[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 73 (Friday, June 9, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1092]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       MIGRATION, BENEFICIAL? YES

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                         HON. CHARLES B. RANGEL

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                          Friday, June 9, 2006

  Mr. RANGEL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to enter into the Record an 
article by Mr. Warren Hoge, titled Nations Benefit From Migration, U.N. 
Study Says, published in the New York Times on June 7, 2006.
  Mr. Hoge cites Mr. Kofi Annan in calling for broad international 
cooperation in order to ensure rapid growth in global migration. A 
recent United Nations study has shown that migrants provide strong 
socio-economic support for their country of origin as well as their new 
home nation. ``The alarm over the growing number of migrants has cast 
the issue in a negative light.'' The aging populations in developing 
countries are offset by the influx of immigrants. Currently in 
developed countries there is an average of 142 entrants into the labor 
force for every 100 people about to retire but the report predicts that 
in 10 years the number of entrants will become as low as 87. This 
deficit can easily be filled by immigrants since on average the 
developing countries have 342 entrants for every 100 retirements.
  Mr. Annan calls for ``tightening law enforcement to curb smuggling 
and trafficking, easing visa and naturalization rules, and establishing 
reliable financial services'' to better the conditions of the 
immigrant. The U.N. study clearly shows the advantages of immigration. 
In light of such evidence, how can the United States, the leading 
nation of the world, choose to impose harsh measures that curb 
immigration?
  My colleagues, let us create an open immigration policy for our 
national borders and ease the integration of immigrants into the U.S. 
rather than build a wall to keep everyone out.

            Nations Benefit From Migration, U.N. Study Says

                            (By Warren Hoge)

       United Nations, June 6.--Secretary General Kofi Annan said 
     Tuesday that the rapid growth in global migration should 
     help, not harm, all countries but that broad international 
     cooperation would be necessary to ensure it.
       ``We now understand better than ever before that migration 
     is not a zero-sum game,'' Mr. Annan said. ``In the best 
     cases, it benefits the receiving country, the country of 
     origin and migrants themselves.''
       He made his comments in a report he delivered to the 
     General Assembly on migration and development, subjects that 
     will be a focus of the annual gathering of heads of state at 
     the United Nations in September.
       The report noted that alarm over the growing numbers of 
     migrants had cast the issue in a negative light but asserted 
     that the emphasis was misplaced, citing the aging of 
     populations in developed countries that it said could be 
     offset only by migration.
       ``We think that societies don't ask themselves enough what 
     they would do without migrants,'' said Hania Zlotnik, 
     director of the United Nations Population Division.
       Mr. Annan said he hoped the September meeting would take up 
     measures to better conditions for migrants, including 
     tightening law enforcement to curb smuggling and trafficking, 
     easing visa and naturalization rules, and establishing 
     reliable financial services to enable money to be sent home.
       From 1990 to 2005, the numbers of migrants in the world 
     rose to 191 million from 155 million, the report said. It 
     estimated that migrants sent $232 billion home in 2005. Of 
     that, $167 billion went to developing countries, Mr. Annan 
     said.
       The report said that migration sometimes reduced the wages 
     of low-skilled workers in advanced economies, but that it 
     more often freed citizens to perform high-paying jobs.
       Listing demographic statistics that will make a continued 
     rise in migration inevitable, the report said that in 
     developed countries there is an average of 142 young entrants 
     to the labor force for every 100 people about to retire, but 
     that in 10 years, the ratio will be 87 young entrants for 
     every 100 who leave the labor force.
       This trend, it argued, creates a deficit that only migrants 
     can close. At the same time, developing countries will have 
     342 candidates for every 100 jobs that open up.

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