Abstract
Recent interest in the migration industry has produced no consensus on its boundaries. Some researchers limit the concept to travel-related business; others expand the scope to include additional immigration-supporting commercial businesses, legal and illegal. Using historical evidence, this article addresses treatment of the migration industry in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. These treatments introduced the same conceptual issues that are resurfacing today. Examining immigrant bankers, international sex traffickers, and saloon keepers in the period 1882–1924, the article makes a systemic case for expanding the boundaries of the migration industry beyond the limitations of the transportation industry, but acknowledges the validity of the narrower concept. The exercise also adds a historical dimension to this contemporary concern.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
