Perhaps in the future, when people look back at this time in human history, migration will be seen as one of the major features of global politics. Though it may not seem like it now, due to how contentious discussions about migrations have become, in reality, human beings have been migrating constantly throughout our existence. History is filled with stories of how people packed up their bags and left their homelands in search of greener pastures elsewhere.
So, the high levels of migration we are witnessing today is really not new at all. One could argue it is really a continuation of what humans have been doing for millennia. Many countries around the world today were formed as a result of high levels of migration, such as the nations in the Americas. It is estimated that between the years 1492 and 1930, more than 60 million Europeans immigrated to the Americas and formed many of the nations present today in North and South America.
The United States of America is typically referred to as a ‘nation of immigrants’ due to the high levels of migration towards America that has been taking place over centuries now. The quintessential ‘American dream’ often involves the depiction of an immigrant family arriving in the United States and creating a life for themselves and for their next generations to come.
It is such a feature of the American story that even inscribed on the Statue of Liberty is a poem about migrants, stating: “Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”
However, all around the world, migration has become a very contentious political issue. Countries that had formerly been open to accepting high numbers of migrant populations have begun to reverse course. And this is not just a phenomenon, taking place in developed countries, either. Anti-immigrant sentiment is on the rise all over. Though they may not receive as much attention as developed nations, there are many developing nations that take on large numbers of migrants as well.
Whether they are fleeing conflict and/or percussion, or they are in search of better economic opportunities, there are many desperate people migrating all around the world. Particularly with those of us from developing nations. Decades of corruption and economic mismanagement by our governments have left many without any real prospect for the future.
As a result, so many people are often willing to make the effort to move abroad in search of a better life, whether it be through conventional means or unconventional means. If you are looking at a country like Nigeria, my home nation, the widespread corruption present within our governing institutions has left our country in a dire state. Poverty and even famine among our population has become widespread. Normal civilians are dependent on aid from other nations because our politicians are more concerned about enriching themselves than serving their people.
As a result, millions of Nigerians have left over the years in search of better lives abroad. Even I grew up outside Nigeria. The sad reality is that the same goes for most countries around Africa. The image people had for many of our countries following independence has failed to realise itself. In many cases, what followed colonial rule instead of experiencing prosperity has been corrupt, self-serving governments that have stunted the growth potential of our countries.
As a result, what you often notice in migrant communities is that they are often some of the most industrious and grateful people in the countries they arrive in, because they typically have a greater sense of appreciation for the opportunities present to them which they lacked in their homelands.
That’s not to say that every immigrant who arrives in a country will always be a good, hard-working individual. Because in any community you would have bad actors, that’s just how life is. Coupled with the fact that it can be very difficult for countries to do things like background checks on migrants who may arrive by crossing a border or arriving on a boat. So undoubtedly there are instances where criminal networks or gangs have formed, made up of individuals from migrant backgrounds.
However, it is definitely the case that crimes committed by migrants tend to receive an outsized amount of coverage compared to crimes by non-migrants, which can give off an impression that there are higher levels of crime among migrant communities. Or even worse, in many cases we have seen entire populations of people being demonised as a result of actions of a few individuals.
This exact scenario is playing out right now in the United States towards Haitian migrants. This came to a head during the US presidential debate after Donald Trump claimed that migrants are abducting and eating the pets of Americans in Springfield, Ohio. These racist remarks by the former US president set off a storm of racist content directed at Haitians all over social media.
“They’re eating the dogs. They’re eating the cats. They’re eating the pets of the people that live there,”
Donald Trump during the US presidential debate.
While the statements made by Donald Trump are shocking, they are sadly not surprising. He has had a long history of demonising immigrants in such a manner. This is the same person who referred to migrants coming in from Mexico as “rapists,” when he infamously stated, “They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists. And some, I assume, are good people.”
This kind of xenophobia is a sentiment I will never quite understand. If people are interested in reducing the number of immigrants entering their country or securing their nation’s borders, that is well within their prerogative. However, I will never understand the need for people to do so by demonising migrants in such a manner. I know why politicians do it; they are seeking to sow fear in the electorate to garner votes.
Throughout this election, Donald Trump has made migration a big part of his campaign. He has claimed throughout the last few years that millions of terrorists and drug dealers have been pouring into the United States throughout the term of the Biden administration. He has claimed that if he is elected again, he would move forward with the largest amount of deportations of asylum seekers America has ever witnessed.
Trump has even gone as far as to say that if he is not re-elected, America could be lost forever to the migrant ‘invasion’ that he claims has taken place over the last four years. So this kind of fear mongering over migration is not even necessarily new for Trump, it is part and parcel of the kind of message he has been spreading for years at this stage. And Haitian migrants have just been the latest victim of this kind of fear mongering around immigration.