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Sunday, June 15, 2025

What the U.S. Can Learn from Gulf Countries on Labor Mobility and Migration

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What the U.S. Can Learn from Gulf Countries on Labor Mobility and Migration

In the global conversation around migration, few contrasts are as striking as the way the Gulf countries manage labor from South Asia versus how the United States handles labor from Mexico and Latin America. While both regions rely heavily on migrant labor for economic vitality, the systems in place could not be more different—offering critical lessons for U.S. policymakers seeking practical, humane, and economically sound solutions.

Gulf-South Asia: A Functional Labor Relationship

In the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries—such as the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar—millions of South Asian workers are legally employed in construction, domestic work, transportation, retail, and beyond. These workers often come through structured bilateral agreements between governments. While the kafala (sponsorship) system has its flaws and human rights concerns, the broader framework is functional in one key way: labor migration is acknowledged, formalized, and planned for.

There are no illusions. The Gulf countries understand they need labor to grow their economies. South Asian countries, in turn, understand the remittances from these workers are lifelines for millions of families and critical to national GDPs. The result is a relatively predictable, large-scale system that matches labor supply with demand.

U.S.-Latin America: Dysfunction and Denial

Contrast that with the United States. Despite relying deeply on undocumented immigrants to fill essential roles—in agriculture, elder care, food service, construction, and beyond—the U.S. has failed to create a coherent labor migration system that meets economic needs. Instead, the current system is a patchwork of outdated visa caps, long waiting times, harsh border enforcement, and political paralysis.

Worse, there’s a disconnect between rhetoric and reality. Political grandstanding calls for mass deportations of undocumented workers—as if the economy could survive such a move. The truth is clear: a full-scale deportation of undocumented workers would not solve economic issues; it would create a crisis. Crops would rot in the fields. Restaurants and care homes would shut down. Prices would surge, and vital sectors would slow to a crawl.

The Smarter Path: Document the Undocumented, Build Agreements

The United States should adopt a labor strategy that acknowledges its economic interdependence with Latin America. Like the Gulf countries, the U.S. could:

  • Create generous, flexible work visa programs for labor-intensive sectors that genuinely need workers.

  • Negotiate bilateral labor agreements with Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, and other countries to allow circular migration—so workers can come, work, return, and repeat without falling into illegality.

  • Legalize and document the existing undocumented workforce, creating stability for families, certainty for employers, and new tax revenue for the state.

This is not amnesty. It’s smart economics, and it’s moral governance.

Conclusion: Fix the System, Don’t Destroy It

The U.S. doesn’t need to reinvent the wheel—it just needs to look abroad. The Gulf countries aren’t perfect, but they’ve recognized a simple truth: labor migration, when structured well, benefits everyone involved. It's time for the U.S. to stop pretending undocumented workers don't exist—or worse, scapegoating them—and instead build a 21st-century migration system that matches economic needs with human dignity.

Mass deportation isn’t just cruel—it’s suicidal for the economy. The smarter move is to bring order, openness, and realism into the system. Document the undocumented. Strengthen ties with the South. Let labor mobility be a driver of shared prosperity.

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Israel-Iran War: 6/15/25: 12:30 PM CST

Iran Threatens to Attack US Bases as Trump Officials Flee Middle East "If a conflict is imposed on us," he continued, "all U.S. bases are within our reach, and we will boldly target them in host countries."

 

The Israel-Iran conflict has escalated significantly as of June 15, 2025, with both nations engaging in direct military strikes for the third consecutive day. Here's a summary of the latest developments based on available information:

  • Ongoing Strikes: Israel has conducted airstrikes targeting Iran's energy infrastructure, defense ministry, nuclear facilities, and military leadership. Notable targets include Tehran's main gas depot, the Natanz nuclear enrichment plant, and military bases. Iran has retaliated with waves of ballistic missiles and drones aimed at Israeli cities, including Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. Explosions and air defense activities have been reported in both countries.
  • Casualties and Damage: In Israel, the death toll has risen to 13, with 10 fatalities occurring overnight, including six in a residential building in Bat Yam near Tel Aviv and four in Tamra. Iranian missiles have hit a refinery and an apartment block south of Tel Aviv. In Iran, Israel has killed several high-ranking military officials, including General Hossein Salami, commander-in-chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), and Ali Shamkhani, a key figure in nuclear talks. Additionally, five nuclear scientists were killed.
  • Nuclear Tensions: Israel's strikes, dubbed "Operation Rising Lion," aim to disrupt Iran's nuclear program, which Israel claims poses an immediate threat. However, some sources argue there’s no evidence Iran was on the verge of building a nuclear bomb. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reported Iran’s non-compliance with nuclear commitments, fueling Israel’s justification. Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, vowed a “harsh punishment” and rejected U.S.-led nuclear talks.
  • International Reactions: U.S. President Donald Trump has warned of a “chance of massive conflict” but prefers diplomacy, urging Iran to halt its nuclear program to stop Israeli attacks. The U.S. has implicitly supported Israel’s operations but is unlikely to intervene directly soon. European leaders, including UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron, have called for de-escalation, while Russia has condemned Israel’s actions and pledged support for Iran.
  • Regional and Economic Impact: The conflict has disrupted air travel, with airlines like Etihad and Emirates suspending flights to the region. Oil prices have spiked due to fears of disrupted Iranian production, potentially raising global gasoline prices. Greece has convened its security council to address Middle East developments.
  • Sentiment on X: Posts on X reflect heightened tensions, with reports of Iran launching hundreds of missiles and drones in retaliation. Earlier posts from 2024 suggested Iran sought de-escalation, but recent events indicate a shift to hardline stances. These posts are not conclusive but highlight the rapid escalation.
Both sides appear entrenched, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowing to continue strikes “as long as it takes” to neutralize Iran’s nuclear threat, while Iran’s leadership promises intensified retaliation. International calls for restraint have so far been ignored, raising fears of a broader regional conflict.
Note: Information is based on recent reports and may evolve rapidly. Some claims, especially regarding nuclear intentions or casualty figures, remain unverified or contested. For real-time updates, reputable news sources or official statements should be monitored.

Israel’s Attack in Iran Echoes Its Strategy Against Hezbollah Israel decimated the group’s leadership last fall and degraded its military capabilities. Can the same strategy work against a far more powerful foe? .......... The head of the elite special forces, the head of the drone unit, the head of the missile unit. All of them killed. The same for the intelligence chief and the head of the southern front — more than 15 senior Hezbollah military commanders eliminated in total. ......... In assassinating numerous top Iranian officers, the Israeli attacks on Iran, which continued Sunday, seemed to be following the script from last fall, when Israel decimated the Lebanese militia and degraded its military arsenal. .......... Over the past 20 months of fighting, Israel has killed one leader of the Hamas organization after another ......... All three organizations were long established as Iranian proxy forces, Iran’s first line of defense against Israel if a war erupted. All three are now much diminished, and none of them have responded to the Israeli attack on Iran with anything more than strong verbal condemnations. Nor have the Iran-allied militias in Iraq. ......... The Islamic Republic of Iran, with more than 90 million people, is a different story, experts said. It has among the largest 20 armies in the world, with almost one million men under arms. The fact that it was able to lob heavy ballistic missiles into downtown Tel Aviv and elsewhere, even if many were deflected by air defenses, was proof of a far more potent enemy. ........... Both the operations against Iran and Hezbollah were preceded by years of intense intelligence operations, including placing agents on the ground. ........... Critics of Israel suggested that decimating Hamas and Hezbollah had made it reckless. If Israel tries to apply the same playbook to a far more powerful enemy, they say, the risks of setting off a regional conflagration are even greater. ......... Last September, Israel used bunker-busting explosives to assassinate Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah, who was both overall military commander and spiritual guide to the Shiite Muslim faithful who form the bedrock of Hezbollah’s followers. ............ the Assad regime in Syria, a key ally of both Iran and Hezbollah. ......... In Iran, there is no indication that Israel has sought to kill the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has a similar dual role of commander in chief and religious guide. He was reportedly moved this past week to a secret, safe location where he could remain in contact with the military. ............ Iran, for its part, quickly appointed new commanders to replace some of those killed, among them the commander in chief of the military, the head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps and the head of its air force. One top Iranian general tried to play down the losses, telling state television that it was a mistake to believe that the deaths would “create weakness.”

Israel and Iran trade more deadly strikes in third day of escalating conflict In response, Iran fired hundreds of ballistic missiles and drones into Israel, causing multiple casualties and causing significant damage to an oil refinery and prominent science institute......... On social media, President Trump said the U.S. had "nothing to do with the attack on Iran, tonight," but warned that if the U.S. was attacked by Iran in any way, that "the full strength of U.S. Armed forces will come down on [Iran] at levels never seen before." ....... Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps, or IRGC, said it had targeted Israel's fuel structure in response to Israel's strikes on its oil facilities in the south......... "When I heard the news I lost my control and was shouting, thanking [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu for killing these criminals," said Zahra, a 50-year-old woman living near Tehran who asked not to give her last name for fear of retribution by the Iranian government. ........ "We have not heard any good national news for many years. For once one news made us slightly happy," she said of Israel's strikes on the Iranian generals....... Others expressed hope that this could lead to the collapse of the regime's 46 years in power. ........ Netanyahu warned that once the region's "Iranian axis" was broken, Iran would accelerate its nuclear program.

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