How do you convince migration opponents that migration can be good?

I'm not sure there's any surefire way to convince migration opponents that migration can be good. However, I think there are many tactics that could help in imparting this idea. For starters, using logical and rational statements is paramount to debating. When high emotions or angry language is introduced to an argument, many will discard actual facts for slinging insults. When conversing with an opponent of migration, continual reminders that migrants are, after all, people with many of the same motivations and goals that they themselves hold, is important. For example: every parent wants the best opportunities for their children, every man and woman wishes for better job and education opporunities, all people want to be treated fairly, etc. Many opponents believe in their own superiority over migrants, as they were born in the country to which migrants are attempting to migrate. It's important to impart that this superiority is not based in any reality and is, instead, the byproduct of misinformation and inaccurate migrant portrayals. Humanizing migrants, instilling compassion for their hopes and dreams, and continually fighting for migrant rights are some ways to begin shifting opinions.

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Underpinning antagonism against migration can arise from many factors. These include a fear of anything new, historical grievances for specific cultures or nations and, when it comes to migrants, a general perception of migration as being something negative and associated with illegal immigration and possible increases in social costs and crime, rather than being something positive which can benefit society as a whole.

Migration on a mass scale is essentially a product of globalization, which in turn arose due to the development of technologies and opened up trading markets in addition to allowing more fluid movement of people. In respect of industry specifically, globalization forced markets to be more competitive and migration became one factor which allows nations to meet economic targets and maximise potential.

Migration in respect of industry does not always have to be a case of attracting high intellect to a country, often it attracts people who are willing to perform manual tasks that many of the nationals are reluctant to do. It also helps economies by attracting a younger workforce when populations of certain countries are ageing, which is a negative economic factor for most nations. Intellect is also necessary for countries and industries to remain competitive and, sometimes, countries will try to attract people, such as teachers, who it believes can add to their knowledge base or who can provide younger nationals with knowledge that is necessary for the country to remain economically competitive. If you also consider that migrant workers contribute via taxation to coffers which might be failing on a national level due to a diminishing workforce, who needs money for support as they age, then the benefits of migration start to become much clearer.

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