Sometimes a distinction is made between economic refugees and political refugees. The former are victims of political repression, the latter are seekers of better opportunities in life. In the United States, as in many European countries, there are constitutional provisions that make it difficult to turn down political refugees if the case of political repression can be established. In any case, the difference between the two types is often blurred.

Second, migrant workers now send morealmost twice, according to the World Bank expertsin remittance than official development assistance. Some countries depend on remittance from their workers for economic development. For example, Philippines receives $12 billion in remittance. India tops the list with $22 billion. Bangladesh earned $3.4 billion in 2004 which was the lion's share of export revenues.

According to a recent World Bank paper, a total of $250 billion will be remitted in 2005 of which $167 billion went to the developing countries. Of course, it would be one-sided to present development through migration thesis in a rosy fashion, there are problems as well. Brain drain for the poor countries and brain gain for the rich nations is a controversial fact of life. Although one Indian expert once wryly commented: "Brain drain is better than bran in the drain."

Third, the difference between legal and illegal, that is, documented and undocumented workers is also becoming somewhat hazy. In some countries, once legal migrant workers become illegal through a variety of reasons, whereas in others (for example, US and Italy) illegal migrant workers end up getting legal status through amnesty and other enlightened policy measures.

There are, at least, three points worth noting about illegal migrant workers. First, they are everywhere, second, they represent a large number of countries of origin, and thirdly, with some variation their stories of lack of power, status and exposure to vulnerability are similar. Illegal migrants coexist with legal migrants. Sometimes the transition from one to the other is unclear. One may enter a country as a legal migrant worker and overtime may become illegal. And of course there are people who out of desperation or for better opportunities would resort to risky behaviour and try to enter foreign lands illegally. Some succeed in entering foreign land illegally others even perish in their attempt to do so. Bangladeshis have perished in sea in their bid to enter Europe from Morocco and once an ill-fated but desperate Bangladeshi wanted to hide in the landing gear of a plane as a stowaway. His bid ended in unmistakeable tragedy.

I had the opportunity of meeting a number of migrant worker activists who told me of the problems of migrant workers in various Asian countries. In most Asian countries, as elsewhere, foreign workers are not unionized. They are not part of the working class and are thus excluded from the rights and wages entitled to the workers. In many places there is no minimum wage. Migrant workers are hired for the simple reason of wage differential. Often migrant workers end up doing "dirty, dangerous, and demeaning" work.

There is a huge racket involved in the international business of cross-border recruitment and transfer of migrant workers. The middlemen in this transaction usually make a huge margin. The workers remain marginalized. Although Singapore does not have a serious problem of illegal migrants and the numbers are low, it is not completely immune to this problem. On November 21, over 100 Bangladeshi workers (of whom only a dozen were legal) were rounded up by Singapore's immigration authority. Many of them were overstayers while others entered Singapore illegally. A well-administered Singapore with strict laws provides a serious disincentive. In other countries, especially in Europe or North America, the problem is huge.

This summer, during a short visit to Italy I was exposed first hand to the issue of "illegal immigrants." I met Mr. Kabir (not his real name) who asked me when did I come and quickly followed up with the question, "Did you come legally or illegally?"

I said, somewhat apologetically, "Legally." It immediately became apparent why it was so difficult for me to get an Italian (actually, Shengen visa) on my Bangladeshi passport. I told him that I live in Singapore and got my visa there. "Do you live in Singapore legally or illegally?" Mr. Kabir asked. Of course legally, I protested.

In Mr. Kabir's world there are two types of people: legal and illegal. Mr. Kabir's visa status is yet to be regularized and he is waiting for an amnesty. Somewhat like the Martelli Law of the 1990s which legalized many illegal migrants.

His illegal or undocumented status does not stop him from running a small business in Turin, a telephone call centre of sorts. The business was going on in a place not too far from where I saw some Italian police officers hanging out. In this facility migrants come to make phone calls on the cheap to their homelands. I saw men and women from Vietnam, Philippines, Pakistan, Somalia, apart from Bangladeshi, and a Moroccan who left without paying. He confidently walked out and vanished in the waiting car while Mr. Kabir was out to change a bill. Moroccans, Mr. Kabir told me, accounted for many of the thefts in Turin. The relationship among the foreign migrant workers is less than one of solidarity.

That I was legal in Singapore and entered legally in Italy impressed Mr Kabir so much that he invited me to his brother's shop half a block away. Kabir's elder brother has legal status in Italy. I was presented as a legal Bangladeshi. An assistant was sent to fetch a coffee for their legal, not to mention lucky, guest. Once the shock of my coming to Italy legally and not wanting to stay back wore off, they asked me about my business and purpose of visit to Italy. I hesitated to tell my new Bangladeshi friends that I was a keynote speaker in an international conference and the evening before had dined with their Mayor and other city elders. I told them somewhat vaguely that I was in a meeting and I am a teacher in a university in Singapore. I was immediately invited for lunch. They would take a "professor" home for lunch. I had to decline the invitation because of some earlier engagement. However, I was treated with utmost kindness and proverbial Bangladeshi hospitability. Before I left, he insisted on giving gifts for my wife and daughter and for me. I managed to decline the rest except the one he gave me, an eau de toilet, Opium for Men which I treasure not just for the sweet smell but for the generosity the vial embodies.

The stories of migration network were similar. They had a brother-in-law in Rome who happens to be a prominent local BNP leader there who helped the two brothers come to Italy. The older brother came shortly before the declaration of amnesty some years back. Mr. Kabir came after a stint in Saudi Arabia and was waiting for the next round of amnesty. Family and kinship continue to play a key part in the overseas migration. A few of the other Bangladeshis in town were also from the same village. The good news of job availability reached their community in Bangladesh through the BNP leader.

Most of the jobs the migrant workers are not welcome jobs for the local (Italian) workers. I met a highly skilled Bangladeshi auto worker who was trained in Japan. I struck up a conversation with Mr. Das (not his real name) as he was selling trinkets in one of the lovely plazas in Turin. He came from a Hindu family in Bangladesh where he thought his opportunities for social advancement were limited so he decided to leave his motherland. Mr. Das sells trinkets on weekends and evening hours after work for extra income which he remits to his family in Bangladesh.

Bangladeshis have been coming to Italy for quite some time. Rome became another popular destination in the 1980s. Dr. Melanie Knights, a geographer wrote her doctoral thesis on Migration in the New World Order: The case of Bangladeshi Migration to Rome. In her study, Dr. Knights showed that the rapidly changing geopolitical and economic context of the world has drawn Italy and Bangladesh into a global migratory system. Her study examines the case of Bangladeshi migration to Rome and explores the Bangladeshi migratory network. Her study showed among other things that many educated Bangladeshi migrants adopt illegal means to enter Italy. The fact that there is a vibrant informal economy functioning independently of the Italian labour market helps understand the choice of Rome as a destination. According to the Bangladeshi State Minister for Expatriate Welfare and Overseas Employment, there are 45, 719 Bangladeshis in Italy, it is however not known what percentage of this number is illegal.

Bangladeshis since 1980s have fanned out to various destinations in Europe, Asia, and North America, and even to Latin America. Apart from economic reasons, Bangladeshis are bitten by wanderlust. Apart from the refugees who prefer to cross the border to go to India, many Bangladeshis end up being international migrants for a complex set of reasons. Although the economic reason remains dominant, many are allured by the prospect of better living in foreign countries. The role of mass media, especially satellite television is significant. Many are duped and put to grave risk. Yet some are risking their lives in reaching these destinations on their own. They become vulnerable.

An Italian journalist Mr. Fabrizio Gathi of Centre-Left Italian paper L'Espresso pretended to be an illegal immigrant and took the name of Bilal Ibrahim el Habib only to experience the plight of the illegal immigrants who cross over from across the Gibraltar to enter Italy and then to rest of Europe. Hundreds of such fortunes seekers try to reach the shores of Italy every day to avoid economic deprivations, political repression, or both.

He was mistreated and stayed in dehumanised condition. His whistle-blowing article has already created a furore.

The problem of illegal migrants is not just confined to Italy. In Spain there is an estimated one million illegal immigrants of the total population of 43.2 million. Illegal workers come from Ecuador, Colombia, Romania, etc. Last year (2004) more migrants entered the US illegally than legally. There were 455,000 legal immigrants compared to an estimated 562,000 illegal immigrants. In European Union 650,000 illegal immigrants were ordered to leave last year

The issues of migration are complex and reflect globalization at its best andironically -- its worst. It provides opportunities for not only economic benefits for all, both the receiving as well as destination countries, it also portends cosmopolitanism. Yet, it exposes both the migrant workers to vulnerability and their host countries to "new class struggles" as the recent suburban riots in France have shown. More international dialogue as well as an appropriate legal regime is needed to oversee this process that would not become a hostage to right wing politics or undermine genuine interests of the hosts as well as the workers. Mr. Gathi, the Italian journalist embodied the best in not only decent and fearless journalism in opening a dialogue but also affirmed a vision of common humanity, despite everything.

The author is a sociologist teaching in Singapore.