*Disclaimer: Refugee Experiences May Vary Depending on Country of Origin, Skin Color, or Religion*
By: Melissa Frasco
Since the last article I wrote on Ukraine there have been more developments concerning the refugee situation. To the point where now Ukrainians and Russians are arriving to the U.S. - Mexico Border in increasing numbers, all fleeing Putin’s war on Ukraine. For the general public it is more than clear why Ukrainians are fleeing, but for Russians it is more complicated. For Russians at the border one women described how she fled with her family after she spent a week in jail for protesting the war on Ukraine. Europeans at the U.S. – Mexico Border is not a new phenomenon but, the numbers are surging now more than ever. What I would like to take a closer look at is the treatment of recent European arrivals versus prior arrivals from Latin American and other countries.
First, I must explain that this is a horrific situation at the border where all refugees are subject to numerous forms of dehumanization, lack of basic needs (shelter, food, water), and human rights violations. Second, all of those at the border are refugees, there should no hierarchy comparing one refugee experience to another. My third point is that the U.S. immigration system is inherently unequal and therefore treats refugees unequally. Lastly, I will be referring to all of those at the border as refugees, as often refugees are allotted certain assistance and status as opposed to migrants. For those referred to as migrants or, economic migrants as the United States often uses, little is done to protect them. For example, how many times have you heard a reporter on television refer to group as “Central American Refugees” or “Latin American Refugees”? These words simply do not roll off the tongue, because in mainstream media (aside from the occasional discussion of political refugees) does not present Latin Americans as refugees. (To learn more about the refugee and migrant binary I highly recommend Rebecca Hamlin’s book Crossing: How We Label and React to People on the Move.)
If we are going to discuss the presence of European refugees at the U.S. – Mexico border we must discuss the positionality between newly arrived Ukrainians, Russians, and the typically pre-existing Latin American migrants. There is not much data available at the moment on how many Ukrainians have been accepted, however it is obvious that Ukrainian refugees are entering the United States through the same border that has refused the majority of Latin Americans. One report stated that Ukrainians were waiting one day and then are being connected with volunteers until they cross into the United States. Many Ukrainian and Russian speaking U.S. citizens have gone to the border as volunteers to help communicate with the new refugees. As for Russians fleeing Putin’s reign, they have been told to find migrant shelters until their case can be considered for asylum. As for many Latin Americans who have been left for months waiting for their asylum cases to be heard there seems to be no urgency at all to process their papers. With this ongoing refugee crisis at the border there are going to be more opportunities for the U.S. to show how they welcome some refugees and exclude others. There should be no hierarchy of refugee experiences, but with the likelihood of the refugee experiences being played out unequally we must keep a critical eye on how refugees are treated when coming to the United States.
Duenes, J., Solomon, D. B., & Cooke, K. (2022, April 2). Camp of Ukrainians at the U.S.-Mexico border swells, as more refugees arrive. Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/world/camp-ukrainians-us-mexico-border-swells-more-refugees-arrive-2022-04-01/
Hamlin, R. (2021). Crossing: How we label and react to people on the move. Stanford University Press.
Solomon, D. B. (2022, March 19). Stuck at Mexico border, anti-war Russians sweat their futures as Ukrainians enter U.S. Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/world/stuck-mexico-border-anti-war-russians-sweat-their-futures-ukrainians-enter-us-2022-03-19/
US allows Ukrainians fleeing war into the country through Mexico. (n.d.). Retrieved April 12, 2022, from https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/3/17/us-allows-ukrainians-fleeing-war-into-country-through-mexico