Working in immigrant resettlement and advocacy in Central Florida - a statement that usually elicits a sympathetic cringe or eyebrow raise from others when heard for the first time - is a very hands-on, typically unsung experience. Walking into a well-lit, professionally broadcasted event on immigration policy in Washington, DC, was almost disorienting – things look different from ten stories off the ground. Still, this conversation at the Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC) targeted a universal truth, one which is increasingly impossible to ignore whether you are an asylum seeker in Gainesville or a policymaker on Capitol Hill: America’s immigration system is fundamentally broken.
How a Boat Carrying Refugees and a Submarine Carrying Millionaires Demonstrated Socioeconomic Inequality on a Global Scale
Perhaps one of the most quintessential and endlessly-fascinating philosophical debates arises from the so-called “Trolley Problem”. Created by British philosopher Philippa Foot in 1967, it involves a person making the seemingly impossible decision of who to kill given a set of two options and their presence on a trolley that is unable to stop before striking whichever person they choose to die (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 2021). While in most cases, the decision is rather straightforward, such as choosing to let 750 people live instead of only 5, the level of difficulty of this task can vary with different factors added in.
Anti-Immigrant Legislation in Florida: How it Impacts Everyone
In the current refugee and immigration crisis fueled by war, hatred, greed, and nationalism, it is no secret that Florida has become a hub for those suffering displacement. Studies from 2021 presented that of the 21.3 million people living in Florida, an estimated 8%, or roughly 1.8 million people, are immigrants. This number encapsulates refugees, asylum-seekers, citizen immigrants, and undocumented individuals.
When Businesses Empower Refugees: A look at Chobani’s Leadership
After picking up my biweekly bottle of cold brew and vanilla coffee creamer, I love to grab a healthy assortment of my favorite snack—Chobani Flips. While Almond Coco Loco is my go-to flavor, this is not a tour of delectable yogurt varieties. Instead, this is a brief into Chobani’s company leadership and how its founder, Hamdi Ulukaya, flipped the script when he made refugee empowerment a central pillar in Chobani’s ethos and people-first character.
From hiring practices to global partnerships for refugee goals, Chobani pens a collective call to businesses worldwide and encourages organizations to take a stake in the economic integration and welfare of refugees everywhere.
Welcome Corps: Getting Ordinary Americans Involved in Resettlement Efforts in the U.S.
Launched and announced earlier this year on January 19th, 2023, the Welcome Corps is a new private sponsorship program that creates a way for everyday Americans to play a welcoming role in resettling refugees throughout the United States (U.S. Department of State, 2023). A collaboration of the Department of State and the Department of Health and Human Services has worked to create this pilot private sponsorship program that shifts away from the way previous refugee resettlement in the U.S. has worked. Described as the “boldest innovation in refugee resettlement in four decades” by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, this program works to empower Americans to take ownership in creating a welcoming and inclusive environment for refugees.
The Dangers of Extremism: How Intensifying Alt-Right Movements Specifically Threaten Refugees and Immigrants
From arduous bureaucratic processes to daunting language barriers, a refugee or asylum seeker resettling in a new country faces many initial obstacles. Yet in the midst of these tangible difficulties, there is a less visible, but just as prevalent, barrier: the increasing prevalence of xenophobia and extremist, anti-immigrant ideology in sociopolitical landscapes. Throughout much of Europe and the United States, there has been a rise in anti-immigrant rhetoric in reaction to refugee movements and in conjunction with the increasing prevalence of far-right extremism. This type of isolationist, ultra-nationalist ideology not only threatens the livelihood and wellbeing of migrants globally, but could also signal a concerning turn towards alt-right and populist movements inching closer to the political mainstream.
A Year of War in Ukraine: An Anniversary in Photos
When I was in early middle school I would watch whatever appeared on Netflix in my free time. Looking back on it there was a lot that I watched for seemingly no reason. I watched all of Futurama, which I remember very little of. I also watched all of the 1970s sitcom M*A*S*H, about the Korean War (which I’m still very fond of). However, most of what I watched were documentaries. It wasn’t tied to any one topic, but I watched all of Ken Burns’ documentaries, which were on Netflix at the time. One of the documentaries I watched, and still don’t remember why I did exactly, was Winter on Fire: Ukraine’s Fight for Freedom, directed by Evgeny Afineevsky.
My Family Story and Parallels to Refugee Stories Today
As is the case for many Palestinians, my family experienced lots of emigration, pain, hardship, loss, displacement, and change since the Nakba, or the Palestinian Catastrophe, in 1948. I want to share this personal account of my family's history through stories I have been told. My family's history has many parallels to what refugees and immigrants fleeing war, or those who are being forcibly displaced, may have had to experience then, and still experience now. I hope to shed light on the strength of not only my family, but all immigrant and refugee families who had to endure hardship in the past, and those who still do today.
An Increasing Issue: Human Trafficking in Migrant Populations
Human trafficking refers to the involuntary exploitation of individuals and can involve sexual exploitation, debt bondage, and forced labor. Although many may not think so, it occurs in every region. Human traffickers attempt to target marginalized communities and vulnerable individuals. Sexual exploitation, in specific, is a growing issue in refugee camps and among migrating groups. Refugees and migrants often lose their community support networks as they are forced to leave their homes and familiar surroundings. Depending on where they flee to, they may or not be citizenship status. Other resources, such as medical support, livelihood opportunities, and legal support, may not be provided. As a result of these conditions, forcibly displaced people are often easy targets for traffickers.
Violence Against Women: A Main Driver of Migration from Central America
Relocating to another country is a momentous choice. For the women and children of Central America, as with all refugees, this migration is no longer a choice but rather a necessity for survival. Since the late 20th century, turbulent political and socioeconomic conditions in the Northern Triangle- comprising El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala- have led to a rise in sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV). Under a system that subordinates and violates women, many view leaving the region as the sole path to a better life for themselves and their families.
Advancing Refugee and Migrant Health Worldwide
With the release of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) first-ever report on refugee and migrant health on July 20, 2022, comes a crucial discussion on the urgent actions that need to be taken to ensure that healthcare is accessible to all. Currently, one out of every eight people worldwide is a migrant or is displaced, and this issue continues to grow as a result of various reasons ranging from war, climate change, disease, and famine to seeking better jobs, education, and better overall quality of life. Refugees and migrants bring many skills and talents wherever they relocate to and do contribute significantly to their host country’s economy as productive members of society, yet their health is not a priority in many of these countries.
States and the Stateless: How Nationalism Drives Xenophobia and Anti-Immigrant Sentiment
Whenever I lead any educational presentation for GRMR, I like to start off by asking the group what they think of when they hear the words refugee or migrant. I encourage the group to consider the images, news stories, and identifiers they have seen in media and political discussions. Without fail, the discussion always turns to the ways in which the 2016 election and the administration which followed changed the idea of who refugees and migrants are. Asylum seekers became illegal aliens, and migration a threat to the socioeconomic success of the country. This disdain for refugees and migrants does not stem simply from a place of xenophobia or isolationism…
Neoliberalism and Refugees
Neoliberalism, an ideology defined by the proliferation and deregulation of financial markets, free market trade, cutting state welfare and taxes, and the commodification of health, rose to prominence in the 1980’s with Reagan and Thatcher (1). The problems of inflation and rising oil prices were compounded when industrial production in the global north declined, thus decreasing the demand for raw goods and agricultural commodities from countries across Latin America, Asia, and Africa (Packard, 2016). With the cost of money rising (as banks charged higher interest rates), international organizations such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank stepped in to prevent these countries from defaulting on their loans. As part of their conditions, they enforced austerity measures known as Structural Adjustment Policy (SAPs) on these cash-starved countries.
The goal of SAPs was first and foremost to secure the international financial system, catering to the lender banks of the global north. They also served to transform economies of developing countries to free-market economies (Sayson, 2006). This was achieved through peeling back necessary public institutions; for example, limiting the development of public infrastructure, cutting federal paychecks, halting investment in social programs and hospitals, and more. This crippling of local infrastructure would pave the way for millions to die due to cholera, Ebola, and AIDS crises.
As Keshavjee puts it, “these loans were seen as…
Dear America, Treat Your Immigrants Right
People all over the world are fleeing persecution, escaping dangerous conditions, or looking for opportunities for a brighter future but are daunted by country quotas, legal restrictions, and bureaucracy. What happened to empathy and humanity in our global community? The United States, specifically, has failed its migrants and incoming refugees despite being defined by immigrants and praising itself as a welcoming nation capable of giving everyone ‘the American Dream.’ Due to an outdated and broken immigration system that politicians have no goal to fix long-term, our society isn’t equipped to deal with challenges that immigrants face every day.
To become a citizen in the United States, a person must have…