Author: Veronica Charalambous

In light of the recent racist and Islamophobic demonstrations in the United Kingdom, as well as the solidarity counter-protests organized by anti-racist initiatives such as Stand Up To Racism under slogans such as “Refugees Welcome,” it has become evident that the war against migration is intensifying. The rise of far-right political forces in many countries is fueling a public discourse that portrays migration as a threat and migrants as a problem to be managed.

Within this climate, a dangerous distinction is being constructed between “good” and “bad” migration. The “good” migrant is often portrayed as white, European, and culturally familiar. In contrast, the “bad” migrant is associated with people from Africa, the Middle East, or other regions of the Global South. As a result, acceptance of migration is no longer based on recognition of shared human dignity, but rather on criteria such as race, origin, and economic utility.

The Western world has assumed the role of determining what constitutes “proper” or “legal” migration, imposing strict conditions on who is entitled to move and under what circumstances. In her book “The Ungrateful Refugee”, Dina Nayeri describes how refugees are constantly required to prove that they deserve protection, that the reasons for their displacement are sufficiently compelling, and that they are grateful to the countries that receive them. Rather than being treated as individuals with fundamental rights, they are often reduced to petitioners seeking recognition of their very existence.

The reasons that compel a person to leave their home, family, and homeland require little explanation. Whether driven by war, political persecution, extreme poverty, environmental disasters, or a lack of prospects, migration is almost always a difficult and painful decision. Yet a person’s need to seek safety, dignity, and better living conditions should not require constant justification, particularly before states and international structures that have often contributed, historically or economically, to creating the very conditions from which these individuals are trying to escape.

In his work “Illegal Immigration as Resistance to Global Poverty”, Gwilym David Blunt argues that irregular migration can be understood as a form of resistance to a global system that produces and perpetuates inequality and poverty. According to this perspective, migration is not merely an act of survival but also a claim to self-determination. Blunt further emphasizes that wealthy states have a responsibility not to support or benefit from international institutions that contribute to systematic human rights violations.

The distinction between “legal” and “irregular” migrants is often conflated with a moral distinction between “good” and “bad” people. However, the fact that someone was unable to follow official migration procedures does not mean that their reasons for migrating are any less legitimate. In most cases, those who move without the necessary documentation would choose a safe and legal route if one were genuinely available. Marginalizing people because they lacked the means or opportunities to migrate legally is a deeply hypocritical stance in a world where millions of people have been, are, or will become migrants at some point in their lives.

Migration has been a defining feature of human history throughout the ages. Societies, cities, cultures, civilizations, and everyday lives have been shaped through population movements, exchanges of ideas, and interactions between diverse communities. Multiculturalism does not weaken societies. It enriches them. Fears about the “erosion” of culture or threats to national identity are often rooted more in political narratives than in empirical reality. Even when social challenges emerge, the protection of an abstract notion of national purity cannot outweigh the fundamental rights of people seeking safety, freedom, and a dignified life.

Recognizing migration as a fundamental human freedom does not imply the abolition of borders or the absence of migration management policies. It does, however, require that every discussion about migration begin with a basic principle: no human being is illegal, and human dignity does not depend on the passport one holds or the country in which one was born.

The project “Towards an open, fair and sustainable Europe in the world – EU Presidency Project 2024-2026” is co-funded by the European Union and implemented by Global Focus, Grupa Zagranica, CARDET, and CONCORD, the European Confederation of NGOs working on sustainable development and international cooperation. Project Number: 2024 / 459-484. The contents of this publication are the sole responsibility of CARDET and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union.

Foteini Sokratous,
Project Manager, CARDET

The article was published at the PolicyPress.