Introduction
Refugees refer to people who flee from their place of residence due to fear of persecution. Notably, the Refugee Convention in article 1(A)(2) specifies that for a person to be credited as a refugee, their fear of persecution should be founded on political opinion, membership in a specific social group, and race (Pijnenburg & Rijken, 2020). There is a distinction between immigrant groups, who are primarily people who choose to relocate to other countries for other reasons aside from persecution.
For many years, the United States has been a haven for refugees, although there was a remarkable change during the presidency of Donald Trump (Klobucista et al., 2022). The U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) manages the number of refugees coming to the United States. Although there have been concerns about refugees presenting a burden to the taxpayers and creating multiple problems, the United States should continue embracing them as they help build a positive legacy.
Contextual Background of the Refugee Problem
The Second World War created a major humanitarian crisis, with many fleeing from war-prone countries. Many people had been displaced in the United States when the war ended. The Congress decided to pass several laws, including the 1948 Displaced Persons Act and the 1953 Refugee Relief Act, which led to the admission of 400,000 and 200,000, respectively (Kerwin, 2018).
Later, in 1980, the Refugee Act was officially established, which led to the enactment of the USRAP (Kerwin, 2018). Since then, the United States has admitted at least three million refugees into the country (Klobucista et al., 2022). According to “Refugees in America” (2022), most refugees eventually return to their homes when the threat subsides. Many organizations work together to ensure the refugees get temporary or permanent residence.
However, the placement and acceptance of refugees have always been affected by politics. For example, after the 9/11 attacks, President George Bush suspended all refugees and immigrants in the country (Klobucista et al., 2022). The move was influenced by the fear that the refugees were becoming a security threat in the country. The belief would soon change since in 2016, President Obama increased the 80000 ceiling by allowing five thousand more refugees to curb the heightening immigration crisis (Klobucista et al., 2022).
Later, during the Trump administration, there was a significant change in the number of refugee admissions. For instance, in 2020, the administration had planned to admit only 18,000 refugees, which was an all-time low since 1945 (Krogstad, 2020). With the current democratic president, Joe Biden, there are plans to reintroduce massive admission of refugees.
Problem Statement
Humanitarian Responsibility to Protect Persecuted Individuals
It is an ethical and moral obligation to help people who are persecuted and threatened by death. Therefore, taking in asylum seekers is a humanitarian attribute that the United States takes pride in. As indicated by Klobucista et al. (2022), the United States was the first country to receive refugee admissions during the Second World War, the Cold War, and the Holocaust.
Most of the refugees have suffered trauma and abuse during their migration (Merry et al., 2017). Yet, they are still more likely to suffer from discrimination and other stressful conditions in their host country. Their human rights are constantly threatened, and they may lose a sense of self-worth due to adverse life experiences. Therefore, it is only fair to help them find safety and heal from their trauma without making accusations and labeling them as terrorists or parasites.
Policy Challenges Arising from Public Opinion and Lawmaking
Remarkably, many laws are in place to help protect the rights of asylum seekers. As Kerwin (2018) explains, many refugees often appreciate the rule of law in the United States, given that they come from countries characterized by absence. The United States is a democratic country where all people’s opinions are considered.
For example, when making laws to reduce the number of refugees or remove the ban, people often consider their opinions. For instance, citizens who identify as Democrats or independents have a 74% chance of embracing the laws to increase refugees in the country, compared to 26% of Republicans who think the United States is not obligated to the immigration crisis (Krogstad, 2019). Therefore, such differences in opinions affect refugee policies and may become a problem for lawmakers.
Complications in Distinguishing Refugees from Immigrants
The other problem with the immigration crisis concerns the distinctions made and the different treatments. For instance, the Global Compact on Refugees, which was established in 2018, clearly distinguishes refugees and immigrants (Pijnenburg & Rijken, 2020). For a person to be recognized as a refugee, they must have proof of persecution based on political affiliation, race, or social group membership.
The immigrants and the refugees are entitled to universal human rights, which must be respected. However, specific international protections stipulated in the international refugee laws do not apply to immigrants (Pijnenburg & Rijken, 2020). In most cases, when the asylum seekers are in transit, it isn’t easy to differentiate between the groups. Moreover, such categorization causes some refugees to continue suffering when they are worthy of international relief assistance.
Cultural and Security Concerns Regarding Refugee Admission
In addition, some issues concern claims and worries that the refugee pause threatens the host country’s culture, security, and economic condition. Notably, Donald Trump sparked a debate after banning the admission of refugees from certain countries known to be Muslim-dominated (Klobucista et al., 2022). The underlying assumption was that the immigrants from that country were likely to propagate terrorist activities once they settled in the United States. Such debates are rooted in troubles, with some refugees remaining loyal to their home country.
The term Hyphenated-Americans has been used in the past to describe such people. There are fears that the refugees may come and transmit their values, religion, culture, and language (Merry et al., 2017). Therefore, in an endeavor to protect Americans, some people have argued that limiting the number of refugees settling in the United States is vital.
Economic Implications of Hosting Refugees
The economic burden that refugee admission can cause in the country is a cause for worry. For instance, Braithwaite et al. (2018) state that immigrants need food, shelter, medical attention, and other social services for a few years before settling. The government has to budget with taxpayer money to meet such demands.
Furthermore, most refugees are uneducated and may not be in a position to do professional jobs. They crowd the market with cheap and unskilled labor, which may compromise the quality and branding of a product. The refugees may also compete with the citizens for scarce job opportunities. Thus, each administration must always weigh such negative implications when planning to welcome new asylum seekers.
Conclusion
In conclusion, refugees flee from their host countries because they fear persecution. They differ from the immigrants who may relocate for reasons other than persecution. Since the end of World War II, the United States has been a haven for asylum seekers. However, the presence of refugees has been faced with strife as some administrations have viewed asylum seekers as posing security, economic, and cultural threats to the nation. Further investigations need to be conducted to solve such problems and enhance tolerance.
References
Braithwaite, A., Salehyan, I., & Savun, B. (2018). Refugees, forced migration, and conflict: Introduction to the special issue. Journal of Peace Research, 56(1), 5-11. Web.
Kerwin, D. (2018). The US refugee resettlement program — A return to first principles: How refugees help to define, strengthen, and revitalize the United States. Web.
Klobucista, C., McBride, J., & Roy, D. (2022). How does the U.S. refugee system work? Council on Foreign Relations. Web.
Krogstad, J. M. (2020). Key facts about refugees to the U.S. Pew Research Center. Web.
Merry, L., Pelaez, S., & Edwards, N. C. (2017). Refugees, asylum-seekers and undocumented migrants and the experience of parenthood: A synthesis of the qualitative literature. Globalization and Health, 13(1). Web.
Pijnenburg, A., & Rijken, C. (2020). Moving beyond refugees and migrants: Reconceptualising the rights of people on the move. Interventions, 23(2), 273-293. Web.
Refugees in America. (2022). The International Rescue Committee. Web.