Immigrants and Refugees Differences

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Table of Contents

Definition of Immigrant
Definition of Refugee
Differences
Moral responsibilities towards immigrants and refugees
Notes
Bibliography

Definition of Immigrant

An immigrant is a person who leaves his country of origin and moves to a foreign country or region voluntarily.¹

Definition of Refugee

A refugee is a person who migrates from his country of origin due to restrictions or threat of danger to his life.²

Differences

From the above two definitions, both immigrants and refugees leave their countries of origin and settles in a different country but for different reasons. Immigrants travel due to either push or pull factors.³ The country of origin may push them as a result of harsh economic conditions, and on the other hand, the destination country may pull them due to better standards of living and promise of good education.

Refugees travel to their destination country because of fear. Refugees fear that if they continue staying in their country, their life will be in danger and might be killed, detained or even injured.

Immigrants travel voluntarily to find opportunities to better their lives. The countries of origin fail to provide to their needs and therefore force them to look for better opportunities elsewhere. As they move to other countries, they still have a chance of coming back to their home countries.⁴

Once they are satisfied of the economic gains from their host countries, they may come back and invest their new-found wealth in their country of origin. On the contrary, refugees do not have that chance of coming back to their mother country. Because they fled their country for fear of persecution, their chances of coming back is almost zero.

Another difference between immigrants and refugees is that immigration is regarded as a natural phenomenon. Since time immemorial, people have been migrating to different parts of the world to look for better opportunities.⁵ The early man is believed have his origins in Africa. His descendants migrated and occupied other parts of the world.

The movement of refugees is not historical but it is forced movement. Refugees experience pressure from their home country and they have the fear of being in danger if they continue staying there. Circumstances like war, civil strives, religious or political persecutions and even natural disasters force people to move to places they feel are safe.

It should also be noted that immigrants are different from refugees in the sense that immigrants are subject to the laws that govern their hosting country. Every country has its own laws that govern immigration of persons and some paperwork has to be completed before one is accepted as an immigrant.

Refugees are protected by the refugee law and the 1967 protocol that relates to the refugees status. The 1967 protocol and the 1951 convention allows countries that have signed the accord to offer standardized treatment to refugees and guarantees them certain rights as stipulated in the accord.⁶

As concerns freedom of movement, immigrants have more freedom of movement in the adopted country as compared to refugees.⁷ Once the necessary paperwork has been done and the immigrant granted access, one is free to move within the borders of the host country and seek his own settlement.

Refugees are restricted in camps from the time they enter the host country and provided for up to the time they will be allowed to move out. Usually, they are given help in terms of food, medicine, education and settlement.

Moral responsibilities towards immigrants and refugees

The United Nations through the universal declaration of human rights drafted 30 articles that stipulate the rights that every human being is subject to. The rights and freedoms apply to every person irrespective of sex, status, language, race and religion. Therefore, every country has to put this into consideration in regard to moral responsibilities towards immigrants and refugees.

The basic moral responsibility accorded to both entity is the freedom to movement.⁸ The universal declaration accords everybody the freedom to move inside the borders of any country and are also free to move to other countries and stay there.

This means neither an immigrant nor a refugee should be turned away without any justifiable cause. Having recognized the human right to immigrate, countries have a duty to respect this right and admit those people seeking entry.

States also have an obligation to allow people have access to education irrespective of their status.⁹ This is a provision in the universal declaration of human rights that apply to those in their own countries and also those residing in other countries. Being a universal right, no immigrant or refugee should be deprived the opportunity to acquire education with an aim of improving their life.

Another fundamental moral obligation to be given to both immigrants and refugees is security.¹⁰ As states strive to offer security to their citizens, the same should be accorded to immigrants and refugees without regard to their status or place of origin.

Immigrants and refugees need to have access to housing. As a moral responsibility, states should allow them to have access to housing without any discrimination. People should be allowed to move freely and find their housing of choice and should not be subjected to any exile.

All human beings have a right to make a living either through self employment or through wage earning. Similarly, immigrants and refugees have the same right despite their status. Any country that denies them this privilege will be violating fundamental rights of human beings. People should be able to make a living whether in their own country or a foreign country.

As a moral responsibility, states should allow immigrants and refugees have the right to a family. Just like the citizens of any country, immigrants and refugees have families and should take care of them by providing the basic amenities. Moving to foreign country is a way of improving their family life and therefore should exercise their right without any obstacles.

States are also obligated by the 1951 Convention to desist from expelling would be immigrants. No one should be penalized for illegal entry into any country but the state must ensure that the international obligations are met.¹¹

Imposing penalties without considering the merits of a person’s claim to be a refugee will most probably violate the obligation of the state to make sure that it protects the human rights for everybody within its borders.

The universal declaration of human rights give protection to all people against any discrimination.¹² Immigrants and refugees are also to be protected against any sort of discrimination although they are in a foreign land.

The declaration states that all people are equal before the law and this should not be applied by discrimination. They are also protected against violation of the declaration or any incitement against the discrimination of the declaration⁶.

Notes

UN High Commissioner for Refugees. (1951). Convention relating to the status of refugees. Web.
UNHRC.
Abernethy, V. Environmental and ethical aspects of international migration. International Migration Review,1996. 30(1), 132–150.
Carens, J. H. Realistic and idealistic approaches to the ethics of migration. International Migration Review, 1996. 30(1), 156–170.
Abernethy.
Human rights education associates (2003). Freedom of movement. Web.
HREA.
Abernethy.
Jacobsen, K., & Landau, L. The dual imperative in refugee research: Some methodological and ethical considerations in social science research on forcedmigration. Disasters, 2003. 27(3), 185–206.
JamesWoodward, “Commentary: Liberalism and Migration,” in Free Movement: Ethical Issues in the Transnational Migration of People and of Money, ed. Brian Barry and Robert E. Goodin (University Park: The Pennsylvania State Press, 1992), 61.
UN (n.d) Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Web.
H. L. A. Hart, Law Liberty, and Morality (Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 1963).

Bibliography

Abernethy, V. Environmental and ethical aspects of international migration. International Migration Review,. 30/1 (1996), 132–150.

Carens, J. H. Realistic and idealistic approaches to the ethics of migration. International Migration Review, 30/11 (996), 156–170.

Hart H. L. A., Law Liberty, and Morality (Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 1963).

Human rights education associates. Freedom of movement. 2003. Web.

Jacobsen, K., & Landau, L. The dual imperative in refugee research: Some methodological and ethical considerations in social science research on forcedmigration. Disasters,. 27/3, (2003), 185–206.

UN High Commissioner for Refugees. (1951). Convention relating to the status of refugees. Web.

United Nations. Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Web.

Woodward J., “Commentary: Liberalism and Migration,” in Free Movement: Ethical Issues in the Transnational Migration of People and of Money, ed. Brian Barry and Robert E. Goodin (University Park: The Pennsylvania State Press, 1992), 61.