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March 22, 2004

Immigrant Poor: Real Source of Foreign Aid

One more reason to support far-reaching immigration-- it seems like the only way to assure some degree of foreign aid for developing nations.

According to this analysis, total aid by governments in 2002 to developing nations was only $33 billion-- about $8-10 per person in need around the world.

Private investment, the shining hope of neoliberal analysts, amounted to $86 billion in developing nations.

But remittances by immigrants in rich nations back to their home countries amounted to as much as $140 billion each year, according to some studies-- over four times as much as all government aid for development.

Putting the burden of economic aid on poor Mexican janitors and Filipino nursing aides is hardly just or a substitute for a real policy for global justice. But until that comes along, opposition to immigration is an attempt to stop those economic aid flows and therefore support for more death, disease and starvation in the developing world.

Posted by Nathan at March 22, 2004 07:37 AM