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How do economic, political, and environmental factors affect the

movement of illegal and legal immigrants to migrate to other

nations?

Intro:

In my report, I will be talking about the factors that affect the movement of migrants from

nation to nation. I decided to do this topic because of the high amount of Africans migrating

to France. I wanted to find out which factors affected their migration to France or Europe in

general. I think that the movement of immigrants can be both positive and negative

depending on the factors that affect their movement. The safety of these immigrants while

migrating could also be at risk due to being legal or illegal. The high amount of Africans

leaving Africa is quite high due to them searching for better opportunities for themselves and

their children. My objective is to find out the factors that affect the movement of migrants.

Causes:

Some of the factors that could affect the movement of immigrants could be that they could

be a political target in their country of origin. An example of this is that the Palestinians are

trying to leave the area and die to them being a target of carpet bombing and constant

discrimination from the opposing Israeli occupiers. The number of Africans leaving Africa to

move to France or Italy is very high due to them searching for better opportunities for

themselves or their children. Another reason could be the high risk of danger in Africa

because of the high amount of corrupt government individuals which could lead to

negligence of safety in more rural areas. Some other causes could be the lack of more

opportunities in their country. It could also be that the women in Africa feel unsafe or

threatened due to the high amount of rape and sexual harassment they receive in Africa.
Consequences:

Migrants' departures can have both positive and negative consequences on their countries

of origin and the countries of immigration. Migrants may reduce the strength of the workforce

in their countries due to a lack of workers. Their countries may lose their future due to young

people seeking better opportunities abroad. Threats such as war, famine, and natural

disasters can also impact the decisions of the migrants. On the other hand, the countries

that receive migrants can benefit from young people's development, boosting the economy

and diversity. However, worse consequences may include homelessness due to

discrimination based on skin colour, identity, or skill level, and increased mortality rates due

to discrimination and harassment. Overall, the impact of migrants on both countries can be

complex and multifaceted.

Local Perspectives:

The government in Sabah is working on several plans to take down illegal immigration. The

Sabah Police Commissioner Datuk Jauteh Dikun said that the police are looking into

Esscom (Eastern Sabah Security Command ). They found that there were about 500

colonies of illegal immigrants. Another case concerning immigrants is found in Kuala

Lumpur, Cheria Heights. The raid on the immigrants was carried out due to recent

complaints about foreign workers causing social issues in the community. They found 425

illegal immigrants which are found to be 252 Bangladeshis, 108 Myanmars, two Filipinos, 30

Indonesians, six Cambodians, 20 Nepalese and seven Pakistanis. The ages of these

immigrants range from 8 to 54 years of age. Most illegal immigrants are found to be working

in manual labour more specifically construction. This statement is reinforced by the minister

of the Labour Recalibration Programme, Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainuddin.


National Perspective:

Malaysia's approach to immigration is positive, as it attracts a large number of global

migrants, which boosts the economy and social aspects by increasing diversity. However,

the manual labour provided by these migrants could increase the number of illegal

immigrants, as construction companies tend to overlook their presence. However,

overlooking this can lead to increased workloads and faster infrastructure building in

Malaysia. Which in turn increases their profits. The high number of illegal immigrants also

poses a security risk, as the government is lenient in taking down illegal immigrants. A

recent raid on Nilai revealed that 67 Indonesians were found in the settlement, which has

been there for some time due to them setting up a school, for future illegal immigrants to go.

The government's leniency in addressing illegal immigrants is a significant concern for the

country.

Global Perspective:

The UN has come out with a statement regarding the UK immigration bill that extinguishes

the chance of any migrants seeking asylum if they pass through a country where they did not

face prosecution. This bill bars asylum seekers from claiming any refugee protection or any

many human rights claims, no matter how compelling it may seem. This will cause the

refugees to be sent out to another country which does not guarantee their safety. This new

legislation destroys the legal framework that has protected many, which in turn exposes

refugees to grave risk in international law. This legislation is a desecration of international

human rights and any sign of humanitarian views. The UN are worried that this kind of bill is

not a one-time thing and might lead to further countries in Europe disbarring any form of

asylum to their country.


Possible causes of action:

A cause of action I believe that could work out internationally is increasing the number of

investigations and raids done in countries that are suffering from a high amount of illegal

immigrants. However, sending these immigrants back to their country could be seen as a

human rights violation because it goes against my morals to send back immigrants to a

country that could potentially punish them for fleeing the country. A solution I believe could

work out that will be more humanitarian than sending them back is allowing them to keep

working but we should monitor them to see if they should be granted citizenship in our

country or if they should be sent to different developing countries with low labour workforce

to work there to help them to develop and be granted citizenship.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, I believe that my question has been answered as I have found out that many

factors affect the movement of migrants, however, the main reason is due to the unsafe

conditions shown in their main country. I also found out that the amount of illegal immigrants

is very concerning for Malaysia due to our immigration police neglecting the amount of illegal

immigrants. Which in turn is reducing the safety of our country and citizens.

Harvard referencing:

UNHCR(18 July 2023).UK Illegal Migration Bill: UN Refugee Agency and UN Human Rights
Office warn of profound impact on human rights and international refugee protection system.
UNHCR [online]
https://www.unhcr.org/news/press-releases/uk-illegal-migration-bill-un-refugee-agency-and-u
n-human-rights-office-warn (February 6 2024)

Beth J.Asch (1994). Emigration and Its Effects on the Sending Country.
RAND [online] https://www.rand.org/pubs/monograph_reports/MR244.html (February 6
2024)
FRA (25 October 2023). Being Black in the EU – Experiences of people of African descent.
FRA [online] https://fra.europa.eu/en/publication/2023/being-black-eu (February 6 2024)

Abdul Mutalib Embong (April 15 2023). [COLUMNIST] Illegal immigrants: A threat to national
security and public health. Astro Awani [online]
https://www.astroawani.com/berita-malaysia/columnist-illegal-immigrants-threat-national-sec
urity-and-public-health-414927? (February 6 2024)

Lilian Nuwabaine, Joseph Kawuki, Earnest Amwiine, John Baptist Asiimwe, Quraish
Sserwanja, Ghislaine Gatasi, Elorm Donkor & Humphrey Atwijukiire (19 June 2023). Sexual
violence and associated factors among women of reproductive age in Rwanda: a 2020
nationwide cross-sectional survey. Archive of Public Health [online]
https://archpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13690-023-01109-z#citeas
(February 6 2024)

Muguntan Vanar (October 3 2023). Cops to take action against illegal immigrant colonies in
Sabah, says Sabah police commissioner. The Star [online]
https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2023/10/03/cops-to-take-action-against-illegal-immi
grant-colonies-in-sabah-says-sabah-police-commissioner (February 6 2024)

Bernama (August 5 2023). Immigration rounds up over 400 undocumented migrants. FMT
[online]
https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2023/08/05/immigration-rounds-up-over-
400-undocumented-migrants/ (February 6 2024)

Asila Jalil (November 2 2021). Construction sector applies the highest number of foreign
worker. The Malaysian Reserve [online]
https://themalaysianreserve.com/2021/11/02/construction-sector-applies-the-highest-number
-of-foreign-worker/
(February 6 2024)

Ambassador Mark A. Green (July 5 2022). Over Half of African Young Adults Are Likely to
Consider Leaving Their Native Country. Wilson Center [online]
https://www.wilsoncenter.org/blog-post/over-half-african-young-adults-are-likely-consider-lea
ving-their-native-country (February 6 2024)

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