Editorial Two
A Santa Clara University (a Jesuit Institution in the Silicon Valley of America) study has underscored the inevitability of migration, going as far to say that it is an integral part of life.
“People move to survive. They move in search of food. They move away from danger and death. They move towards opportunities for life. Migration is tied to the human spirit, which seeks adventure, pursues dreams, and finds reasons to hope even in the most adverse circumstances. Such movement affects the communities migrants leave and the communities that receive these migrants. This movement also impacts communities along the route of transit,” it said.
Hard questions
Parliamentarians often harass Immigration Ministers and those in government and seek difficult answers to equally difficult questions. Among them are (a) Is migration inevitable? (b) Is migration necessary for the survival of the human race? (c) Can migration be controlled? (d) Should migration be controlled? By whom? (e) Is migration systematic or is it organic?
Describing the ethics of migration as ‘complex,’ the Study said, “There are many perspectives on why people migrate, how people migrate, what impact migration has on receiving, transit and sending countries, and whether countries should encourage, discourage, or limit migration. Our Study raises some issues and questions in order to encourage a thoughtful, in-depth discussion of the ethics of migration.”
The Economist of London said that research by academics Christian Dustmann and Tommaso Frattini suggested that immigrants have boosted Britain’s public finances.
“They are young, healthy and (whatever the politicians imply) less likely than Britons to claim benefits. Immigrants from Eastern Europe are the best of the bunch. Labour and the Tories are thus lamenting, and UKIP is promising to stop, something that has made Britain richer.”
In New Zealand too, there is an endless debate on the benefits and otherwise of immigration. The recent issue of refugee intake from Syria has enhanced that debate.
We will analyse them in our ensuing issues.
