Globalization And Immigration

Globalization has opened up the world’s borders with goods and human capital moving from nation to nation. The effect of globalization and the increase in demand for goods and services has seen the shift of capital to more developed nations as workers look for better pastures. Conversely, entrepreneurs look for the cheapest source of labor in efforts to keep operational costs down in order to compete. Outdated immigration policies have resulted in the influx of millions of undocumented workers (Quintana 6). In the case of the United States, social and economic integration of the region is a key policy that drives national and security agendas. International agreements signed over the years have sort to control the flow of capital while lifting

However, locking out job seekers and terrorists using the same excuses has proved to be counterproductive. Ewing (8) gives examples of policy decisions that have resulted in negative results. The author points out the negative impact these immigration laws have had on economies around the region. However, according to Ewing, despite the policy makers’ realization of the ineffectiveness of the immigration laws, they turned to deterrence as an approach (12). By presenting immigration figures showing that the number of undocumented immigrants from Mexico standing at over 12 million compared to 3.4 million over twenty years ago, Ewing points to the strategy of making its entry more difficult for would be immigrants (16). By pouring resources into border security and control through increased presence, policy makers in many states hoped this investment would keep away undocumented immigration. However, the economic needs of the country meant there was a growing demand for cheap labor and a growing human smuggling industry. Despite this, policy makers invested in increasing the size of immigrant detention facilities and fast tracking deportation of the undocumented workers (Quintana