By welcoming Ukrainian refugees and imposing economic sanctions on Russia, the EU has demonstrated its support for Ukrainian sovereignty and opposition to Russian aggression without direct military intervention. While this study indicates anti-Muslim bias among government officials, a similar 2016 study suggests that regular citizens exhibit similar tendencies. Psychology Today 2023 Sussex Publishers, LLC. During the 2015 refugee "crisis," the EU called for detaining arriving refugees for up to 18 months. It took three. Moreover, they were not permitted to work until their asylum application was approved. Since 9/11, far-right terrorists have killed more people in the United States than Islamic jihadists. Many cultures and religions have survived for hundreds and thousands of years partly because they are flexible enough to adapt and evolve. 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. In the wall-to-wall coverage of the crisis in Ukraine, a certain pattern has sometimes emerged that positions Ukrainians as different from other victims of conflict. For example, instead of comparing refugee numbers among European countries, refugee numbers in countries bordering conflict areas could be considered as a point of reference. Another way to reduce anger at refugees is by identifying responsibilities for social disruption, and understanding that European countries welfare is rooted in a global economy that sustains poverty in developing countries (p. 1416).1. In line with these recommendations, countries with high migration rate such as Germany, Sweden, and Italy offer asylum seekers temporary work permits while their applications are being processed. Famously declaring The fight is here. With fewer resources invested in non-Ukrainian refugees, it may take longer for their asylum cases to be processed, prolonging unemployment, living precarity, and limited access to resources. 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. According to the U.N.'s 1951 Refugee Convention, a refugee is "someone who is unable or unwilling to return to their country of origin owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion." There are several interconnecting reasons behind this sudden change in the way European citizens and states are responding to refugees. 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. At least 2.5 million people need humanitarian assistance. Media coverage of the invasion is part of the reason. LIMBONG: The Nigerian statehouse issued a statement today denouncing reports of Nigerians being denied entry to the Polish border. Andrew Limbong, NPR News. If you are among those who hate refugees, do you know why you feel this way? 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. An anchor for Al-Jazeera English called Ukrainian refugees, quote, "middle-class people," in comparison to refugees from the Middle East and North Africa. Americans see Afghan and Ukrainian refugees very differently. Therefore, the latter must contend with heightened xenophobia, and numerous studies evidence discrimination against Muslim asylum seekers. ANDREW LIMBONG, BYLINE: On Friday, CBS News senior foreign correspondent Charlie D'Agata framed the fighting in Kyiv like this. David Laitin discusses how the experience of Ukrainian refugees in Europe compares to those who have fled other conflicts and hardships. Who wants to hire an asylum seeker still at risk of deportation, since their application hasnt been accepted yet? | king5.com. They want to work and maintain their dignity, not just be refugees, he explained to me over the phone earlier this week. As anthropologist Miriam Ticktin has documented, some even infect themselves with deadly diseases to gain protection as HIV-positive patients and thereby gain residence. 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. Religion is a key factor influencing attitudes toward refugees. Attitudes also are affected by humanitarian concerns: When a refugee is perceived to have a valid claim or specific vulnerability for example, if he or she was a victim of torture support is generally higher. For example, people are not eligible to make a claim if they have: been convicted of serious criminal . NPR's Andrew Limbong has more. 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. 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 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). They can even enter Slovakia and Poland without papers, countries displaying potent anti-refugee sentiments during the 2015 Syrian refugee crisis. To receive Stanford news daily, deported back to their home countries, where they are at great risk of torture or prosecution. Governments and civilians around the world have vocalized their support for Ukraine and opposition to Russia; therefore, the EU risks international backlash if it fails to absorb and aid millions of Ukrainian refugees. For example, the EUs asylum policy prioritizes Syrians over other nationalities, including Iraqis and Afghanis, even though they all face similar levels of violence in their home countries. U.S. intelligence agencies have assessed that. Since it was first implemented in March 2020, more than 1 million migrants and asylum-seekers have been turned away. Contrarily, due to racial, religious, cultural, and ethnic differences, Europeans feel less sympathy for other refugees. That's what makes it so shocking. These two groups are treated very differently, however, due to the prevalent stereotypes that exist about them in society. Religion is a key factor influencing attitudes toward refugees. Refugee agencies fear up to five million of Ukrainians could try to flee across the border as Russia's war intensifies and casualties mount. As the opposition fragmented into various factions, terrorist groups exploited the chaos, targeting both Assads forces and civilians. And the results again showed support for the six threat types. 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? 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. Landmann and colleagues in Germany conducted a series of four related studies to examine hostility toward refugees. Every threat type was correlated with unfavorable views of migration and refugees and with favoring more restrictive control of migration. The findings could help inform long-term wildfire and ecosystem management in these zombie forests.. Others avoid registering for asylum, not for practical reasons but out of a sense of dignity. This has meant that asylum-seekers have been expelled in violation of the United Nations 1967 Protocol relating to the Status of Refugees, which prevents countries from returning people to places where they face threats to their lives or freedom without providing them the opportunity to apply for asylum. The EU refused to activate the Temporary Protection Directive in 2015, incentivized other nations to thwart the flow of refugees, and neglected to discipline border patrol agents who violated the rights of asylum seekers. What does Turkey get in return for taking care of Europes deported lot? subscribe to Stanford Report. 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. Syrians are careful to disassociate themselves from the refugee identity. KESHAVARZ: So as journalists, I think it's really critical that we look at that duality, and we question why that is. The massive migration flow to the north has produced a war of semantics: Are the new arrivals refugees or migrants? 90 RB 0022). As of March 4, Canada has only resettled 8,580 of . Refugee Children in U.S. Schools: A Toolkit for Teachers and School Personnel (Grant No. PostedFebruary 21, 2020 Social Issues and Policy Review, 11, 78-123. Media outlets therefore play a decisive role in how Europeans view asylum seekers. It especially from Asia and Africa, to understand that Lebanon has a racism problem that goes beyond the discrimination of refugees. Anna is from Denmark and can speak five languages. Anna is working with Michael Hanna and the rest of the foreign policy team as a member of the 2016 internship class on issues such as U.S. policy toward the Middle East and East Asia. Many Syrians I spoke to last year in Lebanon and Jordan, where millions of Syrians have relocated, rejected registering as refugees in favor of living as migrants, stressing that they wanted to work and be self-sufficient rather than depend on aid. The reports advocate for lifting labor restrictions and preventing discrimination against asylum seekers. LIMBONG: Rana Khoury, a research associate at Princeton University focusing on conflict and displacement, says this language has impacts on global refugee policy. . Knowing what you value will help you build the most meaningful life possible. Author Kate Zernike dissects the years-long fight for gender equality at MIT, NASA made history by knocking an asteroid off course. The reasons for this difference. It is not enough for them simply to stay alive. The injunction also only applies to families, so single adults can continue to be removed. They also found that eligible voters favored refugees with higher employability. as many EU members have already acknowledged, dismissed the EUs call for sharing the responsibility, could not only win skilled workers, but also hearts and minds, http://www.cfr.org/syria/assessing-syrian-refugee-crisis/p33595, Order from Ashes Podcast: Broken Bonds: Existential Crises, Order from Ashes Podcast: Broken Bonds: My Life as a Muslim Brother, Order from Ashes Podcast: The Earthquake, Cholera, and Borders, The Systems That Drive Corruption and Terrorism, Order from Ashes Podcast: Broken Bonds: No Identity, Q&A: Netanyahus Total War on Israels Judiciary. That's what makes it so shocking. But the Venezuelans are being labelled as 'migrants' and that is shaping the governance response and the degree of engagement by UNHCR and others. The consequences are devastating, as reports of violence and insecurity in their countries of origin, along transit routes and in Mexico abound. 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. Ukrainian refugees will not be as burdened by systemic failures in European migration policy as were the Syrians and North Africans in 2014-15. For example, a person who fears he might catch a deadly disease from refugees is reacting to a direct threat, but a person who fears negative changes in politics of the country, such as a significant increase in popular support for extremist right-wing and far-right parties, is reacting to an indirect or extended threat. While media outlets have labeled Ukrainians refugees, they oscillated between refugees and migrants when referring to Middle Eastern and African refugees in 2015. Why are some refugees treated differently than others? Giulia McPherson is the director of advocacy and operations at Jesuit Refugee Service/USA. For instance, do you worry about foreigners spreading diseases, committing violence, or taking away jobs and depressing wages? CHARLIE D'AGATA: You know, this is a relatively civilized, relatively European - I have to choose those words carefully, too - city where you wouldn't expect that LIMBONG: The phrasing rankled enough people that he issued a clarifying apology a day later. The Dublin Convention has been divisive and especially difficult for Italy and Greece, which have struggled to accommodate migrants arriving by sea. She says that's a pretty good sign of civilization. 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. More than half - nearly 548,000 - have fled to Poland which shares a 500km border with Ukraine. And if you zoom way, way out when talking about refugees and displacement, countries in the Middle East, Africa and the global South have taken in more than their fair share of refugees. She is interested in comparative politics, immigration law, and German. 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. 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. Does the Ukraine crisis reveal any other blind spots or systemic failures in migration policy and discourse? All refugees deserve. Chief among these is the so-called " jewelry law " - a measure which allows the government to seize asylum seekers' assets, including their jewelry, to fund their stay in the country. In The Telegraph, Daniel Hannan wrote an article about Ukraine that led, they seem so like us. Not so today in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. What explains the difference? In addition, we should remember foreigners culture will change, particularly with intergroup contactjust as cultures of European immigrants to America have changed, as history shows. Since Russia invaded Ukraine one month ago on Feb. 24, nearly 3.5 million people have fled Ukraine, and should the conflict continue, an additional 5 million more refugees will likely flee from the country within a year a rate that is nearly five times as fast as the flow of refugees from Syria and North Africa, says Stanford immigration policy scholar David Laitin. Racism also impacts refugee treatment by influencing media coverage. Until the EU extends these benefits to nonwhite, Muslim, Middle Eastern and African refugees, the bloc will not only be violating Article 3, but also the unwritten laws of basic human decency. 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. Snohomish County couple providing relief to Ukraine amid Russia conflict. The authoritative record of NPRs programming is the audio record. the U.S. has admitted more than 3.1 million refugees, more than 700,000 people have been granted asylum. As more refugees entered Europe, detention increased, and former European Council President Donald Tusk even called for 18-month detention periods. The death of Alan Kurdi: one year on, compassion towards refugees fades: Toddler's death opened European hearts and policy towards refugees, but 12 months on those changes have proved temporary. That's less likely to be true for people who decide to leave in the coming weeks, said Steve. As Abdelaaty describes, welcoming refugees [condemns] the government that caused their flight and can help further discredit that government in the eyes of the world, as well as its own people. Therefore, welcoming Ukrainians is politically expedient for the EU. Albagir is given beatings, and the Maslovas are given bread. Why are refugees treated differently? However, IPL research has found that Europeans care deeply about fairness in the EU asylum system, and that large majorities would support a plan to allocate asylum seekers in proportion to each countrys capacity, even if that meant their own country would receive more. 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. Job insecurity, poverty, and hunger can leave people with no other choice but to risk everything on a boat across the Mediterranean. 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. Refugee implies involuntary exodus, while migrant refers more to voluntary movement; therefore, the use of the latter undermines non-Ukrainian refugees requests for asylum. For years, asylum seekers have navigated the asylum system by changing their sexual and national identities. A new report released by The Guardian shows the recent massive migration inflow to Germany has had a positive impact on the GDP, as the population growth among the working age has increased while unemployment has decreased. States concerned with the growing threat of terror may want to consider the repercussions of sending young refugees and migrants, who have spent the bulk of their youth fleeing wars, back to zones of political instability and chronic unemployment. 2. She holds an MA in Near Eastern Studies from New York University and will be a PhD candidate in social anthropology at Columbia University in the fall. March 3, 2022. Most are Ukrainians, but some are students . The way the system is in place, most of the burden falls on groups like us, in terms of housing and transportation, says Chuevang Xiong, Director of Refugee Services at the International . Both direct and indirect threats were related to unfavorable attitudes toward refugees, so there may be a bidirectional relationship between peoples attitudes and their perception of threat: The perception of threat gives rise to negative attitudes toward outsiders, and negative attitudes also cause greater threat perception. 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. The 2014-15 asylees from Syria and North Africa were mostly Muslim and faced higher degrees of discrimination than will the Ukrainians, who are largely of Christian heritage. Asylum applicants in northern Europe receive welfare benefits including free education and health care while their applications are being processed, which presents a considerable cost to society. So how can we reduce perceptions of different types of threats associated with refugees and immigrants? "Many nations today are spending much more money and energy on finding ways to prevent refugees and asylum seekers from ever crossing their border than they are in protecting people who have been. Shooting, detaining, torturing, and executing protestors, Assad forcefully crushed pro-democracy protests during the Arab Spring. 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