An additional . All refugees deserve. Many cultures and religions have survived for hundreds and thousands of years partly because they are flexible enough to adapt and evolve. He has also done graduate work in clinical psychology and neuropsychology in U.S. Get the help you need from a therapist near youa FREE service from Psychology Today. Of those, 1.1 million are children, Why are some refugees treated differently than others? One of the many things that Russian President Vladimir Putin did not expect when he launched his gratuitously stupid invasion of Ukraine was international resolve. 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. A recent report by Human Rights First documented at least 6,356 reports of kidnappings and attacks on asylum-seekers and migrants after they were turned away from the U.S. under Title 42. Syrian refugees desire to work speaks to a broader sentiment, shared by many asylum seekers, that employment matters more than protection. "But instead, it really is night and day if we talk about the programs for Afghanistan's refugees.". Here are some suggestions: To understand the real effects of migration on us and our country, we must rely on data (e.g., economic indicators and crime rates), not ideology. Migrants, on the other hand, live without legal protection and can be deported at any time. The majority of Afghans evacuated to the U.S. arrive without visas as humanitarian parolees, yet have been welcomed in the U.S. As the opposition fragmented into various factions, terrorist groups exploited the chaos, targeting both Assads forces and civilians. Lest we forget, barrel bombs are not the only threat to life. 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 Refugee Act is a federal immigration law that was adopted in 1980. Furthermore, to many white and Christian Europeans, an influx of Middle Eastern and African Muslim refugees threatens power dynamics rooted in racial and religious hegemony, while incoming Ukrainians primarily strengthen them. Refugee Children in U.S. Schools: A Toolkit for Teachers and School Personnel (Grant No. A charity that helps refugees has said there is a big variation in how the UK helps people from different countries. Palestinians, who have for decades lived in UN-assisted camps in the region. 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. 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). Refugee implies involuntary exodus, while migrant refers more to voluntary movement; therefore, the use of the latter undermines non-Ukrainian refugees requests for asylum. 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. Is it a vague feeling of hostility or does it stem from specific unpleasant experiences or future worries? Stanford News is a publication of Stanford University Communications. said. MAHDIS KESHAVARZ: I always kind of think this imagery of, like, this pearl clutch of being just aghast that something can happen in your backyard, where things are happening in other people's backyards all the time. The Century Foundation Many Central and Eastern Europeans are empathising with. 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 returning them to the very places theyre fleeing. As they began to land, she was shocked to learn from the pilot that their destination was instead Mexico. (Washington, DC) - The US deployment of border agents on horseback against Haitian migrants on September 19, 2021, stems from abusive and racially discriminatory immigration policies by the. She is interested in comparative politics, immigration law, and German. are at risk of torture, or cruel or unusual punishment in their home countries. 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. Arriving from the Middle East and Africa, non-Ukranian refugees are often otherized. The studys findings are published in the December 2019 issue of the European Journal of Social Psychology.1. Notwithstanding, numerous other treaties - dealing with human rights, refugees, stateless people and the protection of political, civil and economic rights -indirectly afford protection for migrants; unfortunately, all too often, receiving countries flout these obligations. The United Nations refugee agency has expressed concern over these expulsion flights, noting that those impacted are being sent back to the very dangers they have fled in their countries of origin. Indeed, these asylum-seekers should instead be welcomed just like Afghans are being welcomed all refugees deserve protection, not just our allies. In fact, research from the European Parliament shows that the latest migration inflow has not increased unemployment, but rather led to a growth in higher-wage jobs for native workers, as refugees and migrants primarily take over low-wage jobs. 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For instance, do you worry about foreigners spreading diseases, committing violence, or taking away jobs and depressing wages? Whether the threat is true or imagined, immigrants might be perceived as threatening in a number of ways. The U.S. has an opportunity to build off of its strong response to the Ukrainian refugee crisis. Unfortunately, extremists and right-wing politicians alike have used the sensitive political climate to strike fear and tensions. If the U.S. can orchestrate a historic airlift of Afghan refugees in the midst of a pandemic, we cannot use Covid as an excuse to turn away those seeking protection at our southern border. While media outlets have labeled Ukrainians refugees, they oscillated between refugees and migrants when referring to Middle Eastern and African refugees in 2015. Since the passage of the Refugee Act in 1980, the U.S. has admitted more than 3.1 million refugees, and since 1990 more than 700,000 people have been granted asylum. The way we. 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 . Furthermore, to many white and Christian Europeans, an influx of Middle Eastern and African Muslim refugees threatens power dynamics rooted in racial and religious hegemony, while incoming Ukrainians primarily strengthen them. But at the same time, the Biden administration has been quietly engaged in another series of evacuation flights, this time at our southern border. Work permits alone do not guarantee refugees employment, though. How do you anticipate Ukrainians experience will unfold compared to that of asylees from Syria or North Africa? Many refugees are coming from northern Africa and the Middle East, with roughly 50 percent of the population of Syria seeking refuge from war. Media coverage of the invasion is part of the reason. 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. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. The way we talk about conflicts can impact those who are already most directly affected by war, refugees. Andrew Limbong, NPR News. When it comes to these refugees being treated differently during their time of need, Abdelaaty's research shows that the labels used to describe those fleeing their homelandrefugees and migrantsimpacts how countries respond, including the actual definitions of who is a refugee and who is a migrant. HIRING! Religion is a key factor influencing attitudes toward refugees. "Countries that had been really negative on the refugee issue and have made it very difficult for the EU to develop coherent refugee policy over the last decade, suddenly come forward with a much . Two recent reports from the European Parliament show that despite short-term costs, labor integration of both asylum seekers and refugees will generate long-term economic gains that exceed the costs. That's less likely to be true for people who decide to leave in the coming weeks, said Steve. Since the media expose Europeans more to the conflict in Ukraine, they are more aware of the atrocities and trauma necessitating Ukrainians flight to nearby countries; therefore, refugees need for asylum seems more legitimate. According to new research, many asylum seekers experience discrimination on the Swedish labor market. This absence of a commitment to a particular side may have reduced the reputational incentives to help affected refugees. 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? Ibrahim. But several EU countries have implemented labor restrictive measures to avoid this. She says that's a pretty good sign of civilization. But we could see White people going through. A Nigerian student added, Theyre pushing us back just because were Black!Were all humanThey should not discriminate against us because of the colour of our skin. Racism against POC fleeing Ukraine exposes differential treatment even among refugees fleeing the same conflict, suggesting that European solidarity is skin-deep. Why don't we treat all refugees as though they were Ukrainian? Others avoid registering for asylum, not for practical reasons but out of a sense of dignity. Refugees and migrants arrive to Europe by the same road; they also face the same challenges in seeking asylum, labor, and housing, as well as integrating into their host communities. The act allowed approximately 190,000 refugees, escapees, and expellees to arrive in the United States before the legislation . Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR. Second, under the EUs temporary protection directive, any Ukrainian national who flees as a result of the invasion, plus his or her partners and children of any nationality, may receive permission to stay in any EU country for one year; previously, a Ukrainian passport permitted visa-free entry into the EU for only up to 90 days. 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. LIMBONG: Rana Khoury, a research associate at Princeton University focusing on conflict and displacement, says this language has impacts on global refugee policy. Stanford, California 94305. Similarly, as many EU members have already acknowledged, it is neither fair nor sustainable to let Mediterranean frontier states such as Greece and Italy, already crumpling under financial debt, host the bulk of the incoming asylum seekers. foreigners). 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. He's also covered the near collapse of the live music industry during the coronavirus pandemic. As political scientist Lamis Abdelaaty describes, Europeans see Ukrainians as White and Christian, similar to the way that many in European countries see themselves. Eastern Europeans are especially welcoming of Ukrainians, with whom they share a sense of fraternity; many people move around within Eastern Europe, so nationalities expand beyond each nations borders. We forget, barrel bombs are not the only threat to life German!: a Toolkit for Teachers and School Personnel ( Grant No not our., 1.1 million are children, why are some refugees treated like Ukrainian?... Leave in the region work permits alone do not guarantee refugees employment, though how do you anticipate experience. 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