My Roll: Silvia Elena Ortega Meza

Sociologist of the International Organization for Migration (IOM)

Causes of Illegal Immigration

Probably, everybody in this room knows or has listened something about the
situation of many people, who have left their home to search a better quality of life in
another country; Immigration refers to that. It is defined like the movement of people
from one country to another country. Actually, there are some people who do this
legally; however, in other cases, people can not do that; because for them, the policies
and requirements that demand the destination country are very complicated and
expensive. Illegal immigrants are people who cross the border in a way that violates the
migration laws, for this reason, they do not have documents that identify them in the
destination country.

In the last years, Costa Rica has experienced important changes in its population
due to the immigration. Do you know that Costa Rica is the only country in Central
America where the immigration increased?

Today, I am going to explain to you some causes or reasons that stimulate these
people to take this decision. ”Leave their country”

• Armed Conflict in the origin country.

• Case of Colombians people.

• Guerrilla warfares
• Social Insecurity
• Violence
• Assassins
• kidnappings
• Drugs
• Social and Economic Inequality

This country has been in a state of a chronic civil war; this conflict, the guerrilla
war, began thirty-five years ago. In all these years, civil population has been often
under the crossfire of the guerrilla’s forces.

For over 20 years, Colombia has maintained levels of violence superior to

almost any other country in the word. High levels of homicide, rape, massacres, and
forced displaced have created a climate of insecurity in the country.

According to a research done by the National University of Colombia, 2 million

people have been displaced of their lands since 1990 until 2002. Besides, in same
research has showed that in 2001, 2008 civilians were killed by guerrillas and
paramilitary forces.
 Moreover, the two principal guerrilla armies “Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias
de Colombia” (FARC) and the “Ejército de Liberación Nacional” (ELN); both, obtain
their incomes from the drug trade; so, actually, the population is experiencing the effects
of narco-trafficking; furthermore, these guerrilla armies also receive profits from
kidnappings.

All these internal problems in the country have provoked that Colombian
population suffer high levels of poverty; to illustrate, only in the capital, in Bogota, 4.6
million people is poor, and the total population in the city is 6 million people.

In any case, Colombian citizens are the victims in this conflict; for this reason,
these people look for the way to leave their home country to find better living
conditions.

• Poverty in the origin country.

• Case of Nicaraguans people.

• Low wages
• Unemployment
• Labour instability
• Lack of opportunities

A main cause of Illegal Immigration is poverty; it is the case of Nicaraguan

people.

According to the United Nations, Nicaragua is the second poorest country in the
Western Hemisphere; therefore, the levels of unemployment are very high; for this
reason, people prefer leave their country to search a job an help their family.

Two years ago, some experts and I made a research in Nicaragua, and we could
show that 40% of Nicaraguan population has relatives abroad, especially in United
States and Costa Rica.

In 2004, my colleagues Guillermo Acuña, Edith Ferrero and I, wrote a book

called “La Población Migrante nicaraguense en Costa Rica” we could show that the
70% foreign people in Costa Rica are Nicaraguan people. They chose this country
because they have found jobs in building blocks, agricultural activities, private security
and like servants.

It is important to mention that in this same book we could show that the half of
the servants in Costa Rica is Nicaraguan women; however, 70% of them are teachers.
They are teachers who immigrate for quality of salary. Their salary like servant in
Costa Rica is three times more than like teacher in Nicaragua.

These people cross the border in search of better opportunities, for a better
tomorrow.
• Repression in the origin country.
• Case of Cuban people.
• Dictatorship

This is the case of Cuban people, in their home country, they are under the
Communism principles; so, many people are not happy with their conditions; because in
some cases the Cuban government does not respect the citizens’s Human Rights; such
as to Free Expression or Movement.

To illustrate that, Right to use internet is granted only to selected people and
these selected people are monitored. Connecting to the internet illegally can lead to five
year prison sentence.

Another example that shows how the Cuban government violates the Human
Rights is that citizens can not leave or return to Cuba without first obtaining official
permission; which is often denied.

These and other situations do that Cuban people think in leaving their country
and look for new living conditions.

• Natural Disasters in the origin country.

• Case of Nicaraguan people.
• Hurricane Mitch (1998)

In last years, natural disasters have had serious effects for human development.
This was the case of Nicaraguan people in 1998 with the Hurricane Mitch.

Two million people in Nicaragua were directly affected by the hurricane. It

damaged 17600 houses and destroyed 23900, displacing 368300 of the population.

After of this hurricane the emigration toward Costa Rica increased; because
many of these affected families had relatives in Costa Rica who could help them; also
they wanted improve their living conditions; specially after of this natural disaster.

Illegal Immigration is the result of political, economic, social and natural

problems that people suffer in their origin country. People try to find a better tomorrow,
and look for the well-being of their family. Many of these people consider this situation
like the only way to achieve their stability in order to have better living conditions.