Issue 1: June 1, 2020
We hope that you are healthy, safe, and well. We recognize that our world is anything but normal right now. Stay-at-home orders and reopening procedures, distance learning and virtual extracurriculars, the risks of going to work, financial hardship, and countless other results of the COVID-19 pandemic have dramatically disrupted our day to day lives.
However, it is important to remember that the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic is a global battle. This crisis affects all of us because the virus does not discriminate. Though many of us can self-quarantine in our homes and protect ourselves from the virus, many people cannot. Some of these people are refugees--people who already lived with immense challenges before COVID-19 existed.
Refugees around the world need help now more than ever because of this situation. The pandemic has only exacerbated their struggles, making it even harder to access essential items such as food, medication, healthcare, shelter, and clean water. It has also resulted in domestic abuse, human trafficking, and forced labor within refugee settlements.
We decided to publish this monthly newsletter because we believe that education and awareness is the first step towards social change. We recognize that humanitarian issues are, by nature, not rooted in partisan politics. Rather than endorse a political party, leader, or policy, our goal is to shed light on parts of the narrative that have not been told before to educate our audience about the daunting challenges millions face and why it matters. We hope that with each issue, we can help paint a broader and more complete picture of refugees for you.
United States Changes Immigration Policy in Response to COVID-19
By Andrew and Avery
United States immigration and refugee policy has shifted dramatically and swiftly in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. On January 31st, 2020 the Secretary of Health and Human services retroactively declared that a public health emergency began on January 27th, 2020.
On the same day of this declaration, as a result of the Wuhan outbreak, President Trump announced that most people who had been in China within the previous 2 weeks would not be allowed in the United States. This was effective on February 2nd, 2020. According to the World Health Organization, within the People’s Republic of China, there were 776 known cases on January 27th.
This restriction, which will stay in effect indefinitely, halts all travel from China with the exception of American citizens and their relatives, health care workers who needed to travel for reasons related COVID-19, and people for whom the Secretary of State deems travel important for US national interests.
The same travel restriction was applied to Iran on February 29th, 2020. That day, there were roughly 600 confirmed cases in Iran. According to the UNHCR, there are at least 1 million refugees from various countries currently in Iran.
In response to the WHO designating the COVID-19 outbreak to be a global pandemic, the US applied similar travel restrictions to Schengen Europe on March 11th, 2020. On March 14th, 2020, these restrictions were extended to the United Kingdom and Ireland. On March 24th, 2020, these restrictions were further extended to include Brazil, which is seen as a developing virus hotspot.
Policy Changes
On February 24th, 2020, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) “implemented the Inadmissibility on Public Charge Grounds final rule,” according to a DHS written announcement. The final rule requires the DHS to review a potential immigrant’s application for factors such as their age, health, family status, assets, education, skills, and financial status, among other criteria, to determine whether the potential immigrant “is likely at any time to become a public charge.” According to a DHS press release, an “alien” who has collected one or more public benefits for more than 12 months within any 26-month period is defined as a “public charge.”
Refugees often flee their country with very few possessions. Many are also uneducated. Even so, these people look for countries where they can restart their life, doing meaningful work to benefit the greater society. The U.S. is one of these
On March 18th, 2020, United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) suspended “routine in-person services” until or beyond June 4 to help reduce the spread of COVID-19. The USCIS is continuing operations that do not require face-to-face contact and will still provide “emergency services in limited situations,” according to a written statement.
On April 22, 2020, the White House released a proclamation suspending the entry of immigrants who do not have an effective visa or an official travel document besides a visa.
There are, however, exceptions to this policy. According to the proclamation,
countries, which has continually let in thousands of refugees and displaced people. Although controlling the flow of migrants is important, rejecting a potential immigrant’s application or a refugee’s application because they are a potential “public charge” limits a refugee’s asylum options and potentially places them in serious danger.
members of the military and healthcare workers committed to “perform work essential to combating… or alleviating effects of the COVID-19 outbreak” and their immediate family may still be issued visas if they apply for one. Consular officers, a type of foreign service officer, have full discretion over whether potential immigrants apply to one of these exceptions. Anybody who the Secretary of State deems as beneficial to US national interests or “law enforcement objectives” are exempt from this suspension.
Many refugees intend to resettle in the United States. In the 2019 fiscal year, the US admitted and resettled 30,000 refugees, according to a UNHCR fact sheet. However, the 2020 fiscal year’s numbers will likely be much lower, given the pandemic’s travel restrictions and economic effects.
Refugees need a safe home. Although the travel restrictions that the United States and other nations have imposed are important in order to minimize the number of coronavirus cases around the globe, they also leave refugees stuck in dangerous situations without safe places to go. We must recognize and address the challenges that all people face during this global pandemic, not only the challenges of our fellow citizens.
Ongoing Pandemic Influences International Responses to Refugee Crisis
By Diya and Xander
The COVID-19 pandemic has ravaged the globe, and as refugees continue to flee their home countries, other nations have been forced to adapt.
Bangladesh
After months at sea, two boats carrying around 500 Rohingya refugees were sent to “Thengar Char,” a cyclone-prone island in Bangladesh, according to the United Nations refugee agency.
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According to a UNHCR press release, UNHCR spokesperson Louis Donovan expressed concern about the safety of the island considering its tendency to experience harsh weather and the risk of the spread of COVID-19 at the island’s refugee settlements. On May 14th, the government of Bangladesh confirmed the first case of the virus among the refugee population in Cox’s Bazar,
Bangladesh in the Kutupalong refugee settlement. UNHCR spokesperson Andrej Mahecic explained that the refugee settlements in Bangladesh and the surrounding Bangladeshi communities are considered to be among the most at risk globally in this pandemic, according to a UNHCR press release.
Mahecic expressed concerns about how quickly the virus may spread, as there are approximately 860,000 Rohingya Refugees in the settlement and 400,000 Bangladeshis who live in the surrounding communities. United Nations data shows that there is limited health, water, and sanitation infrastructure present in refugee settlements in Bangladesh.
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Democratic Republic of the Congo
Data from the UNHCR and the International Organization for Migration indicates that since December 2019, violent acts by armed groups in the Democratic Republic of the Congo have forced millions to flee. Five million people in the DRC have been displaced, including 1.2 million in the Ituri province. The UNHCR has has estimated that fifty violent attacks on civilians occur each day including acts of rape, murder, and property destruction.
Due to the Covid-19 outbreak, people in the DRC also have fewer income opportunities, and food prices have increased. The pandemic has also slowed down the already difficult initiative to build more camps and develop more infrastructure for the growing numbers of refugees.
Portugal
According to the Portuguese Council of Ministry, Minister of State and the Presidency Mariana Vieira da Silva explained the Portuguese government has granted all asylum seekers and immigrants with residence applications temporary “regularization” until June 30th, 2020. This policy gives these people the same access to public health care and social security benefits as citizens of Portugal. Portugal has implemented significant travel restrictions but has also committed to welcoming 500 unaccompanied minors in the coming months. The first 25 are scheduled to arrive in the first half of June, according to recent government statements.
Mexico and Latin America
In Mexico, according to statements from government officials, the registration of new asylum claims have been designated to be an essential task, so the claims have continued to be processed during the coronavirus pandemic.
The UNHCR announced that they and La Comisión Mexicana de Ayuda a Refugiados (The Mexican Commission of Refugee Aid) have been working together to fully move the registration and processing online.
Mexican immigration authorities also announced that they would release all detained migrants and asylum seekers to prevent the spread of Covid-19 within the detention centers.
As a result of having limited resources, many Internally Displaced People (IDPs) in other Latin American countries have been breaking quarantine rules, endangering their health, safety, and well being. The national and local governments of many Latin American countries have done little in response.
Nonprofit organizations are working to assist these people with shelter, healthcare resources, and cash-based assistance. However, according to a UNHCR press release, UNHCR spokesperson Shabia Mantoo expressed that these efforts have not been enough, and more must be done moving forward to help Latin American IDPs.
The Female Fight: A Closer Look at the Unique Struggles of Female Refugees
By Maya and Wongel
Refugees are already fighting difficult battles - anti-immigration policies from various governments, starvation, harsh geography and climate, etc. However, female refugees face an even broader set of challenges. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, their challenges have only become more complex.
COVID has put many working women, including those without documentation, out of jobs. According to the UNHCR, this forces women into “survival sex,” exchanging sex for basic necessities, or child marriages. There are often no other options they have to support themselves. A lack of exposure and resources exacerbate struggles and make it impossible to learn about help.
In order to halt the spread of the virus, almost every country has implemented some form of a lockdown. These procedures have resulted in a global spike of domestic violence because quarantine restricts movement and makes even temporary escape impossible.
In quarantine, women become trapped with abusive partners. According to the Gender and COVID-19 Working Group, isolation enables acts of intimate partner violence, even under normal circumstances.
Furthermore, the pandemic has caused significant economic hardship, and many domestic violence shelters are either full or closed, depriving women of temporary safe havens. Numerous social service organizations have stopped working because of a lack of funds as well.
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This pandemic has caused the breakdown of economic and social infrastructure, making many legal, security, and governance structures dysfunctional. This breakdown exposes women to more dangerous environments, so they are at a higher risk of facing sexual violence, especially in refugee settlements.
Organizations such as the United Nations Population Fund strive to provide information regarding sexual and reproductive health to young
women and girls, including refugees. The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) offers “psychosocial counseling to migrant volunteers, as well as training to provide assistance in the sensitive areas of sexual and reproductive healthand gender-based violence.”
Despite the immense challenges refugee women face, they are more than capable of contributing to the economy. According to a joint report by the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security and the International Rescue Committee (IRC), if there were no longer gender gaps in employment and earnings in the top 30 refugee-hosting countries, refugee women could contribute to the annual global GDP by at least $5 billion and by as much as $1.4 trillion.
Female refugees everywhere are in desperate need of help. When new, specific challenges like COVID-19 arise, these difficulties are exacerbated. This pandemic has made situations for female refugees worse, and it has forced us to give these realities the attention they deserve. Governments around the world must take steps towards solutions. By talking about this with your friends and family or lobbying your government officials, you can help spread awareness about the dire situations female refugees face.
If you or someone you know is a victim of domestic violence or abuse, you can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or text LOVEIS to 1-866-331-9474