Migration and North American Integration

As a public good, North American migration policy is far from efficiently designed. North America’s ability to improve prospects for regional and global peace and prosperity is limited by its lack of overarching governmental structures and the differences in politics setting national migration regimes. While both Canadian and US migration regimes have many programs for temporary and permanent immigration, they are not substantially coordinated with each other or with Mexico’s migration regime. Further, national legislation promulgated in Canada, Mexico, and the United States has not taken into account the massive changes in twenty-first century migration flow to North America. The result is the reduction of the region’s capacity for economic productivity and, often, debates that create national political conflict.