Migration

Migration• Migration is a form of mobility– type of relocation diffusion which is a permanent

move to a new location

• Flow of migration always involves two-way connections (leave one place – go to another)– Immigration – migration to a location– Emigration – migration from a location

Net migration

• Net migration – difference between number of immigrants and the number of emigrants– Net in-migration – number of immigrants exceeds

number of emigrants – net migration is positive– Net out-migration – number of emigrants exceeds

number of immigrants – net migration is negative

Why do People Migrate?

•Push factor – induces people to move out of their present location– People feel negatively about current place

•Pull factor – induces people to move into a new location– People view another place attractively

Why do People Migrate?

• Forced Migration – Human migration flows in which the movers have no choice but to relocate.

• Voluntary Migration – Human migration flows in which the movers respond to perceived opportunity, not force.

Forced Migration – the Atlantic Slave Trade

Intervening obstacles• Intervening obstacles is an environmental or

cultural feature that hinders migration• Primarily environmental throughout history– Mountains, deserts, bodies of water• Rocky Mountains, Great Plains, Atlantic Ocean

• Environmental obstacles now limited with transportation improvements

Push and Pull Factors

Cultural Push and Pull Factors

• Cultural factors can be push factors when people forced to emigrate from a country

• Two main reasons: slavery and political instability– Slavery – shipped to other countries, especially

from Africa to Western Hemisphere– Political Instability • Boundaries of new states can segregate ethnic groups• Wars may force ethnic group to migrate to the other

side

Refugees

• people who have been forced to migrate from their homes and cannot return for fear of persecution because of their race, religion, nationality, membership in a social group, or political opinion

• Refugees have no home until another country allows them in, or conditions make possible a return to former home

• Over 50 million people are classified as Refugee

Environmental Push and Pull Factors

• Pulled toward physically attractive regions and pushed from hazardous ones

• Attractive environments include: mountains, seasides, and warm climates– Rocky Mountains and Alps– Southern Spain and southwestern U.S.

• Water (too much or too little) is most common adverse physical condition– Floodplain of river subject to flooding

Economic Push and Pull Factors

• Most people move for economic reasons• People emigrate from place with few job

opportunities and immigrate to places with more job opportunities

• United States and Canada prominent destination for European immigrants in the nineteenth century and Asia and Latin America today

Global Migration Patterns

The major flows of international migrants are from less developed countries to more developed countries, especially from Asia and Latin America to North America and from Asia to Europe.

inter-• a prefix occurring in loanwords from Latin,

where it meant “between,” “among,” “in the midst of,” “mutually,” “reciprocally,” “together,” “during”

intra-• a prefix meaning “within,” used in the

formation of compound words: intramural.

International Migration

Internal Migration

• Permanent movement within the same country– Interregional Migration – movement from one

region of a country to another• Typically from rural to urban areas in search of jobs

– Intraregional Migration – movement within one region• Typically within urban areas, from older cities to newer

suburbs

Interregional Migration

The center has consistently shifted westward, although the rate of movement has varied in different eras. In recent decades, the center has also started to shift southward, a reflection of recent migration to the South.

Intraregional Migration

• These are the two most common Intraregional• Rural to Urban• Urban to Suburban

Ravenstein’s Laws of Migration

• Most migrants travel only a short distance.• Migrants traveling long distances usually settle in

urban areas.• Most migration occurs in steps.• Most migration is rural to urban.• Each migration flow produces a movement in the

opposite direction ("counterflow").• Most migrants are adults.• Most international migrants are young males,

while more internal migrants are female.

Where are Migrants Distributed?

• Asia, Latin America, and Africa have net out-migration

• North America, Europe, and Oceania have net in-migration

• Largest flow of migrants are to Europe from Asia and to North America from Asia and Latin America

• Global pattern illustrates migration from less developed countries to more developed countries– 12% of U.S. are immigrants

• Three Main Eras of Immigration

1. Initial Settlement of Colonies

• English or African slaves

2. Mid 19th Century through early 20th Century

• Mostly European

3. Began in 1970’s and continues today

• 3/4 are from Latin America and Asia

U.S. Immigration Patterns

Europeans comprised more than 90 percent of the immigrants to the United States during the nineteenth century, and even as recently as the early 1960s, still accounted for more than 50 percent. Latin America and Asia are now the dominant sources of immigrants to the United States

Immigration to USA from Europe

• Over 40 million Europeans migrated to U.S.

• Statistics regarding European immigration

–Germany 7.2 million

– Italy 5.4 million

–United Kingdom 5.3 million

– Ireland 4.8 million

–Russia and former Soviet Union 4.1 million

Why did Europeans come to USA• The Industrial Revolution diffused to the rest

of Europe and this effected who migrated to USA– 1840’s and 1850’s• 95% of immigrants from Northern and Western Europe

(2/5 from Ireland and 1/3 from Germany)

– 1880’s• Germany, Ireland and Scandinavian Countries

– 1890’s into early 1900’s• Most came from Southern and Eastern Europe

– 1/4 from each Italy, Russia, and Austria-Hungary

• Diffusion of European Culture– Emigration of 65 million brought cultural heritage to

their new homes

– Indo-European languages now spoke by ½ world

– Christianity world’s most prevalent religion

– Europeans have also planted seeds of conflict in areas they migrated to in Africa and Asia• Imposed political domination and cultural values

• Economies became based on extracting resources for export

– Past practices (arbitrary boundary lines and discrimination) has led to many of today’s conflicts

Legacy of European Migration

• Asia was leading source of immigrants between late 1970’s and 1980’s

• During 1990’s and 2000’s Asian immigrants mainly from China, Philippines, India, and Vietnam

Immigration from Asia

• Annual immigration increased from 60,000 in 1950’s to over 400,000 since 2000

• Mexico has passed Germany as country to send most immigrants to the U.S.– People pushed by poor conditions at home and pulled by economic opportunity and social advancement in the United States

–Most immigrants from Stage 2 countries

Immigration from Latin America

Immigration from Latin America

Destination of Immigrants Within the United States

• Recent immigrants not distributed evenly– More than half in four states

• 1/4 in California and 1/4 in New York, Florida, and Texas

• Undocumented immigrants show similar pattern– Isolated in several states

• 1/4 in California, 1/4 in New York, Arizona, Illinois, Georgia, and New Jersey; remaining 1/4 in other 42 states

• Proximity influences decisions for many– Mexicans prefer California or Texas

– Cubans prefer Florida

Destination of immigrants by source and U.S. states.

California receives about one-fourth of all immigrants, with the largest numbers from Mexico, the Philippines, Vietnam, and China. New York and New Jersey receive another one-fourth of immigrants, especially from the Dominican Republic. A large number of Cubans go to Florida, Mexicans to Texas, and Mexicans and Poles to Illinois.

Obstacles to Migration

• Immigrants face two major difficulties1. Gaining permission to enter a new country

2. Hostile attitudes of citizens once they enter country

• Policies to control the arrival of foreigners1. U.S. uses a quota system to limit foreign citizens

2. Western Europe and Middle East permit guest workers to work temporarily, but not permanently

U.S. Quota Laws

Laws established in 1921 and 1924 established quotas, or maximum limits on the number of people who could immigrate to the U.S. form each country during a 1-year period

• Quotas per country eliminated and replaced with hemisphere quotas -1965

U.S. Quota Laws

• Guest workers – citizens of poor countries who obtain jobs in Western Europe and Middle East– Guest workers in Europe are protected by minimum-

wage laws and labor union contracts take low-status and low skilled jobs local residents do not want

– Guest workers still make much more $$ than at home

– Guest worker’s native country benefits as their unemployment rate decreases and guest workers sends $$$ back to the family - Remittance• Foreign currency stimulates the economy

–Most guest workers come from North Africa, Middle East, Eastern Europe, and Asia (distinct patterns)

Temporary Migration for Work

Describe what you see as USA’s Attitude towards immigration

• Americans always had some level of suspicion, but tolerated during 19th century– Helped settle the frontier – made productive farms

– Opposition to immigration intensified when immigrants from southern and eastern Europe arrived• 1911 study called them racially inferior

• Recently several states have voted to deny undocumented immigrants access to most public services (schools, day-care, health clinics)– Unwilling to help needy immigrants

U.S. Attitudes Toward Immigrants