[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 76 (Wednesday, June 14, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1146-E1147]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                KOFI ANNAN'S PERSPECTIVE ON IMMIGRATION

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. CHARLES B. RANGEL

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 14, 2006

  Mr. RANGEL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to enter into the Record, an 
article by Mr. Kofi A. Annan, the secretary general of the United 
Nations. In the article, titled In Praise of Migration, published in 
the Wall Street Journal on June 6, 2006, Mr. Annan extols the benefits 
of transnational migration for both the country of origin and the 
receiving country.
  In receiving countries migrants perform essential tasks that 
residents are unwilling to undertake. Generally they pay more to the 
state in taxes than they take out in welfare and other benefits. 
``Nearly half the increase in the number of migrants aged 25 or over in 
industrialized countries was made up of highly skilled people'' who 
have added talent and dexterity to our economy by strengthening the 
workforce.
  Migrants strengthen the economy of their country of origin as well. 
``Migrants sent remittances, which totaled around $232 billion last 
year, $167 billion of which went to developing countries--greater in 
volume than current levels of official aid from all donor countries 
combined''--that are vital contributions to economy of the nation of 
origin. Migrants also encourage investment in their country of origin 
and are generally willing to supervise and direct these endeavors, 
leading to increased trade relations.
  Irregular or undocumented migrants are most vulnerable to smugglers, 
traffickers, and other forms of manipulation. If the host government 
chooses to criminalize those who assist these people in the name of 
humanity, they will completely be at the mercy of such exploitations. 
Essentially, we are throwing them to the wolves with the proposed House 
passed immigration bill. While immigration is not without drawbacks, I 
condemn the inhumane policies proposed by the bill passed by the House.

              [From the Wall Street Journal, June 6, 2006]

 In Praise of Migration--Nations That Welcome Immigrants Are the Most 
                          Dynamic in the World

                           (By Kofi A. Annan)

       Ever since national frontiers were invented, people have 
     been crossing them--not just to visit foreign countries, but 
     to live and work there. In doing so, they have almost always 
     taken risks, driven by a determination to overcome adversity 
     and to live a better life. Those aspirations have always been 
     the motors of human progress. Historically, migration has 
     improved the well-being, not only of individual migrants, but 
     of humanity as a whole.
       And that is still true. In a report that I am presenting 
     tomorrow to the U.N. General Assembly, I summarize research 
     which shows that migration, at least in the best cases, 
     benefits not only the migrants themselves but also the 
     countries that receive them, and even the countries they have 
     left. How so? In receiving countries, incoming migrants do 
     essential jobs which a country's established residents are 
     reluctant to undertake. They provide many of the personal 
     services on which societies depend. They care for children, 
     the sick and the elderly, bring in the harvest, prepare the 
     food, and clean the homes and offices.
       They are not engaged only in menial activities. Nearly half 
     the increase in the number of migrants aged 25 or over in 
     industrialized countries in the 1990s was made up of highly 
     skilled people. Skilled or unskilled, many are entrepreneurs 
     who start new businesses--from round-the-clock delis to 
     Google. Yet others are artists, performers and writers, who 
     help to make their new hometowns centers of creativity and 
     culture. Migrants also expand the demand for goods and 
     services, add to national production, and generally pay more 
     to the state in taxes than they take out in welfare and other 
     benefits. And in regions like Europe, where populations are 
     growing very slowly or not at all, younger workers arriving 
     from abroad help to shore up underfunded pension systems.
       All in all, countries that welcome migrants and succeed in 
     integrating them into their societies are among the most 
     dynamic--economically, socially and culturally--in the world.
       Meanwhile, countries of origin benefit from the remittances 
     that migrants send home, which totaled around $232 billion 
     last year, $167 billion of which went to developing 
     countries--greater in volume than current levels of official 
     aid from all donor countries combined, though certainly not a 
     substitute. Not only do the immediate recipients benefit from 
     these remittances, but also those who supply the goods and 
     services on which the money is spent. The effect is to raise 
     national income and stimulate investment.
       Families with members working abroad spend more on 
     education and health care at home. If they are poor--like the 
     family in the classic Senegalese film, ``Le Mandat''--
     receiving remittances may introduce them to financial 
     services, such as banks, credit unions and microfinance 
     institutions. More and more governments understand that their 
     citizens abroad can help development, and are strengthening 
     ties with them. By allowing dual citizenship, permitting 
     overseas voting, expanding consular services and working with 
     migrants to develop their home communities, governments are 
     multiplying the benefits of migration. In some countries, 
     migrant associations are transforming their communities of 
     origin by sending collective remittances to support small-
     scale development projects.
       Successful migrants often become investors in their 
     countries of origin, and encourage others to follow. Through 
     the skills they acquire, they also help transfer technology 
     and knowledge. India's software industry has emerged in large 
     part from intensive networking among expatriates, returning 
     migrants and Indian entrepreneurs both at home and abroad. 
     After working in Greece, Albanians bring home new 
     agricultural skills that allow them to increase production. 
     And so on.
       Yes, migration can have its downside--though ironically 
     some of the worst effects arise from efforts to control it: 
     It is irregular or undocumented migrants who are most 
     vulnerable to smugglers, traffickers and other forms of 
     exploitation. Yes, there are tensions when established 
     residents and migrants are adjusting to each other, 
     especially when their beliefs, customs or level of education 
     are very different. And yes, poor countries suffer when some 
     of their people whose skills are most needed--for instance 
     health-care workers from southern Africa--are ``drained'' 
     away by higher salaries and better conditions abroad.
       But countries are learning to manage those problems, and 
     they can do so better if they work together and learn from 
     each other's experience. That is the object of the ``high-
     level dialogue'' on migration and development that the 
     General Assembly is holding this September. No country will 
     be asked or expected to yield control of its borders or its 
     policies to anyone else. But all countries and all 
     governments can gain from discussion and the exchange of 
     ideas. That's why I hope the September dialogue will be a 
     beginning, not an end.
       As long as there are nations, there will be migrants. Much 
     as some might wish it otherwise, migration is a fact of life. 
     So it is not a question of stopping migration, but of 
     managing it better, and with more cooperation and 
     understanding on all sides. Far from being a zero-sum game, 
     migration can be made to yield benefits for all.

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