Managing migration effectively, humanely and, above all, in the national interest is a public policy challenge which requires a paradigm shift away from viewing migration as a nuisance to be combated, but as a positive process that can develop the national economy, improve national and regional security and enhance our diversity.
The issue of international migration has prompted heated debates globally, which, to a large degree, are sadly littered with many misconceptions. Arising from these, many people thus regard international migration as something negative to be combated. At worst, these misconceptions have bred xenophobic violence. Such sad misconceptions are not limited to developing countries, but extend to developed countries with abundance of policy and institutional capacity to forge a linkage between migration and development and security. Yet, despite these misconceptions, immigrants, both regular and irregular, continue to grow and no country is immune. Today, no country can claim to be composed purely of its original inhabitants. In contemporary times, migration has expanded, become more complex and there is little reason to believe that this will slow down and reduce security risks in the decades ahead.