THE PROS AND CONS OF MIGRATION

Impact on host countries

While the actual demographic and economic effects of immigration on Europe are rarely discussed, the
causes of immigration — global inequality, conflict and human rights abuses are often ignored.

The recipient country is usually an industrialized country in Western Europe, or the United States. For
these countries, immigrants offer various benefits such as the following:

PROS

♦ Immigrants will often do jobs that people in the host country will not, or cannot do;
♦ Immigrants can contribute to the diversity of that society, which can help with tolerance and
understanding;
♦ For the host country’s economy, immigrants offer an increased talent pool (reserva de talentos), if
they have been well educated in their original country.
♦ Job vacancies (ofertas de empleo) and skills gaps (falta de competencias) can be filled.
Economic growth can be sustained.
♦ Services to an ageing population can be maintained when there are insufficient young people
locally.
♦ The pension gap (el problema de las pensiones) can be filled by the contributions of new young
workers as they also pay taxes.
♦ Immigrants bring energy and innovation.
♦ Failing schools (and those with falling numbers) can be transformed.

CONS

But there are also numerous drawbacks (desventajas):

♦ Migrant workers often work longer hours and for lower salaries, and though that is controversial
(polémico), sometimes exploitive (explotador), it benefits the host country;

♦ Immigrants can be exploited for their cheap labour. Having workers willing to work for relatively
low pay may allow employers to ignore productivity, training (formación) and innovation.
Unemployment may rise if we do not restrict the number of incomers (forastero, extranjero).
♦ Developing countries may suffer “brain drain” as the resources they spend in educating their
students come to nothing if they go to work to another country. (The UK for example is often
accused of actively hiring medical staff from developing countries.
♦ Immigration can also attract criminal elements, from trafficking in drugs and people to other forms
of crime and corruption; Ease of movement may facilitate organised crime and people trafficking.
♦ Immigration can become a social/political issue, where racism can be used to exploit feelings or as
an excuse for current problems of local population;
♦ Increases in population can put pressure on public services.
 ♦ Where there is a perception that immigrants and refugees appear to get more benefits than local
poor people, tensions and hostilities can also rise; There may be integration difficulties and friction
with local people.
♦ Concerns about illegal immigration can originate ill-feelings towards the majority of immigrants
who are law-abiding (respetuoso con las leyes) and contributing to the economy;
♦ Many die trying to flee their difficult situation, which can often give the appearance that
immigration is largely illegal and “out of control.”
♦ According to Amnesty International, in many countries the current process means that the prison-
like asylum centers house (alberga, aloja) people who may be waiting up to seven years before
their case can be heard.
♦ Depression of wages (salarios) may occur but this seems to be temporary.
♦ Migration of people from one country to another leads to crowding (amontonarse) in one nation as
opposed to deserting (abandono) of another. It implies an excessive use of the resources of one
nation that may lead to imbalance (desequilibrio) of natural resources.

Impact on countries of origin

Positive
♦ Developing countries benefit from payments sent home by migrants.
♦ Unemployment is reduced and young migrants enhance their life prospects.
♦ Returning migrants bring savings, skills and international contacts.

Negative
Economic disadvantage through the loss of young workers
♦ Loss of highly trained people, especially health workers. When a nation loses its people to another
country, it also loses its talents. A poor country might end up donating its educated minority to
other richer countries, due to immigration.
♦ Social problems for children left behind or growing up without a wider family circle

Summary
It is clear that immigration can be beneficial for migrants, but only if their rights are protected properly. It
can also be economically beneficial for both countries of origin and host countries; however, with present
economic and trading structures (estructuras económicas y comerciales) it is the rich and powerful
countries that benefit most. Migration brings social and cultural pressures that need to be taken into
account in planning for future services.
Migration also has the potential for bringing peoples together culturally (acercar culturalmente a los
pueblos) but friction occurs if efforts are not made to dispel (desvanecer) the myths held by local people. It
is also essential to provide good information about the local way of life to newcomers (recien llegado) and
ensure opportunities for people to mix and integrate.
Where the economic preconditions exist, migration is inevitable. When people try to prevent immigration
it just goes underground.