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Trade and Migration Activists Gather for a “Discussion Among Colleagues”

By Bjorn Jensen - American Friends Service Committee Trade and Debt Peace Fellow

On October 6th, 2005, over forty trade and migration activists and advocates gathered at the United Methodist building in Washington D.C. Over coffee and pastries they jumped right into the work of the day—talking to each other. While both trade and migration experts acknowledge the strong connections between the two issues, they are often quick to delegate responsibility for explaining those connections to the other side. The Trade and Migration Nexus: A Discussion Among Colleagues brought trade and migration experts together to flesh out the relationships between trade and migration, and initiate more cooperation and collaboration among people working on those interconnected issues. 

The time was ripe for such a gathering as the issue of temporary cross-border migration (Mode 4) for trading services within the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) has become a major concern in the lead up to this year’s Ministerial Meeting of the World Trade Organization (WTO) in Hong Kong this December. There are also several guest worker bills before Congress. Co-facilitator Jessica Walker-Beaumont, Trade and Debt Specialist with American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), explained in her opening remarks that, “We have reached a potential political moment that has acted as a catalyst to bring us together today,” referring to the upcoming WTO meeting.  Co-organizer and presenter, Amy Woolam-Echeverria of the Columban, Justice, Peace, and Integrity of Creation (JPIC) Office (part of the Missionary Society of St. Columban), added that she had already met one of her goals for the day simply by getting the two sides in a room together.

Sponsored by AFSC, the Columban JPIC Office, and InterAction, the discussion demonstrated the need for cooperative analysis as participants, split almost equally between trade and migration experts, packed the small conference room. A strong faith-based presence was joined by representatives from organizations such as the National Network for Migrants and Refugee Rights (NNIRR), Public Citizen, and labor organizations including the Teamsters and the Solidarity Center. 

Short presentations were made by Rebecca Pharres (Oblate Justice and Peace Office), Amy Woolam-Echeverria, Colin Rajah (NNIRR), and the journalist and labor organizer David Bacon. After each presentation there was time for discussion. Everyone’s voice was heard and the level of knowledge and experience in the room was clear. As the day progressed several themes were reinforced time and again: human rights must be at the core of trade and migration policy; domestic workers and migrant workers must focus on their common ground; and trade and migration experts need to continue to educate one another, legislators, and the public on the relationship between the two issues.

The day had a focus on guest worker programs and temporary labor movement, or GATS Mode 4, under the WTO since this year’s WTO Ministerial meeting offers a tangible political moment for trade and migration activists to work together. In his presentation on GATS Mode 4, Colin Rajah, noting that the WTO has defined a migrant as a “temporary service provider,” demanded, “What gives the WTO the right to define who is a migrant?” While expressing his skepticism that the WTO would protect labor rights, he acknowledged that expanding GATS Mode 4 is very appealing to politicians in the Global South because it offers a concrete opportunity to increase employment, although likely with a social cost. When it comes to GATS Mode 4, the devil is in the details and it may be difficult to explain to potential migrants that it isn’t really in their best interest. David Bacon’s presentation on guest worker programs touched on the international phenomenon of transnational communities and posited that dislocation and inequality are the dirty secrets of globalization, which is reflected by migration trends and current immigration policy. 

“Just as migrants carry community with them, they also carry traditions of social rights and organization. The desire for community is as important and necessary to survival as the need to find work....  Community lies at the heart of the questions posed by migration,” Bacon noted. The longtime migrant organizer is optimistic that dislocated peoples and migrant workers will successfully assert their rights to community. He concluded that, “the alternative [to immigration policy that seeks to supply workers to industry] is a policy that recognizes and values transnational communities. A pro-people, anti-corporate immigration policy sees the creation and support of communities as a desirable goal. It reinforces indigenous culture and language, protects the rights of everyone, and seeks to integrate immigrants into the broader US society.”

A number of ideas for future work were developed during the planning session. Along with a temporary working group on GATS Mode 4 to strategize in the run-up to the WTO meeting in Hong Kong, cooperation in developing popular education materials on trade and migration and conducting similar forums with legislative staff and constituents are likely. Other plans included drafting a common progressive statement on immigration reform and trade policy and a campaign to monitor human trafficking and analyze the flaws in the State Department’s human trafficking rating system. The day was the first step in building a stronger bond between trade and migration activists.