The Collision of a Refugee and Health Crisis

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Published:
May 21, 2020

LBJ In the Arena: May 20, 2020

 

An unprecedented global migration crisis has now collided with the COVID-19 pandemic. How do the most vulnerable — those fleeing persecution, climate catastrophes and the protection of fundamental rights — navigate a world upended by a global public health crisis? Eric Schwartz, the president of Refugees International, joins the LBJ School's Dr. Ruth Wasem, one of the nation's foremost immigration experts, for a moderated conversation on the intersection of human migration within a pandemic reality.

 

Deeper Dive

Mobility in the Time of COVID-19: 14 Principles of Protection
Zolberg Institute of Migration and Mobility, 2020
In responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, many states have taken harsh and unprecedented measures against migrants, refugees and other displaced persons. Actions taken to control and prevent the spread of the virus and to ameliorate the massive harms inflicted by the pandemic must be consistent with established international human rights norms. These norms – including those of non-discrimination, rights to health and to information, due process and non-return to risks of serious harm — apply to all persons, irrespective of their immigration status.

COVID-19 and the Displaced: Addressing the Threat of the Novel Coronavirus in Humanitarian Emergencies
Refugees International, Issue Brief, March 30, 2020
The scale and speed of the pandemic underscore how deeply interconnected the world's populations are. Nevertheless, at precisely the moment when global solidarity and cooperation are essential, many nations are turning inward as they seek to protect their citizens. But a virus does not respect borders. Nor does it discriminate. A truly effective response, not to mention a morally correct one, also must not discriminate. Certainly, many of the challenges that displaced people face will be shared by vulnerable and marginalized citizens in every country affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. However, we must recognize the unique circumstances of refugees, asylum seekers, IDPs and other forced migrants in light of the threat an outbreak presents.

Refugee and Migrant Health in the COVID-19 Response
Hans Henri P Kluge, Zsuzsanna Jakab, Jozef Bartovic, Veronika D'Anna and Santino Severon, The Lancet, Vol. 395, April 18, 2020
Measures to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic are a focus of communities in countries, but preparedness plans should consider refugees and migrants and their needs. Evidence shows that this vulnerable population has a low risk of transmitting communicable diseases to host populations in general. However, refugees and migrants are potentially at increased risk of contracting diseases, including COVID-19, because they typically live in overcrowded conditions without access to basic sanitation. The ability to access health-care services in humanitarian settings is usually compromised and exacerbated by shortages of medicines and lack of health-care facilities. Moreover, refugees typically face administrative, financial, legal, and language barriers to access the health system.

Letter to Secretary Azar and Director Redfield from public health experts
May 18, 2020
"We urge the CDC and Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to withdraw — not extend or expand indefinitely — this policy and instead direct U.S. officials to use rational, evidence-based public health measures to safeguard both the health of the public and the lives of adults, families and unaccompanied children seeking asylum and other protection. The nation's public health laws should not be used as a pretext for overriding humanitarian laws and treaties that provide life-saving protections to refugees seeking asylum and unaccompanied children."

COVID-19 migration-related developments
Center for Migration Studies, 2020
This page summarizes U.S. and global COVID-19 migration-related developments. It includes policy developments, CMS policy analysis, research and dispatches about coronavirus.

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Resources
Migration Policy Institute, 2020
Governments around the world have turned to migration management tools — such as border closures, travel restrictions and bars on asylum — initially in hopes of keeping COVID-19 from entering their countries, and later as part of a wider suite of mobility restrictions to contain the spread. These fast-moving policy changes, some likely to be short-term, others leaving a permanent mark on immigration systems, are being analyzed by MPI and MPI Europe researchers. All research and analysis they generate on point to the coronavirus pandemic is gathered here.

The Global Compact on Refugees
UN High Commissioner for Refugees, December 2018
The Global Compact on Refugees is a framework for more predictable and equitable responsibility-sharing, recognizing that a sustainable solution to refugee situations cannot be achieved without international cooperation. It provides a blueprint for governments, international organizations, and other stakeholders to ensure that host communities get the support they need and that refugees can lead productive lives. It constitutes a unique opportunity to transform the way the world responds to refugee situations, benefiting both refugees and the communities that host them.

The Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework: A Commentary
Randall Hansen, Journal of Refugee Studies, V. 31, No. 2, 2018
This article examines the Global Compact on Refugees—a UNHCR-led effort following recommendations by the United Nations. The article reviews the progress to date, focusing in particular on Annex I of the 2016 New York Declaration: the Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework (CRRF). It argues that two elements of the CRRF—its emphases on inclusion and self-reliance and its call for easing pressures on host societies—are necessary and commendable, but that two other elements—the focus on voluntary repatriation and third-country solutions—create unrealistic expectations about the degree to which these solutions can reach enough refugees to constitute a meaningful durable solution. Neither assisted voluntary return nor third-country solutions will serve enough refugees to make a significant difference to the global population of displaced people.