In the debate over immigration, we do not see many people asking why immigrants are here in the first place.

Migration is increasing all over the world. There are powerful economic and political forces driving migration, primarily from poor countries to richer nations. Because of the long U.S. border with Mexico, Americans are conscious of the immigration by Latinos. Europe is experiencing similar immigration from Africa and the Middle East. International migration is paralleled by internal migration. Americans, for example, are migrating to other cities and regions at increasing rates, for the same reasons people all over the world are moving.

Most people do not want to leave their families, communities, and familiar way of life to go to strange lands. Why, then, do migrants leave their homes to come here?

The United States is a nation of immigrants, and almost all of us can trace our family histories to other origins. People have come to America for the same reason Americans now move to other cities and regions, to seek new opportunities for a more fulfilling life.

Since the days of the Pilgrims, many people have come seeking social, religious, and political freedom. They

have come to escape discrimination, persecution, warfare, and social turmoil in their homelands.

Many immigrants have come to seek opportunities to support themselves and their families. The

majority are fleeing devastating poverty and the accompanying malnutrition, disease, and other social

problems.

Most Americans are not aware that our own policies have created some of the desperate conditions that drive migration. Our "economic development" programs and "free trade" agreements have created desperate poverty.

These policies allow multinational corporations to dominate local economies and siphon wealth and resources for the benefit of rich investors in industrialized nations. This "WalMart syndrome" undermines the ability of people in traditional societies to support themselves, and thus forces them to migrate in order to provide for the basic needs of their families. For example, it is no accident that we have seen a huge influx of Mexicans since NAFTA (the North American Free Trade Agreement). We can expect another wave to come from Central America with the recent CAFTA (Central American Free Trade Agreement).

This same international economic process often results in social disintegration, where traditional roles, values, and identities no longer work, sometimes leading to social conflict, which also drives migration. We have also supported repressive governments that persecute their own people, driving many to escape to America, "the land of the free".

Migration is a fact of life in today's world, and will not go away. We cannot stop migration, because the forces that drive people to move are too great and have largely been created by our own international policies. Given the clear exploitation and abuse of those immigrants who come to America, our practices punish people in their home countries and then again here in the U.S. It is more important to address the causes of migration, and look for solutions that will benefit all concerned.