Migration Policy & Resource Center

International Networks

and Transnational Activities

In 2001, MPRC Director Susan Alva had the opportunity to participate in the National Network for Immigrant and Refugee Rights delegation to the UN World Conference Against Racism and Xenophobia. That experience allowed Susan, in conjunction with other immigrant rights advocates, to bring the issues faced by immigrants in the U.S. to an international stage, and exposed U.S. participants to the international community of migrant rights activists, in particular the similarities of issues and potential for partnerships. At the conference, the UN Special Reporter for Migrants Rights noted that U.S. migrant groups were unique among the major receiving countries for failing to put forward alternative policy proposals. Nor were the U.S. groups effectively utilizing the UN’s complaint procedures or such policy instruments as the UN Convention on the Rights of Migrant Workers and Their Families.

This conference led to initial discussions among U.S. immigrant rights activists about how to more effectively work within a transnational framework. Other potential policy instruments and global partnership opportunities have since been discussed, including trade agreements and fair trade advocacy.

As concrete steps towards facing the challenges of transnational work and to help facilitate its utilization by local organizations, the MPRC plans to pursue two approaches:

With respect to a training program, the MPRC is working in collaboration with the Social Change Across Borders Institute that was initiated at UC Santa Cruz. For the last five years, the Institute, under the auspices of UCSC’s Latino/a/Latin American Studies Department, hosted annual gatherings of 25-30 community activists from throughout the U.S. and Latin America. Organizers, policy advocates, academics, and students came together for one-to-two weeks for discussions, trainings, panels, and presentations on many of the topics and issues described above. The Institute has now transitioned from Santa Cruz to Los Angeles, and, while looking to continue the annual gatherings of Latinos and Latin Americans, is also planning to develop programs that reflect the L.A. region. The MPRC will spearhead the effort to adapt the Institute model into a multiethnic program geared for local immigrant activists.

MPRC is reviewing two specific transnational projects with local immigrant organizations. One, with the International Programs Office of Occidental College involves a joint project with the University of Oaxaca, Mexico, consisting of not only student exchanges for academic training but, unlike most student exchange programs, the placement of these students as interns in community organizations in each locale. The MPRC is uniquely positioned to contribute to this program through its relationships with Oaxacan community organizations in both L.A. and Oaxaca, its knowledge of how interns can be most (and least) useful to community organizations, and its experience in guiding interns - before, during and after placement - to maximize their learning experience and capacity to contribute.

The MPRC is also developing, in conjunction with the South Asian Network, a joint project focused on the situation of Pakistanis deported since September 11, from both an L.A. and Pakistan perspective. SAN’s Executive Director recently returned from a trip to Pakistan where he met with Pakistani nationals deported from L.A., community organizations working with the growing number of repatriates, and government officials. These meetings identified a pattern of abuse where those deported, some of whom were long-time U.S. residents, faced enormous political, economic, and cultural disruption and potential danger. This situation and these contacts provide an opportunity to further pursue bi-national advocacy, organizing, and public education strategies and to highlight the repressive policies established post-9-11 that destroy rather than build communities. Similarly, a project is planned with a number of Latino-based immigrant groups to document a similar pattern of abuse associated with deportations to Baja of a number of long-time residents of Los Angeles.