The phenomenon of migration as it is known today must be understood in the larger context of the globalized economy and the "race to the bottom" that characterizes the multinational corporate relationship with the global South. A deeper understanding of the ways in which migration today is rooted in the machinations of the globalized economy can help engender compassion and solidarity. This article investigates a curriculum unit for pre-service teachers that rests upon a study of the globalized economy and the international "race to the bottom." Students are asked to consider whether the effects on human lives brought about by free trade agreements and third world debt in fact amounts to a kind of violence. Is the loss of a livelihood through these means really much different from losses brought about by other destructive conditions such as war or drought? When people are forced to migrate in order to escape intolerable and life-threatening conditions, should it matter whether this was caused by acts of nature or by institutions and policies created to protect the interests of transnational capital? And ultimately, how should children and youth be taught about immigration today?