BANGKOK — Amid the economic recession, lost jobs and ever greater burdens on health care and other public services, migration has become a hotly debated issue in many of the countries that attract migrants.
Unfortunately, much of that debate focuses on the apparent burden migrants place on troubled economies. Fear and xenophobia can come to the fore. Lost in the debate are the largely positive outcomes of migration for the majority of people concerned.
This should not be the case, because mobility — the ability to seek out better opportunities elsewhere — is a key element of human freedom. Migration policies can meet domestic requirements and concerns as well as help to enhance mobility's contribution to human development.