Both activists and scholars have long noted the global forces – from colonization to free-trade agreements – that have initiated international migration. Yet for the most part U.S. policymakers and immigrant rights activists continue to analyze, organize, and push for legislative “reforms” that are purely national-based. Meanwhile, the corporations and governments of the First-World nations that have kept the global south underdeveloped continue to work at transnational levels such as through the Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD).

Yesterday was ‘dia de l@s Muert@s’ and the opening of the Peoples Global Action (PGA) took a minute of silence to remember all of the souls of migrants that have died.

International labor migration is a burgeoning byproduct of globalization, with more than 214 million migrant workers worldwide. As emerging economies continue to grow -- despite the global downturn -- an increasing percentage of these workers are moving between developing countries and, in many cases, having their fundamental rights undermined during the recruitment and employment process.

The fourth meeting of the Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD) will convene in the Mexican city of Puerto Vallarta during the period 8-11 November.