The Conflictogenicity of Migration
Thousands of people risk their lives daily as they cross borders in search of a better life. Around the world, migration has become highly politicized and is often associated with conflict. In many cases, displacement leads to multifaceted tensions with state institutions or the native population at the final destination. Conflicts can erupt around particular areas of concern, such as gender, race, and sexuality. Conflicts related to immigration can transform over time, intensifying in some cases and diminishing or resolving in others. Competition between social groups is accompanied by tensions, a surge of migrant-phobia, and ethnophobia. Negative stereotyping correlates with the manifestation of conflicts, and ethnic characteristics are significantly more prevalent than others (Hout and Maggio 41).
Reasons for Immigration
Unequal opportunities, political power, access to justice, education, pensions, and other basic services and resources are major causes of exclusion, social tensions, and conflict. They are rooted in bad governance, corruption, lack of the rule of law, and discrimination. The violations of rights undermine not only development but also peace, leading to insecurity and extremism (Hout and Maggio 41). Citizens in many countries who are dissatisfied with and distrustful of leadership are forced to leave their homes. However, often, migrants face severe discrimination in housing, education, health care, employment, and social security in other countries. Laws that segregate against noncitizens, as well as programs and policies that fail to address their particular needs and vulnerabilities, often leave transients and their families without access to basic services.
Life Chances
Immigration is a process that includes moving people both in groups and individually. The prerequisites for immigration are quite different and depend on social factors. For example, it is the desire to receive high-quality medical services, the availability of rare medical services, cheaper treatment. Change of disadvantageous living conditions can occur because of permanent ethnic, social, or military conflicts in the country. Other factors are unsuitable weather conditions, persecution, threats to life or health, poverty in the country, risks of disease, and infection (Hout and Maggio 40). Another cause is the creation or consolidation of a family to move to a historical family or the desire to marry a foreigner. Therefore, immigrants want to find a better place to live in order to improve the standard and quality of life.
Migrant Women
Immigration laws that seek to protect borders and “national security” can increase instability by making migrants-especially women-more vulnerable. In many countries, women are denied equal rights to own land, face barriers to accessing education and sufficient health care, are excluded or marginalized in the political sphere, and are exposed to exploitation and violence. Women’s ability to migrate can be limited by individual and family factors such as age, seniority in the family, race/ethnicity, marital status, and the presence or absence of children. In refugee and internally displaced person camps, women and girls experience abuse and sexual violence while caring for themselves and providing for their families. They are often abducted, raped, and assaulted by soldiers and camp residents. (Hout and Maggio 45).
Racial Discrimination and Ethical Issues
Immigration is very closely linked to issues of inequality and protest. Fueled by xenophobia, nationalism is on the rise in many countries. It is accompanied by overt racism and other forms of discrimination, including attacks on rights. Many people die trying to cross borders that others pass daily with relative ease. Due to their ethnic beliefs, migrants are dehumanized, treated as criminals, arbitrarily detained, and sometimes separated from their children (Hout and Maggio 49). Obstacles and walls are erected because of the notion that blocking channels of safe and regular movement and deliberately making the path more dangerous will reduce people’s resolve to leave their countries. Although when they face violence, persecution, hardship, and despair, nothing will reduce their determination to move. Immigrants are human beings, and their vital interests must be protected.
Immigration Based on Sexual Discrimination
Harassment based on sexual orientation is included in the Convention on the Rights of Refugees. Sexual minorities such as lesbian, gay, transgender, and bisexual can apply for asylum. Immigrants must demonstrate that they have a well-founded fear of persecution when returning to their home country and that they fear persecution. Harassment refers to actions by society or the state as a whole that harass, punish, injure, oppress, or otherwise cause physical or mental harm to LGBT persons. LGBT immigration to the United States is possible when an LGBT asylum claim is based on substantial past harm and when there is a well-founded fear of future persecution when returning to the country of residence (Hout and Maggio 49). Citizens of the United States and Europe are provided the opportunity to express their orientation, unlike residents of non-European states, where it is persecuted. Therefore, they choose immigration as a chance for a free life.
Work Cited
Hout, Michael, and Christopher Maggio. ‘Immigration, Race & Political Polarization.’ Daedalus, vol. 150, no. 2, 2021, pp. 40-55.