But they may be misguided to see migration from Africa as their foremost challenge. They also found that eligible voters favored refugees with higher employability. Unfortunately, extremists and right-wing politicians alike have used the sensitive political climate to strike fear and tensions. How to Handle People Who Are Eternally Evasive, Mass Shooters and the Myth That Evil Is Obvious, Transforming Empathy Into Compassion: Why It Matters, No Dr. Spock for Black Parents: Lessons From Tyre Nichols, Research Shows Why Attractive People Are More Narcissistic. While this study indicates anti-Muslim bias among government officials, a similar 2016 study suggests that regular citizens exhibit similar tendencies. record-high 65 million people have been displaced, one million people who crossed borders into the European Union, face the same challenges in seeking asylum, labor, and housing, European asylum system has effectively broken down, efined by international humanitarian law as people in need of protection, Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) stipulates, refugees and migrants apply for the same asylum. The Guardian, 2 set. Germany, for example, has suffered fromzero population growth for years and is in acute need of young, able-bodied workers to feed its massive industrial economy. Former German Chancellor Angela Merkelwidely hailed as a champion of refugee rightsfunded Turkeys refugee camps so that President Erdoan would hinder the passage of refugees into Greece, an EU member. deported back to their home countries, where they are at great risk of torture or prosecution. How do you anticipate Ukrainians experience will unfold compared to that of asylees from Syria or North Africa? More so, their action was a case study in poor strategic thinking. They are unable to return home unless and until conditions in their native lands are safe for them again. subscribe to Stanford Report. But at the same time, the Biden administration has been quietly engaged in another series of evacuation flights, this time at our southern border. Andrew Limbong, NPR News. The Italian government has at times closed its ports to foreign boats carrying rescued migrants. For example, Ukrainians and Poles are fast-tracked across the border near Medyka, Poland, while everyone else must wait 14 to 50 hours to cross. A mass exodus of Ukrainians risks overwhelming resources in neighboring countries even as Europe pledges to aid refugees fleeing Russia's invasion. : 'Labours Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper struggles to justify why refugees fleeing war in Ukraine should be treated differently to refugees fleeing war in Afghanistan. Businesses and civil society groups are busy developing training programs and job centers for asylum seekers to integrate into the system. Since 9/11, far-right terrorists have killed more people in the United States than Islamic jihadists. Central American and Mexican refugees ask why they aren't being treated at the same level as . What explains the difference? European Journal of Social Psychology, 49(7), 1401-1420. There were 89.3 millionpeople forcibly displaced world-wide at the end of 2021. After all, from . Help fund the NPR Illinois mission to inform the community by securing business sponsorships. The decision that wealthy northern European countries such as Denmark and the UK made last fall, when they dismissed the EUs call for sharing the responsibility by refusing to receive any of the 120,000 asylum seekers relocated from the south, revealed their humanitarian priorities. Most are Ukrainians, but some are students . Not everyone is eligible to seek asylum. Syrian Palestinians have always been treated differently to their Syrian counterparts; whereas Turkish authorities have given Syrian refugees a "temporary protection" status using a specific regulation (which has become increasingly precarious over time), Palestinians (including Syrian Palestinians) have had to apply for visas to enter and stay . Witnessing how Palestinian refugees have become caught in a state of permanent displacement, many Syrians are careful to disassociate themselves from the refugee identity. The Ukraine crisis may serve as a reminder that migration policy should be based on more careful collection of data. At least 2.5 million people need humanitarian assistance. The majority of Afghans evacuated to the U.S. arrive without visas as humanitarian parolees, yet have been welcomed in the U.S. The reports advocate for lifting labor restrictions and preventing discrimination against asylum seekers. March 3, 2022. Moving forward, these new policies and attitudes towards people seeking refuge should be the norm . As Al-Younes noted, who wants to hire an asylum seeker still at risk of deportation, since their application hasnt been accepted yet? U.S. intelligence agencies have assessed that. They often have no or very limited access to services, material assistance, adequate housing, health . The act allowed approximately 190,000 refugees, escapees, and expellees to arrive in the United States before the legislation . Refugee Children in U.S. Schools: A Toolkit for Teachers and School Personnel (Grant No. More than half - nearly 548,000 - have fled to Poland which shares a 500km border with Ukraine. Treatment of Haitians at the border in Texas exposes double standard toward refugees These asylum-seekers should be welcomed just like Afghans are being welcomed. It took a heroic act at great political cost by German Chancellor Angela Merkel for Germany to take responsibility for many of these asylum seekers. D'AGATA: What I'd hoped to convey is that what's unique about the fighting underway here is that this country has not really seen the scale of war in recent years, unlike some LIMBONG: But it wasn't just CBS. The EU had to support Ukrainewhich included a commitment to aiding Ukrainian refugeesor risk international condemnation; in contrast, it is more politically risky for the EU to commit to one side of the Syrian civil war (a perceived choice between a tyrannical government or jihadists). EU leaders who focus on migration have mostly been concerned with arrivals from Africa, and they have pursued policies to deter these migrants. Swiss Justice Minister Karin Keller-Sutter predicted that up to 50,000 people from Ukraine would arrive in the country before June to date, the highest number of war refugees to enter Switzerland in the 21st century. ANDREW LIMBONG, BYLINE: On Friday, CBS News senior foreign correspondent Charlie D'Agata framed the fighting in Kyiv like this. To answer this question, they conducted a second study using a sample of 289 female and 118 male students (average age of 32 years). The arrival of Afghan refugees, including some whose status is not materially different from asylum-seekers, proves this. Psychology Today 2023 Sussex Publishers, LLC. A refugee is someone who has been forced to flee his or her home because of war, violence or persecution, often without warning. Furthermore, according to Hanne Beirens, Migration Policy Institute think tank director, the prioritization of Ukrainian refugees restricts the resources available to other refugees, such as housing and language courses; this inequality creates a two-tiered system of refugee integration. International law and practice addresses refugee and internal displacement emergencies differently. I thought about the tens of thousands of refugees fleeing Ukraine and the tens of thousands of refugees who have had to flee their homes in Central America, Mexico and other parts of Latin. Explosives and debris must be cleared from areas that have been retaken so that water and electric services can be restored. attempting to cross the Syria-Turkey borderis only the latest stark example of Turkeys inability to protect incoming migrants. These two groups are treated very differently, however, due to the prevalent stereotypes that exist about them in society. A further 133,000 have gone to Hungary, 72,000 to Slovakia, 51,260 to Romania, and nearly 98,000 . The Ukraine refugee crisis revealed deep-seated racism as racialized and Black refugees from Ukraine were treated differently. [vi] Immigration policies are allegedly based on principles like "the reunification of families, admitting immigrants with skills that are valuable to the U.S. economy, protecting refugees, and promoting diversity." The massive migration flow to the north has produced a war of semantics: Are the new arrivals refugees or migrants? The 1953 Refugee Relief Act defined "refugee" (someone in a non-Communist country fleeing persecution), "escapee" (someone fleeing communism), and "expellee" (an ethnic German forced out of Eastern Europe). Data collected from three IPL projects shows that Muslim immigrants and refugees face higher levels of discrimination in Europe than those with a Christian heritage. Meanwhile, the Maslovas, a family from Ukraine, enjoy warm welcomes. LIMBONG: Rana Khoury, a research associate at Princeton University focusing on conflict and displacement, says this language has impacts on global refugee policy. Masses of refugees from Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Somalia, Yemen, and elsewhere have faced racially motivated hostility in. Does the Ukraine crisis reveal any other blind spots or systemic failures in migration policy and discourse? Why are refugees treated differently? 2. PublishedFebruary 28, 2022 at 3:31 PM CST. IPL researchers analyzed survey data collected at transit hubs across West and Central Africa, and they found that only a small share of the migrants there expressed an interest in reaching Europe. It is not enough for them simply to stay alive. The 2014-15 refugees had no such rights. Meanwhile, work gains do not mitigate the fear many European politicians and citizens express over the long-term cultural impact migration inflow will have on the region. The U.S. response to both crises should be guided by international law, our moral obligations and our history. Rather than bringing people to safety via transit centers and, ultimately, to countries including the United States, these flights are sending vulnerable migrants and asylum-seekers back to danger. They can even enter Slovakia and Poland without papers, countries displaying potent anti-refugee sentiments during the 2015 Syrian refugee crisis. Accuracy and availability may vary. Author Kate Zernike dissects the years-long fight for gender equality at MIT, NASA made history by knocking an asteroid off course. Those seeking security at our southern border should not be treated any differently. Among those were27.1 million refugees, half under the age of 18 (21.3 million refugees under . For instance, do you worry about foreigners spreading diseases, committing violence, or taking away jobs and depressing wages? All refugees deserve. She previously worked as a Middle East Fellow at the Independent Diplomat Advisory Group and as an adviser at the Permanent Mission of Afghanistan to the UN. In addition, they pose a health threat because some refugees come from. You know, looking and seeing why African migrants aren't allowed to cross into Hungary is just as valid as just asking why Ukrainians are. The impact of racism on refugee treatment is evident in how African, Middle Eastern, and Asian refugees fleeing Ukraine are treated. This was shown in the behavior of newly certified French civil servants, who were more likely to reject Muslim applicants for refugee status; it was shown in the behavior of Swiss voters denying citizenship to Muslim applicants in direct democratic votes at higher rates than comparable Christians; and it was shown in the behavior of French citizens in experimental protocols fearing and discriminating against increasing numbers of Muslims in their midst more than Christians, even though both groups were from Senegal. The Century Foundation. Unlike Ukraine, the Assad regime in Syria was authoritarian, corrupt, and violent. Since it was first implemented in March 2020, more than 1 million migrants and asylum-seekers have been turned away. Why? The Dublin Convention has been divisive and especially difficult for Italy and Greece, which have struggled to accommodate migrants arriving by sea. In Sweden, which received 163,000 asylum seekers in 2015, many asylum seekers face difficulties navigating the Swedish labor market. About 18,000 refugees from Ukraine have arrived in Switzerland so far, with tens of thousands more expected by summer. Moreover, they were not permitted to work until their asylum application was approved. Extensive efforts to support Ukrainian refugees are effectively progressive, yet they send a painfully clear message to non-Ukrainian refugees excluded from benefits: that they are less deserving of aid and acceptance. LIMBONG: The Nigerian statehouse issued a statement today denouncing reports of Nigerians being denied entry to the Polish border. One 2022 study examining over 4,000 asylum applications in France between 1976 and 2016 found that Muslims were less likely than Christians to receive asylum. While the two categories are treated differently by law, in practice they are both asylum seekers. With blanket news coverage of the dire situation in Ukraine, Europeans are observing the situation of Ukrainians through this humanitarian lens and thus express greater support for them. Many cultures and religions have survived for hundreds and thousands of years partly because they are flexible enough to adapt and evolve. David Laitin discusses how the experience of Ukrainian refugees in Europe compares to those who have fled other conflicts and hardships. Laitin also offers insight into how European Union (EU) policy is supporting a surge of refugees that the United Nations has described as the largest humanitarian crisis Europe has seen since World War II. Ukrainian refugees will not be as burdened by systemic failures in European migration policy as were the Syrians and North Africans in 2014-15. The Century Foundation takes your data security and privacy seriously. The way we talk about conflicts can impact those who are already most directly affected by war, refugees. When I called the Swedish immigration authorities (Migrationsverket) to verify this, their press person acknowledged that not many asylum seekers are working, but indicated that only few asylum seekers make use of the temporary work permits in the first place. The injunction also only applies to families, so single adults can continue to be removed. Saif Khalid of Al Jazeera attributes this disparate language to primarily white media outlets that [lack] diversity and perspective and enforce racial stereotypes. Its an undertaking thats demonstrated the ability of the U.S. government to bring tens of thousands of refugees to safety in America and marshal local resources to help them resettle in their new home. Lest we forget, barrel bombs are not the only threat to life. LIMBONG: Rana Khoury, a research associate at Princeton University focusing on conflict and displacement, says this language has impacts on global refugee policy. In addition, they found that every threat typeeven altruistic threat (concerns about the host countrys ability to care for refugees)was linked with negative views of immigration and refugees. A few European politicians have also stressed that Ukrainian refugees are qualitatively superior by virtue of their race and religion to those from countries in Latin America, Asia, Africa and. They want to work and maintain their dignity, not just be refugees.. RANA KHOURY: We certainly do see it play out in terms of the politics of refugee reception in the idea of whose burden should it be to take refugees who are from the global South, the Middle East, Africa, versus, you know, who is welcome and who can be brought in here. These asylum-seekers should be welcomed just like Afghans are being welcomed. Data from a project of Stanfords Immigration Policy Lab (IPL) has shown that the longer applicants wait for resolution of their case, the less likely they are to secure a steady job once approved in large part due to loss of motivation. Al Jazeera journalist Virginia Pietromarchi notes, Bloody conflicts in Syria, Somalia, and other places have not received the wide-reaching international media coverageor urgent international government actionthat the invasion of Ukraine has inspired." They met a woman from Guatemala traveling with her two daughters. Religious and other prejudices are often intertwined; the disparity between how the EU treats Ukrainian and non-Ukrainian refugees stems from Europeans empathy for Ukrainians and the othering of African and Middle Eastern refugees. LIMBONG: Mahdis Keshavarz is a board member with the Arab and Middle Eastern Journalists Association, which put out a statement criticizing this framing, which Keshavarz says relies on old tropes. the U.S. has admitted more than 3.1 million refugees, more than 700,000 people have been granted asylum. NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. She said she told U.S. officers that she was a victim of violence in her home country and requested asylum at the U.S. border. are at risk of torture, or cruel or unusual punishment in their home countries. KESHAVARZ: And I think one very dangerous thing that we're seeing is - and it bears asking the question - is, have journalists become so desensitized to the suffering of different peoples of color, specifically people that are in war zones, that we're no longer seeing on the same level playing field? Zelensky is part of a community of Jews in Ukraine, some 200,000 strong, with historical and cultural ties to Israel, based on a long legacy of anti-Jewish pogroms and persecution in the country . Stanford News is a publication of Stanford University Communications. But we need to remember that Europeans were impressively generous to the first wave of Syrian refugees, but as the numbers increased, attitudes quickly became exclusive. In contrast, non-Ukrainian refugees have been physically assaulted by Polish and Belarussian patrolmen; left to freeze in the winter; detained in unhygienic camps in Greece; trapped in limbo between Poland and Belarus; assaulted with tear gas and water cannons near the Greece-Turkey border; and bombarded with xenophobic and anti-migrant rhetoric, especially in Poland, Hungary, and Slovakia. 2016. 1, People want to keep their identity and their profession when they go abroad. In fixating on distinguishing the two, politicians tend to miss the benefits that integrating both refugees and migrants into the labor market could have on the national economy. the population growth among the working age has increased while unemployment has decreased. KESHAVARZ: And I think one very dangerous thing that we're seeing is - and it bears asking the question - is, have journalists become so desensitized to the suffering of different peoples of color, specifically people that are in war zones, that we're no longer seeing on the same level playing field? HERIKA MARTINEZ/AFP/Getty Images. But many European leaders nonetheless feel they are under pressure to minimize the number of asylum seekers within their own country. In contrast, a refugee arriving in America, after receiving a grant of $900 from the government, often has to rely on private aid organizations. 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