Moving Millions: How Coyote Capitalism Fuels Global Immigration

OnthesamedaythatreporterJeffreyKayevisitedtheTondohospitalinnorthwestManila,membersofanemployeesassociationwearinghospitaluniformsralliedintheoutsidecourtyarddemandingpayraises.Thenursesatthehospitaltookhomeabout$261amonth,whileintheUnitedStates,nursesearn,onaverage,morethanfifteentimesthatrateofpay.NowondersomanyofthemleavethePhilippines.Between2000and2007,nearly78,000qualifiednursesleftthePhilippinestoworkabroad,butthere'smoretoitthanthepullofbetterwages:eachyearthePhilippinepresidenthandsoutBagongBayani("modern-dayheroes")awardstothecountry's"outstandingandexemplary"migrantworkers.MigrantlaboraccountsforthePhilippines'secondlargestsourceofexportrevenue—afterelectronics—andtheyshipoutnurseslikeanothercountrymightexporttextiles.In2008,thePhilippineswasoneofthetoprankingdestinationcountriesforremittances,alongsideIndia($45billion),China($34.5billion),andMexico($26.2billion).NursesinthePhilippines,farmersinSenegal,DominicanfactoryworkersinruralPennsylvania,evenIndiansoftwareengineersworkinginCalifornia—allarepiecesofalargersystemKayecalls"coyotecapitalism."Coyotecapitalismistheidea—practicedbymanybusinessesandgovernments—thatpeople,likeothernaturalresources,aresuppliestobeshiftedaroundtomeetdemand. Workersarepushedout,pulledin,andputonthelinewithoutconsiderationoftheconsequencesforeconomies,communities,orindividuals.Withafreshtakeonacontroversialtopic,MovingMillions:KnocksdownmythaftermythaboutwhyimmigrantscometoAmericaandwhatroletheyplayintheeconomyChallengestheviewthatimmigrantsthemselvesmotivateimmigration,ratherthanthepoliciesofbusinessesandgovernmentsinbothrichandpoornationsFindssurprisingconnectionsbetweenglobalization,economicgrowthandtheconvolutedimmigrationdebatestakingplaceinAmericaandotherindustrializedcountriesJeffreyKayeisafreelancejournalistandspecialcorrespondentforthePBSNewsHourforwhomhehasreportedsince1984,coveringimmigration,housing,healthcare,urbanpolitics,andotherissuesWhatdoesitalladdupto?America'sapproachtoimportingworkerslooksfromtheoutsidelikeapatchworkofunnecessarylawsandregulations,butthemachineryofimmigrationisactuallypartofalarger,globalsystemthatsatisfiestheneedsofbusinessesandgovernments,oftenattheexpenseofworkersineverynation.DrawingonJeffreyKaye'stravelstoplacesincludingMexico,theU.K.,theUnitedArabEmirates,thePhilippines,Poland,andSenegal,thisbook,ahealthyalternativetotheobsessionwithmigrants'legalstatus,exposesthedarksideofglobalizationandthecomplicityofbusinessesandgovernmentstobenefitfromthemigrationofmillionsofworkers.