The COVID-19 virus has changed the way people live and do business around the world. International travel was the catalyst for the disease coming into the country, and it is sure to affect immigration for years to come.
How Migrant Workers Help the Economy
There are approximately 1 billion migrant workers in the world today. A migrant worker is defined as anyone who crosses the border to do temporary or seasonal work. In the United States, about 10 percent of the Gross Domestic Product is dependent on the migrant worker. They have been requisite to economic stability and especially the survival of the farming industry.
COVID has made migration almost impossible. There are even some restrictions on interstate travel. There is no foreseeable end to the virus and the restrictions could have a devastating impact on the economy of multiple countries for a long time.
Less Mobility Will Mean More Economic Inequity
Each year migrants send billions of dollars home to their families. This has actually helped the economy of struggling countries. A good number of migrant workers hail from China, Mexico, and India, and their families are expected to be adversely affected by COVID’s impact on travel. However, where their economies may bounce back, there are some developing nations that are much more dependent on the migrant economy.
10% of the GDP of the Philippines comes from remittances from migrant workers. 40% of the GDP of Tonga is dependent on remittances.
Fewer Immigrants is Not Good News for the United States
It isn’t only migrant workers who send money home to their families in developing nations. There are also highly skilled workers who come to the U.S. every year seeking employment. Many Filipino workers are highly educated and work in the technical industry. They obtain green cards and often become citizens. Our economy benefits from the new technology and the Philipines benefits from the remittances that those immigrants send home.
Businesses Will Run Less Smoothly if There are Fewer Immigrants to America
Although some people think that immigrants take jobs away from American workers, they actually take jobs that Americans are not willing to do. Immigrants make up 17% of the workforce in the United States. They are an important cog in the machine and their absence it certain to be felt in the industries that are dependent on them.
The industries that are most dependent on foreign workers include textiles, agriculture, and accommodations. The biggest employer of immigrants is individual households who employ them as domestics.
Lest you should think they are all maids and gardeners, there are many who work as home health care workers. If there are fewer immigrants to the U.S., it could have a serious and negative impact on the health care industry.
Detained Foreigners May Never Get Hearings
People who have come to the United States seeking political asylum are being held in detention centers. Others have been turned away at the border. Some of the asylum seekers will have no choice but to return to countries where they will face famine and the wrath of dangerous governments.
Detainees are at dangerously close quarters and are likely to contract COVID. Children in detention centers are often unaccompanied and become victims of human traffickers.
COVID-19 is a virus that may wipe out a significant segment of the population. It will separate families and devastate economies. Immigration attorneys are certain to be in demand to help both workers and refugees resume a semblance of normal life. Click here for more information fl-ilc.com.
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