The discussion regarding what to do with the climate refugees migrating to the United States is long overdue. People are on the move. Some left their home because of natural disasters, and others left due to human-made disasters. Over five million people, many of them children, are fleeing armed conflicts worldwide. No matter the cause, people are on the move. Honestly, who can blame them? Countries like Haiti are annihilated by natural disasters, and other countries are going through civil wars.

People on the move migrate to areas that seem more stable. Building structures from whatever is available, the refugees form tent cities. These temporary communities are often plagued with crime and lack food, water, and basic hygiene. The solution most countries come up with is not busing people to cities all over the country. They create closed camps to house them.

In her article on TheConversation.com, Petrina Molnar reports that inside the new refugee camp is like a ‘prison,’ and Greece and other countries prioritize surveillance over human rights. She is not exaggerating. Built on the Greek island of Samos, the camp looks like a new Alcatraz, complete with “Double NATO-type security fencing.” I have no idea what life inside this grey-walled facility would consist of, but it is not a place I would like to spend any time at. Petrina argues that free societies rarely want surveillance tech, but these facilities allow developers to deploy their technology on a massive scale. How long will it be until the surveillance tech is deployed on the country’s people rather than the climate refugees inside the prison facility? It also illustrates how quickly people can be subcategorized even though their only offense is losing their homes.

There are encouraging stories from communities formed and strengthened by a sense of identity and perseverance. In Jordan, a city called Zatoree is filled with Syrian refugees. The Syrians can’t leave without a permit or work in Jordan but can open businesses within the camp. These little businesses are thriving, and life goes on. The city is financed by 10 million pounds of international aid. The civil war in Syria has killed 250,000 people. Some have fled to Europe, but some are staying in neighboring countries. Their homes are portable cabins that all look the same, but people are starting new lives and living peacefully within the camp. Follow this link to take a look at the camp.

America is facing an unprecedented influx of refugees headed to the States. A serious conversation needs to be had regarding how to house and vet all the incoming traffic. In 2022 alone, 2.2 million arrests were made at the US-Mexico border. The debate continues regarding shipping people back or having them face a lengthy court process to claim asylum. However, asylum seekers live in the US during this time, and the American populous is expected to integrate their needs into a society already on the brink. The system is overloaded. Recently a whistleblower working within the migrant system reported that over eighty-five thousand children have gone missing from that system. God only knows what happens to them.

On May 10th, 2023, President Biden rolled out new legislation so most migrants are presumed ineligible for asylum before the process begins. If the refugees don’t seek asylum elsewhere or attempt legal entery, their future prospects of legally entering the US are greatly diminished. However, over ten thousand people a day are still being detained at the border, and nothing is being done to help and vet these people. In Congress, the Republicans argue the new laws are riddled with exceptions, and the Democrats argue that the new regulations are too harsh. While they debate, the problem grows.

Legal refugees are settled in the United States every year. From 2010-2021 Texas and California settled over fifty thousand people, accounting for nineteen percent of the overall legal refugee influx. New York, Michigan, and Arizona round out the top five states. The remaining twenty-four states, including Washington DC, only resettled 1% of the incoming legal refugees. Most of these people come from Africa, Aisa, the Near East and South Asia, Europe, Latin America, and the Caribbean.

The question of what exactly happens to illegal refugees is shrouded in mystery. Most are smuggled into the United States for a fee. Since they are no longer returned to Mexico, a broker provides a fake ID and a social security number so they can take lower-paying jobs where they won’t be noticed. These individuals don’t usually attend school and try to interact with law enforcement as little as possible.

The US maintains the most extensive illegal detention camp infrastructure in the world. Most of the data regarding the details of these facilities is from 2007. At that time, the US had 961 federal government-owned or contracted sites. The majority of these facilities are prisons and secured or closed sites. Most of the open facilities house minors and/or are located overseas. A lot of federal dollars are involved in providing these facilities, and many contracted companies depend on those federal dollars.

It is frightening how little up do date information is available regarding how many people are entering the US and what is being done with them. It is evident that a lot of money keeps this system going, and typically big money involvement makes finding a solution to a “problem” much less likely. The problem is these are lives on the line. American lives are threatened by incoming criminals and the lives of families looking to make a new start in a safer place. We must pull back the veil of what is happening with these refugees and develop a system that can provide them with a safe environment to thrive during the vetting process. At the very least, we need to start having mature discussions that create a better system than what is currently happening.

Works Cited

Blake, Michael Roy, and Ted Hesson. “Border crossings top 10000 daily as migrants seek US entry before Title 42 ends.” Reuters, 10 May 2023, https://www.reuters.com/world/us/biden-restricts-asylum-access-mexico-border-title-42-ends-2023-05-10/. Accessed 8 June 2023.

Molnar, Petra. “Inside new refugee camp like a 'prison': Greece and other countries prioritize surveillance over human rights.” The Conversation, 27 September 2021, https://theconversation.com/inside-new-refugee-camp-like-a-prison-greece-and-other-countries-prioritize-surveillance-over-human-rights-168354. Accessed 8 June 2023.

“Our Home In The Desert: Life Inside A Refugee Camp (Refugee Documentary) | Real Stories.” YouTube, 4 February 2021, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=igPVUi2HeH0. Accessed 8 June 2023.

Rosenberg, Mica. “Explainer: Why migrants are crossing the U.S.-Mexico border in record numbers.” Reuters, 9 January 2023, https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/why-are-migrants-crossing-us-mexico-border-record-numbers-2023-01-08/. Accessed 8 June 2023.