The Ukraine refugee crisis revealed deep-seated racism as racialized and Black refugees from Ukraine were treated differently. They also found that eligible voters favored refugees with higher employability. Bulgarian Prime Minister Kiril Petkov recently drew a distinct line between the two groups, justifying differential treatment and fostering a sense of Ukrainian exceptionalism: Underscoring this justification is Islamophobia; Ukrainian refugees are primarily Christian, while refugees from Syria and North Africa are mostly Muslim. Witnessing how Palestinian refugees have become caught in a state of permanent displacement, many Syrians are careful to disassociate themselves from the refugee identity. Why aren't all refugees treated like Ukrainian refugees? Guinean student Moustapha Bagui Sylla recalled, They stopped us at the border and told us that Blacks were not allowed. HERIKA MARTINEZ/AFP/Getty Images. Most are Ukrainians, but some are students . While we do not know the specific educational and skill profile of the now over 3 million Ukrainians who have fled, urban Ukrainians tend to have higher skill levels than other middle-income countries. Since being forced to wait one additional year for the asylum decisions lowers the probability of being employed by about 4.9 percentage points'' due to skills atrophy and demoralization, it is more difficult for non-Ukrainian refugees to integrate into the workforce. Masses of refugees from Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Somalia, Yemen, and elsewhere have faced racially motivated hostility in. Moving forward, these new policies and attitudes towards people seeking refuge should be the norm . It is not enough for them simply to stay alive. (Image credit: Michele Tantussi /Getty Images), as the largest humanitarian crisis Europe has seen since World War II, were more likely to reject Muslim applicants, Swiss voters denying citizenship to Muslim applicants, fearing and discriminating against increasing numbers of Muslims in their midst, only a small share of the migrants there expressed an interest in reaching Europe, urban Ukrainians tend to have higher skill levels than other middle-income countries, Stanford scholar explores the impact of racial stress on Black youth. I need ammunition, not a ride from the war-torn streets of Kyiv, Zelensky has become a vocal, defiant defender of democracy and civil liberties, while Putin has trampled Russians freedoms, invaded a sovereign nation, and authorized countless war crimes in Ukraine. 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. At a time when Western states are highly concerned with maintaining influence in the Middle Eastern debacle, excluding people from their shores seems ill-advised. Religion is a key factor influencing attitudes toward refugees. According to DR's calculations, the distance from Denmark's border with Germany to the Ukraine-Poland border is 1,270 kilometres, and to the Syria-Turkey border 3,760 . In addition, they pose a health threat because some refugees come from. The Century Foundation In responding to refugee crises and surges in asylum applications, the EU has struggled to maintain unity and solidarity among member states. Editor's note: Last year, thousands of asylum seekers and migrants from the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia found themselves used as pawns in a political showdown between Belarus and the EU: stuck in a dense forest along the Polish-Belarusian border and pushed back and forth by security services as temperatures plummeted below zero. 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. Similarly, as many EU members have already acknowledged, it is neither fair nor sustainable to let Mediterranean frontier states such as Greece and Italy, already crumpling under financial debt, host the bulk of the incoming asylum seekers. In the first of these investigations, they used a sample of 55 male and 121 female psychology students (average age of 32 years). 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. 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? But research suggests some approaches can help communities successfully absorb all kinds of refugees Analysis by Claire. If the U.S. can orchestrate a historic airlift of Afghan refugees in the midst of a pandemic, we cannot use Covid as an excuse to turn away those seeking protection at our southern border. Eastern Europe is treating Ukrainians better than Syrians and Afghansbut giving people the means to resist is the only way to prevent future crises. In The Telegraph, Daniel Hannan wrote an article about Ukraine that led, they seem so like us. I thought about the tens of thousands of refugees fleeing Ukraine and the tens of thousands of refugees who have had to flee their homes in Central America, Mexico and other parts of Latin. In a survey of almost 20,000 Europeans across 15 countries in 2016, my IPL colleagues found a strong anti-Muslim bias. The arrival of Afghan refugees, including some whose status is not materially different from asylum-seekers, proves this. . Media outlets therefore play a decisive role in how Europeans view asylum seekers. In a survey of almost 20,000 Europeans across 15 countries in 2016, my IPL colleagues found a strong anti-Muslim bias. Currently, Ukrainians benefit from the unprecedented implementation of the Temporary Protection Directive, which allows Ukrainian refugees to reside, seek employment, and attend school in the EU for three years, no official asylum approval necessary. 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. 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. "Countries that had been really negative on the refugee issue and have made it very difficult for the EU to develop coherent refugee policy over the last decade, suddenly come forward with a much . Its an undertaking thats demonstrated the ability of the U.S. government to bring tens of thousands of refugees to safety in America and marshal local resources to help them resettle in their new home. It is not enough for them simply to stay alive. Public policy in the EU and discussions of Dublin Convention reform have been marred by misunderstandings. 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. Arash Emamzadeh attended the University of British Columbia in Canada, where he studied genetics and psychology. Ibrahim. Millions of Ukrainians are living in unimaginable terror; but thankfully the countrys refugees will face a more accommodating Europe than did those who sought similar protection a decade earlier. They want to work and maintain their dignity, not just be refugees.. (Image credit: Michele Tantussi /Getty Images). She is interested in comparative politics, immigration law, and German. In contrast, non-Ukrainian refugees have been physically assaulted by Polish and Belarussian patrolmen; left to freeze in the winter; detained in unhygienic camps in Greece; trapped in limbo between Poland and Belarus; assaulted with tear gas and water cannons near the Greece-Turkey border; and bombarded with xenophobic and anti-migrant rhetoric, especially in Poland, Hungary, and Slovakia. The Italian government has at times closed its ports to foreign boats carrying rescued migrants. show that asylum centers tend to isolate residents. Media coverage of the invasion is part of the reason. Stanford, California 94305. EuroNews Trevor Noah has slammed the double-standard between how African and Middle Eastern refugees are treated when fleeing to Europe in comparison to Ukrainians who are currently fleeing their country due to the Russian invasion. For example, Ukrainians and Poles are fast-tracked across the border near Medyka, Poland, while everyone else must wait 14 to 50 hours to cross. are at risk of torture, or cruel or unusual punishment in their home countries. Many are living with so-called foster families and are being exploited . Psychology Today 2023 Sussex Publishers, LLC. 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. 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. Free visas to the EU. The act allowed approximately 190,000 refugees, escapees, and expellees to arrive in the United States before the legislation . In 2016, Hungarian leader Viktor Orbn described migration as a poison, yet he recently exclaimed that Ukrainians are welcomed by friends in Hungary. EU nationseven those with notorious anti-migrant sentimentshave opened their arms and borders to Ukrainian refugees with unprecedented generosity. Does a Dog's Head Shape Predict How Smart It Is? The consequences are devastating, as reports of violence and insecurity in their countries of origin, along transit routes and in Mexico abound. NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. As anthropologist Miriam Ticktin has documented, some even infect themselves with deadly diseases to gain protection as HIV-positive patients and thereby gain residence. "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. A further 133,000 have gone to Hungary, 72,000 to Slovakia, 51,260 to Romania, and nearly 98,000 . With the recent mass shooting in Germany, some people are again asking why anybody would hate refugees and aliens (i.e. How do you anticipate Ukrainians experience will unfold compared to that of asylees from Syria or North Africa? In the past year, a record-high 65 million people have been displaced worldwide, including more than one million people who crossed borders into the European Union while thousands more died on the way. 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 other words, the choice presented to the Lebanese people by . Lest we forget, barrel bombs are not the only threat to life. Copyright 2022 NPR. Since 9/11, far-right terrorists have killed more people in the United States than Islamic jihadists. It took three. And the results again showed support for the six threat types. But we could see White people going through. A Nigerian student added, Theyre pushing us back just because were Black!Were all humanThey should not discriminate against us because of the colour of our skin. Racism against POC fleeing Ukraine exposes differential treatment even among refugees fleeing the same conflict, suggesting that European solidarity is skin-deep. 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. That's what makes it so shocking. All rights reserved. the population growth among the working age has increased while unemployment has decreased. Turkey, a crucial political ally in the region already overburdened with hosting almost three million Syrian refugees and managing a failing security sector, is not well-fit to host additional people.Sundays incidentwhen Turkish security guards shot and killed eleven Syrian refugees attempting to cross the Syria-Turkey borderis only the latest stark example of Turkeys inability to protect incoming migrants. Andrew Limbong, NPR News. We want to hear what you THINK. 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. European Journal of Social Psychology, 49(7), 1401-1420. Religion is a key factor influencing attitudes toward refugees. Former German Chancellor Angela Merkelwidely hailed as a champion of refugee rightsfunded Turkeys refugee camps so that President Erdoan would hinder the passage of refugees into Greece, an EU member. Iraq is reclaiming territory and yet faces internal conflict and a long road to recovery. This clear binary extends to Zelensky and Putin. The Refugee Act is a federal immigration law that was adopted in 1980. Furthermore, semantics matter. LIMBONG: Mahdis Keshavarz is a board member with the Arab and Middle Eastern Journalists Association, which put out a statement criticizing this framing, which Keshavarz says relies on old tropes. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR. 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