In The News

Diasporas Shape Politics Back Home from Afar

Terrence Lyons, Peter Mandaville November 19, 2010
Modern forms of communication, cell phones and internet, allow citizens anywhere to stay on top of politics in their native lands. Diasporas promote wars or peace, send remittances to families and political groups, lobby for good relations with other nations and organize protests to focus attention on problems. Members of any diaspora specialize in, depending on skills, resources and laws in the...

Sarkozy Hits Back at Reding in Roma Row

Peggy Hollinger, Nikki Tait, Stanley Pignal September 22, 2010
France has drawn the ire of other European nations for its aggressive policies on expulsion of illegal immigrants. The EU, of course, has never been in lock-step on member policies. Yet, debate over mistreatment of the Roma minority is distinguished by swift criticism from central EU authorities, including EU Commissioner Viviane Reding of Luxembourg who compared France's handling of the...

Unwanted Immigrants: America’s Deportation Dilemma

Joseph Chamie July 27, 2010
Increased labor mobility has accompanied global population growth and ease of travel. The world has roughly 50 million illegal migrants, about one quarter of which live in the US. Nations widely oppose illegal immigration, but identifying, catching and then deporting violators present a huge challenge, explains Joseph Chamie, research director for the Center for Migration Studies. Attitudes about...

Headless Bodies and Other Immigration Tall Tales in Arizona

Dana Milbank July 16, 2010
Immigration has been a major driver of US economic growth, but at a time of economic distress, it has emerged as a contentious issue. Recent attempts by politicians to exploit concerns over immigration by falsehood or exaggeration could have unintended consequences. Defending a new law targeting illegal immigrants, Arizona politicians claim rising violence along the state’s border shared with...

Global Migration: A World Ever More on the Move

Jason DeParle June 29, 2010
People’s movement around the globe – for work, wanderlust or safety – has long reordered the world in ways comprehended only decades, even centuries later, notes Jason DeParle for the New York Times. New arrivals influence trade, work habits, schools, culture and politics at all levels. Mobility is at historically high levels, and the United Nations estimates the globe has more than 200 million...

African Migrant Workers Find Slim Pickings in Strawberry Fields of Southern Spain

Jean-Jacques Bozonnet June 28, 2010
In Spain, migrant men called “ghosts,” live in hidden plywood shacks adjoining berry fields, and wait for the next season’s harvest. But weather and laws have disrupted the plans of many who travel from Africa and Eastern Europe seeking work on berry farms. In 2008, Spain aimed to reduce immigration by reducing the number of temporary work permits for harvests. The country’s unemployment rate...

Listening to (and Saving) the World’s Languages

Sam Roberts May 4, 2010
Immigrants in New York City have made it a place of remarkable linguistic diversity. There are an estimated 800 languages spoken, meaning that globalization has allowed languages born in every corner of the world to gather in New York City. As globalization places a priority on a handful of major languages in the world for business purposes, other languages have become rare and are dying out. But...