A new economic analysis has found no evidence to support the negative perceptions of the impact of migration.
The report, Migration and the Economy: Economic Realities, Social Impacts and Political Choice, looks at the disconnect between public perceptions of migration and the actual trends.
The research found migrants are up to three times more likely to start a business or win a Nobel Prize and up to four times more likely to lodge a patent.
Close to a thousand people from more than 30 countries attended a conference in Sydney to highlight the latest research, challenges and successes in migration.
The conference also addressed the view that detention and deterrence are not stopping the flow of people on the move.
It comes amid concerns over migrants being increasingly exploited for political gain.
Thousands Of Hondurans In Migrant Caravan Continue March Through Mexico. Source: Getty
As people trek through Mexico, hoping to reach the United States, US President Donald Trump has stepped up his anti-immigration talk ahead of mid-term elections.
Gloria Careaga, a social psychologist at the Social Psychology National Autonomous University of Mexico, said this is another case of migrants being used to bolster a political campaign.
"Yes, this is a political situation. But the problem is they are playing games with the lives of the people," Ms Careaga said.
Analysts at the conference said deterrence and detention have become key pillars of immigration policies around the world.
But argued the approach doesn't work.
Paris Aristotle, chief executive of the Survivors of Torture Australia, said refugees are always going to flee war and hardship so fresh thinking about the issue is needed.
Thousands Of Hondurans In Migrant Caravan Continue March Through Mexico. Source: Getty
"No matter what form of deterrence we put in place, people will, by necessity and as a result of the urgent circumstances, still seek to find ways to protect themselves and their families, Ms Aristotle said.
"Therefore, it behoves the international community to think differently about how they manage people fleeing those sorts of circumstances."
Frustration turned into powerful movement
Nigerian-born Tolu Olubunmi is a Dreamer. That is, an undocumented migrant who arrived in the United States as a child.
Ms Olubunmi will share her story at the conference later this week.
After completing her chemical-engineering degree, she said she discovered she had no legal status to work in her profession.
She worked with then-US President Barack Obama to establish the DACA, or Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, program, which has allowed hundreds of thousands of young people to remain and work in the country.
Tolu Olubunmi, New York 2016. Source: Getty
"That frustration has been channeled into this powerful movement that has gone beyond the community of those directly affected," Ms Olubunmi said.
The International Metropolis Conference Sydney runs from Tuesday 30 October to Friday 2 November at the International Convention Centre Sydney.
