couldn’t be sure you would be able to cross the border again, so you stayed and send for your family to join you. You became a permanent illegal immigrant, instead of a temporary one. And your children became today’s dreamers.

Migration and Democracy / Democratization: Publications, Website, Facebook-Group

 I have collected an overview of my publications on migration and democracy / democratization on a dedicated website and have created a corresponding facebook group. Please let me know if you have published something related to this topic and I will gladly share it on these sites! My most recent article on the topic is the book chapter ““Democracy on the Move? The Potential Link Between Circular…

Guest Contribution: Reports from the #WSFM / # FSMM in São Paulo

  Earlier this month, the 7th edition of the World Social Forum of Migration (WSFM) took place in São Paulo. I was not able to attend, but award-winning blogger Rodrigo Borges Delfim has closely followed the process. The founder of the Portuguese-language blog MigraMundo has shared his impressions and kindly provided an English translation – You can find four of his reports below: (more…)

Looking beyond ‘the refugee crisis’, can migrants be the new agents of democracy?

Stefan Rother, Freiburg University

This article is part of the Democracy Futures series, a joint global initiative with the Sydney Democracy Network. The project aims to stimulate fresh thinking about the many challenges facing democracies in the 21st century.

Over the last few decades, the focus on migration has…

#European #Migration Forum 2016: Call for applications open

The European Commission and the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) have launched the call for applications to participate in the 2nd meeting of the European Migration Forum, which will take place on 6-7 April 2016 in Brussels. The goal of the forum is to serve as “platform for dialogue between civil society and the European institutions on issues relating to migration, asylum and the…

By Alex Nowrasteh – President Obama’s recent request for billions of dollars to address the surge in unaccompanied children across the U.S.-Mexico border has ignited fierce criticism. Republicans such as Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas blame Obama’s supposedly lax enforcement policies. Democrats blame the surge on a humanitarian crisis in Central America.

While both narratives bear some truth, both miss…