The Borderlands
FAST FACTS
Fact Sheets are provided here | Real-Time Stats in El Paso
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84 MILLION - Forcibly displaced people worldwide. While a full picture is yet to be established, UNHCR estimates that global forced displacement has surpassed 84 million at mid-2021.
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* 230 million - Estimates surpass projections made for the year 2050 | World Migration Report
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Today, millions of people around the world are denied a nationality and considered a stateless people.
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35 million are children - An estimated 35 million (42%) of the 82.4 million forcibly displaced people are children below 18 years of age (mid-2021).
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1 million children were born as refugees - Between 2018 and 2020, an average of between 290,000 and 340,000 children were born into a refugee life per year.
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4.3 million stateless people - Data on some 4.3 million stateless people residing in 93 countries was reported at mid-2021. The true global figure is estimated to be significantly higher.
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61% - Migrants expelled in the last 12 months on the US-Mexico Border | Migration Policy Institute
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671,000 - Migrants & Asylum Seekers Detained + Deported in 2021 | Migration Policy Institute
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Loss of undocumented immigrant labor would cost the U.S economy $5 trillion over the course of a decade. SOURCE
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68% of Americans believe new immigrants mostly take jobs Americans do not want. SOURCE
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Undocumented immigrants contribute significantly to state and local taxes, collectively paying an estimated $11.74 billion/year. SOURCE
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In 2015, the top country of origin for new immigrants to the U.S. was INDIA with 110,000 people, followed by Mexico (109,000), China (90,000), and Canada (35,000). SOURCE
FAILING SOLUTIONS
3 failing solutions to Forced Displacement:
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RETURN home. But this requires that the causes of displacement have been resolved. The UN has identified over 30 protracted refugee producing situations in the world, the average duration of which is 26 years. Returning home is not an option for the vast majority of refugees.
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INTEGRATE into their country of refuge. But nearly 9 of 10 refugees (86%) are hosted by developing nations that are economically and socially unable to absorb the people seeking refuge within their borders.
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RESETTLE to another country. But during an average year, less than 1% of the world's refugee population is resettled. Few countries are willing to help by offering the resettlement option to refugees.
"Along the U.S.-Mexico border, up to 67% of all children who lost a parent or caregiving
grandparent identify as Hispanic."
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In Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi, up to 57% of the COVID-19 orphans identify as Black. In South Dakota, New Mexico, Montana, Oklahoma and Arizona, the majority of COVID-19 orphans are Native American.
IMMIGRATION FAQ'S
COMMON QUESTIONS
ROOT CAUSES
What are the Push/Pull Factors of Global Migration?
Abara offers a brief summary: Conflict, Hope, and a Future. Along the U.S.- Mexico Border, we’re learning how root causes of migration exist on BOTH sides of the border. Our misinformed Narratives, unjust Systems, and our need for Personal Change are all factors. Our economic realities are interconnected through supply and demand.
Common characteristics among migrants include resilience, trauma, and spiritual strength. Few people want to leave their homeland, culture, family, or the familiarity of one’s life. Many who seek refuge, or who are forcibly displaced, sojourn throughout Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Haiti, Cuba, and various African nations. Our friend Sarah Quesada offers 3 primary pathways for migration::
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Blood (Family-Based immigration)
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Sweat (Employment-Based Immigration)
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Tears (Refugee or Asylee Status)
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Chance (The Diversity Visa-Lottery is another pathway)
“Violence and insecurity, poverty and family reunification remain important drivers of migration from Central America.” World Migration Report Stats (pgs. 104-113)
“The estimated number and proportion of international migrants already surpasses some projections made for the year 2050, which were in the order of 2.6 per cent or 230 million. That said, it is widely recognized that the scale and pace of international migration is notoriously difficult to predict with precision because it is closely connected to acute events (such as severe instability, economic crisis or conflict) as well as long-term trends (such as demographic change, economic development, communications technology advances and transportation access).”
- World Migration Report