When voting on immigration policy, we must take the human element into account

Immigration policy has been a hot topic in presidential races for decades and continues to be covered daily on social media and mainstream news outlets.

There’s a lot of hate there – a lot of anger, a lot of fear. And little understanding. A voting population that doesn’t realize that “immigration” can’t be captured by the one-tiered approach that dominates the media is missing out on nuance. What I mean here is the history of immigrants: bringing drugs and violence, trying to take advantage of social services financed by American taxpayers, and “stealing American jobs.”

When politicians talk about immigration policy in debates, how does that policy really work? When people are allowed into the US, where do they go? When we hear “immigrant”, “asylum seeker” and “refugee”, how do we understand the differences between these terms?

Each of these labels covers the very different realities in which we live. An “immigrant” is a person who comes to a country to settle permanently. This includes people who move in search of employment and education opportunities, but it also includes people fleeing persecution in their home country.

An immigrant may move for many reasons: to take a better-paid job and to support a family; educational and employment opportunities; or because they like this country. However, they may also move because they are refugees and do not feel safe in their country. It’s probably not a choice.

Many people disagree with the policy of allowing such people to enter the US. They may subscribe to the rhetoric that immigrants are taking American jobs or causing problems for them, and that their governments should address their civil, economic and social problems. Others acknowledge that this is unlikely, but still believe that these people should go to countries other than the US to take advantage of such opportunities. While this may be feasible for some, it is not an option for everyone.

It is important to understand that not all people who immigrate to the United States have the opportunity to actually live anywhere else, the ability to perform necessary daily tasks without threats to their lives. “Refugees and asylum seekers” means a group of persons persecuted on the basis of race, religion, nationality, political opinion or membership of a particular social group, including sexual orientation and participation in political life. These people face unimaginable horrors every day, simply because they live in their countries. The distinction between immigrants seeking better opportunities and refugees fleeing persecution is often overlooked. This distinction is important. For many, US policy is a matter of life or death.

When we talk about allowing people into the country, we should clearly distinguish between those who are able to lead a life in their home countries and those whose lives are at risk and for whom it is impossible to seek refuge in a country other than the US. Many of these people have no intention of moving to this country permanently, although ongoing violence may force them to do so. Most of them would prefer to stay at home if it was safe to do so because traveling itself is dangerous. Over the last 10 years over 63,000 people died or disappeared while migrating to another country. Despite the shocking statistics, people who decide to make this journey believe that they are putting themselves at greater risk by staying in their country than by taking the risk of fleeing.

As voting U.S. citizens consider immigration policy, we must be clear about the consequences for those affected by those policies. A closed-door asylum policy means a very different thing to people than restrictions on student or work visas (although both reasons for immigration are important and can change people’s lives). It is important to see asylum as a different type of migration – one based on humanitarian reasons. The ability to apply for asylum is a human right. Whatever our position on immigration for work or education, it is our responsibility to protect this right.