Immigrant Groups Launch Boycott of Western Union Over Money Transfer Fees

Immigration reform might have died in the Senate earlier this summer, but the movement for immigrant rights is very much alive. Although Democratic hopefuls at the first Spanish-language Presidential debate broadcast Sunday focused on the importance of border security, immigrant rights advocates aim to steer the debate in another direction. They are emphasizing the economic security of migrant workers.

A network of over 150 immigrant organizations across the country have launched a boycott of money transfer giant Western Union. The organizations accuse Western Union of charging immigrants exorbitant fees and non-standard exchange rates when they try to send money home. The boycott organizers say that Western Union's annual profit of over one billion dollars comes from the fees paid on remittances sent by migrant workers to their home countries. Yet, Western Union, they say, reinvests only 41 cents for every $100 of profit back into these immigrant communities.

* Kayhan Irani, New York - New Jersey regional coordinator for TIGRA, the Transnational Institute for Grassroots Research and Action. TIGRA is the umbrella organization coordinating the Western Union boycott.

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