Enlaces News #8 (November 2004)

Social Forum of the Americas Shines a Spotlight on Migration
By Mary Beth LeMay

“We live in a hemisphere of migrants, and migration will continue to play a key role in shaping our communities and our economies for the foreseeable future,” said Oscar Chacón, Director of Enlaces America, at the first-ever Americas Social Forum held in Quito, Ecuador, at the end of July. The Americas Social Forum is one of a series of regional forums that have evolved out of the World Social Forum, held in Porto Alegre, Brazil in 1999. The social forums provide an open, pluralistic space where people from around the world can engage in dialogue; a space to debate alternative approaches to globalization and development, while respecting universal human rights, the environment, and promoting democratic participation. For more information on the Social Forum process, see www.foromundial.org.br.

Enlaces America sent a delegation of twelve Latin American immigrant leaders from across the country to participate in the regional Social Forum. These leaders represented Central American, Dominican, Mexican and Garifuna (black Central American) communities. Delegation members spoke at several events, where they shared their experiences and formed new alliances with organizations involved in promoting a more inclusive and engaged model of transnational citizenship.

The Enlaces America delegation presented a series of workshops drawing upon their experiences as immigrants in an increasingly global society. These workshops ‘Patterns of Human Migration in the Americas’, ‘Poverty, Migration, Remittances and Development’, and ‘Latin American Migrants and Global Citizenship Practices’, touched on different aspects of the roots and implications of migration in the region. Delegation members discussed how social and economic conditions, as well as public policies, influence migration patterns and trends. However, they also emphasized the emerging leadership of migrants in society, discussing the ways in which these transnational communities have begun to play a larger role in influencing policy decisions in the U.S. and in their countries of origin. Maricela García, President of CONGUATE (National Coalition of Guatemalan Immigrants), commented, “We believe that migrants have gained a new awareness of their own economic and social power, as well as greater capacity to make changes in policies.”

The Americas Forum convened over 10,000 participants in workshops, conferences and panels on such themes as the proposed Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA); militarism; violence against women; the emerging power and organization of indigenous communities; alternative political, social, and economic policies; as well as the role of migration in the Americas. Migration received much more attention at the Americas Social Forum than it had in previous Social Forum events, reflecting the importance of this issue in the hemisphere today. While not as large in scale as the World Social Forum, which has gathered as many as 80,000 participants, the ASF offered a more focused arena for Latin Americans to explore solutions to the problems that affect their communities around the world.

During the Forum, members of the Enlaces America delegation participated in strategic planning meetings involving policy analysts and civil society groups, covering issues such as CAFTA (Central American Free Trade Agreement) and regional migration policy. Immigrant communities in the U.S. have become increasingly concerned with pervasive poverty in the region, and are skeptical of the ability of free trade policies to improve the livelihood of their families in their countries of origin. Mirtha Colón, a leader of ONECA (Organization of Black Central Americans) commented, “The work we are doing with other groups on free trade and CAFTA is very empowering. The Americas Social Forum has inspired many of us to continue our efforts and strengthen our political power on issues of trade and economic development.”

In addition, the Enlaces America delegation participated in a 2-day Workshop on Migration Policy in the Americas (Jornada Hemisférica sobre Políticas Migratorias), sponsored by the Center for Documentation of Human Rights in Quito. Delegation members joined activists, academics, and other leaders from across the Americas, to explore how concepts of integration, human rights, and security influence the political and social climate concerning migration. Enlaces America delegation members offered insights to the group on how organized migrant groups can translate stronger political participation into policy changes that respect their lives and contributions to society. (Audio files of the presentations at the Migration Workshops can be found at www.migrantesenlinea.org).

At the workshop, the Enlaces America delegation proposed a hemispheric summit of organized imigrant communities for 2005. The proposal received a warm welcome from immigrant and civil society organizations in Quito, as well as from the ‘Jornada Hemisférica’ participants. “A hemispheric summit of organized migrant communities would not only create a space for migrants to share their experiences and consolidate efforts, but could also be an important step towards unifying the agenda of immigrant communities across Latin America”, emphasized Oscar Chacón in his statement to the workshop participants.

The Enlaces America delegation left Quito with a heightened awareness of the potential for organized migrant communities to make a difference in regional and global policy debates. Maria Elena Letona, Executive Director of Centro Presente in Boston, reflected “It’s been a great learning experience for us. We realize that many other groups and individuals working with migrant populations across Latin America face some of the same problems, concerns and challenges we do. We understand that we have an important role to play, not only as immigrant leaders in the United States, but really as globalized citizens fighting for the rights of migrants around the world.”