What are the consequences for a developed nation to not accept any refugees?What are the possible actions against a signatory that fails to follow the Kyoto Protocol?Legality of watching a country's free local TV Channels abroadWhy aren't desertic areas international like international waters?Why don't FIFA and the Olympics committee assign host cities based on an open auction, rather than taking backdoor bribes?What are the Realpolitik benefits in taking in refugees from the perspective of Europe?What will happen if U.S. stops funding U.N.?What are the objective minimum prerequisites for people of African descent in the Americas to form of an independent modern sovereign nation-state?Can a EU country refuse to allow a car to circulate with plates from another EU country?For what reasons does India not provide proof that it attacked terrorists on Pakistani soil?Are there international laws that compel Mexico to prevent migrants from crossing the border and into the U.S.?
How was the website able to tell my credit card was wrong before it processed it?
How should I ask for a "pint" in countries that use metric?
Need a non-volatile memory IC with near unlimited read/write operations capability
Why do airports remove/realign runways?
As a supervisor, what feedback would you expect from a PhD who quits?
Sense of humor in your sci-fi stories
My professor has told me he will be the corresponding author. Will it hurt my future career?
How do resistors generate different heat if we make the current fixed and changed the voltage and resistance? Notice the flow of charge is constant
Shipped package arrived - didn't order, possible scam?
Category-theoretic treatment of diffs, patches and merging?
How can I use my cell phone's light as a reading light?
Was the 45.9°C temperature in France in June 2019 the highest ever recorded in France?
Replacing loop with functional style
Where are the Wazirs?
Define functions in a tikzcd diagram
What exactly is a "murder hobo"?
Passwordless authentication - how and when to invalidate a login code
Diagram with cylinder shapes and rectangles
Movie featuring a De Lorean - NOT Back to the Future
How do I explain that I don't want to maintain old projects?
Four ships at the ocean with the same distance
What do you call a situation where you have choices but no good choice?
QR codes, do people use them?
What purpose does mercury dichloride have in fireworks?
What are the consequences for a developed nation to not accept any refugees?
What are the possible actions against a signatory that fails to follow the Kyoto Protocol?Legality of watching a country's free local TV Channels abroadWhy aren't desertic areas international like international waters?Why don't FIFA and the Olympics committee assign host cities based on an open auction, rather than taking backdoor bribes?What are the Realpolitik benefits in taking in refugees from the perspective of Europe?What will happen if U.S. stops funding U.N.?What are the objective minimum prerequisites for people of African descent in the Americas to form of an independent modern sovereign nation-state?Can a EU country refuse to allow a car to circulate with plates from another EU country?For what reasons does India not provide proof that it attacked terrorists on Pakistani soil?Are there international laws that compel Mexico to prevent migrants from crossing the border and into the U.S.?
.everyoneloves__top-leaderboard:empty,.everyoneloves__mid-leaderboard:empty,.everyoneloves__bot-mid-leaderboard:empty margin-bottom:0;
What are the consequences for a developed nation to not accept any refugees? Are there grave consequences for not accepting any refugees?
I am asking, because almost every country on the planet accepts refugees as if they were forced to do so, yet I don't see any law that forces any country to do so. What are the factors that compel countries to do so?
international-relations international-law international refugees
add a comment |
What are the consequences for a developed nation to not accept any refugees? Are there grave consequences for not accepting any refugees?
I am asking, because almost every country on the planet accepts refugees as if they were forced to do so, yet I don't see any law that forces any country to do so. What are the factors that compel countries to do so?
international-relations international-law international refugees
add a comment |
What are the consequences for a developed nation to not accept any refugees? Are there grave consequences for not accepting any refugees?
I am asking, because almost every country on the planet accepts refugees as if they were forced to do so, yet I don't see any law that forces any country to do so. What are the factors that compel countries to do so?
international-relations international-law international refugees
What are the consequences for a developed nation to not accept any refugees? Are there grave consequences for not accepting any refugees?
I am asking, because almost every country on the planet accepts refugees as if they were forced to do so, yet I don't see any law that forces any country to do so. What are the factors that compel countries to do so?
international-relations international-law international refugees
international-relations international-law international refugees
edited 1 hour ago
JJJ
9,6543 gold badges34 silver badges71 bronze badges
9,6543 gold badges34 silver badges71 bronze badges
asked yesterday
blackbirdblackbird
1,2948 silver badges23 bronze badges
1,2948 silver badges23 bronze badges
add a comment |
add a comment |
3 Answers
3
active
oldest
votes
An important factor here is the treaties a country has signed up to. In this case, a relevant one is the 1951 Refugee Convention. From UNHCR:
The 1951 Refugee Convention is the key legal document that forms the basis of our work. Ratified by 145 State parties, it defines the term ‘refugee’ and outlines the rights of the displaced, as well as the legal obligations of States to protect them.
The core principle is non-refoulement, which asserts that a refugee should not be returned to a country where they face serious threats to their life or freedom. This is now considered a rule of customary international law.
Then there is the 1967 convention, which Wikipedia has the following about:
Where the 1951 United Nations Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees had restricted refugee status to those whose circumstances had come about "as a result of events occurring before 1 January 1951", as well as giving states party to the Convention the option of interpreting this as "events occurring in Europe" or "events occurring in Europe or elsewhere", the 1967 Protocol removed both the temporal and geographic restrictions. This was needed in the historical context of refugee flows resulting from decolonisation.
Many countries are party to those treaties, as illustrated by the image below:
Image from Wikipedia, in the public domain
The legend:
Light Green = party to only the 1951
Convention Yellow = party to only the 1967 Protocol
Dark green = party to both
9
It is notable than two countries who are not party to either convention, Lebanon and Jordan, are the ones who host the most refugees in 2019 (relatively to their population at least).
– Evargalo
19 hours ago
9
This map is weird. Am I reading this correctly; the 1967 treaty is the only one that matters since the 1951 one is restricted to "as a result of events occurring before 1 January 1951"? Why care about whether someone's signed the 1951 one at all?
– JollyJoker
18 hours ago
1
@JollyJoker: For historical reasons. The 1951 Convention was mostly intended to address people displaced by WW2 and its immediate aftermath (which I imagine is why the US didn't bother to sign it - they probably figured the war was an ocean away and not relevant to domestic immigration law).
– Kevin
12 hours ago
2
How does this answer the question? What are the consequences? Saudi Arabia isn't taking any refugees from middle east, and they don't give a shit. Are there any real consequences?
– Davor
11 hours ago
@Davor this is mostly an answer to the last part of the question. As for consequences, I don't think there are hard consequences laid out in the treaties. It's like a promise to a colleague. Sure, you can break them, but you will have to work with them the next day and possibly long after that too.
– JJJ
11 hours ago
|
show 1 more comment
Really the compulsion is a moral and practical one, rather than something enforced by international law: refugees tend to arrive in large numbers, turning them away is both difficult and tends to get them killed. It may be difficult to deport people to a war zone, e.g. if there are no functioning airports.
The shadow of the Holocaust hangs over 20th-century refugee policy. Before WW2, lots of Jewish refugees were turned away. It became clear afterwards that this was complicity with their mass murder.
1
"refugees tend to arrive in large numbers" - Note that not all people who arrive (whether in large numbers or as individuals) are genuine refugees. Some may be genuine; others may be lying, or exaggerating their claims. See en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asylum_seeker . So each must be assessed on an individual basis on their own merits. Obviously there are historic examples whereby there were indeed masses of genuine refugees (Jewish people from Nazi Germany etc). However in modern times it's important not to blindly accept anyone who claims to be fleeing persecution, as genuine.
– Chris Melville
19 hours ago
2
@ChrisMelville not sure if the comparison with Jewish refugees is very apt, many weren't treated as genuine refugees. Consider the term 'internment of refugees as enemy aliens' in a review of Whitehall and the Jews, 1933-1948: British Immigration Policy, Jewish Refugees and the Holocaust.
– JJJ
14 hours ago
add a comment |
This can be complicated. Some countries recognize other countries as decent, safe nations. Some countries on this planet only border safe countries and may have established "safe third country" treaties with them where neither country will recognize refugee claims by anyone who travels through the other country and arrives at the border. (The idea being that they are already at a safe country and therefore can't seek asylum since they are already safe.) This is further complicated by other factors of course like countries that allows free travel among eachother.
I bring this up because in the modern conversations around European and North American refugee claimants, some people and governments (cough Trump) have asserted they shouldn't accept refugees who have traveled through safe countries (cough Mexico) because the refugee was in a safe country before arriving.
My own country, Canada, is in a particularly nasty situation where for the past number of years we've had people cross our southern border then claim refugee status. If we deny them refugee status, where do we deport them? The US won't be happy and we can't ship them to the country they are fleeing from. If we accept them, we're tarnishing our relationship by functionally calling the USA an unsafe country.
What countries are they coming from? "Safe country" isn't all that meaningful to certain kinds of Asylum cases. Consider if Edward Snowden were at your door.
– Joshua
12 hours ago
There's no point worrying about "calling the USA an unsafe country"; they're running concentration camps.
– dn3s
10 hours ago
Canada has an agreement with the US, so people who fall under that agreement would indeed be sent back to the US to claim asylum there. But the agreement only covers people entering Canada at a pretty of entry. This is why people are trying to cross onto Canada irregularly from the US, because that allows them to have their asylum claim heard in Canada.
– phoog
5 hours ago
@dn3s: People who know what that term actually means disagree
– Ben Voigt
19 mins ago
add a comment |
Your Answer
StackExchange.ready(function()
var channelOptions =
tags: "".split(" "),
id: "475"
;
initTagRenderer("".split(" "), "".split(" "), channelOptions);
StackExchange.using("externalEditor", function()
// Have to fire editor after snippets, if snippets enabled
if (StackExchange.settings.snippets.snippetsEnabled)
StackExchange.using("snippets", function()
createEditor();
);
else
createEditor();
);
function createEditor()
StackExchange.prepareEditor(
heartbeatType: 'answer',
autoActivateHeartbeat: false,
convertImagesToLinks: false,
noModals: true,
showLowRepImageUploadWarning: true,
reputationToPostImages: null,
bindNavPrevention: true,
postfix: "",
imageUploader:
brandingHtml: "Powered by u003ca class="icon-imgur-white" href="https://imgur.com/"u003eu003c/au003e",
contentPolicyHtml: "User contributions licensed under u003ca href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/"u003ecc by-sa 3.0 with attribution requiredu003c/au003e u003ca href="https://stackoverflow.com/legal/content-policy"u003e(content policy)u003c/au003e",
allowUrls: true
,
noCode: true, onDemand: true,
discardSelector: ".discard-answer"
,immediatelyShowMarkdownHelp:true
);
);
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function ()
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
);
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
StackExchange.ready(
function ()
StackExchange.openid.initPostLogin('.new-post-login', 'https%3a%2f%2fpolitics.stackexchange.com%2fquestions%2f42697%2fwhat-are-the-consequences-for-a-developed-nation-to-not-accept-any-refugees%23new-answer', 'question_page');
);
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
3 Answers
3
active
oldest
votes
3 Answers
3
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
An important factor here is the treaties a country has signed up to. In this case, a relevant one is the 1951 Refugee Convention. From UNHCR:
The 1951 Refugee Convention is the key legal document that forms the basis of our work. Ratified by 145 State parties, it defines the term ‘refugee’ and outlines the rights of the displaced, as well as the legal obligations of States to protect them.
The core principle is non-refoulement, which asserts that a refugee should not be returned to a country where they face serious threats to their life or freedom. This is now considered a rule of customary international law.
Then there is the 1967 convention, which Wikipedia has the following about:
Where the 1951 United Nations Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees had restricted refugee status to those whose circumstances had come about "as a result of events occurring before 1 January 1951", as well as giving states party to the Convention the option of interpreting this as "events occurring in Europe" or "events occurring in Europe or elsewhere", the 1967 Protocol removed both the temporal and geographic restrictions. This was needed in the historical context of refugee flows resulting from decolonisation.
Many countries are party to those treaties, as illustrated by the image below:
Image from Wikipedia, in the public domain
The legend:
Light Green = party to only the 1951
Convention Yellow = party to only the 1967 Protocol
Dark green = party to both
9
It is notable than two countries who are not party to either convention, Lebanon and Jordan, are the ones who host the most refugees in 2019 (relatively to their population at least).
– Evargalo
19 hours ago
9
This map is weird. Am I reading this correctly; the 1967 treaty is the only one that matters since the 1951 one is restricted to "as a result of events occurring before 1 January 1951"? Why care about whether someone's signed the 1951 one at all?
– JollyJoker
18 hours ago
1
@JollyJoker: For historical reasons. The 1951 Convention was mostly intended to address people displaced by WW2 and its immediate aftermath (which I imagine is why the US didn't bother to sign it - they probably figured the war was an ocean away and not relevant to domestic immigration law).
– Kevin
12 hours ago
2
How does this answer the question? What are the consequences? Saudi Arabia isn't taking any refugees from middle east, and they don't give a shit. Are there any real consequences?
– Davor
11 hours ago
@Davor this is mostly an answer to the last part of the question. As for consequences, I don't think there are hard consequences laid out in the treaties. It's like a promise to a colleague. Sure, you can break them, but you will have to work with them the next day and possibly long after that too.
– JJJ
11 hours ago
|
show 1 more comment
An important factor here is the treaties a country has signed up to. In this case, a relevant one is the 1951 Refugee Convention. From UNHCR:
The 1951 Refugee Convention is the key legal document that forms the basis of our work. Ratified by 145 State parties, it defines the term ‘refugee’ and outlines the rights of the displaced, as well as the legal obligations of States to protect them.
The core principle is non-refoulement, which asserts that a refugee should not be returned to a country where they face serious threats to their life or freedom. This is now considered a rule of customary international law.
Then there is the 1967 convention, which Wikipedia has the following about:
Where the 1951 United Nations Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees had restricted refugee status to those whose circumstances had come about "as a result of events occurring before 1 January 1951", as well as giving states party to the Convention the option of interpreting this as "events occurring in Europe" or "events occurring in Europe or elsewhere", the 1967 Protocol removed both the temporal and geographic restrictions. This was needed in the historical context of refugee flows resulting from decolonisation.
Many countries are party to those treaties, as illustrated by the image below:
Image from Wikipedia, in the public domain
The legend:
Light Green = party to only the 1951
Convention Yellow = party to only the 1967 Protocol
Dark green = party to both
9
It is notable than two countries who are not party to either convention, Lebanon and Jordan, are the ones who host the most refugees in 2019 (relatively to their population at least).
– Evargalo
19 hours ago
9
This map is weird. Am I reading this correctly; the 1967 treaty is the only one that matters since the 1951 one is restricted to "as a result of events occurring before 1 January 1951"? Why care about whether someone's signed the 1951 one at all?
– JollyJoker
18 hours ago
1
@JollyJoker: For historical reasons. The 1951 Convention was mostly intended to address people displaced by WW2 and its immediate aftermath (which I imagine is why the US didn't bother to sign it - they probably figured the war was an ocean away and not relevant to domestic immigration law).
– Kevin
12 hours ago
2
How does this answer the question? What are the consequences? Saudi Arabia isn't taking any refugees from middle east, and they don't give a shit. Are there any real consequences?
– Davor
11 hours ago
@Davor this is mostly an answer to the last part of the question. As for consequences, I don't think there are hard consequences laid out in the treaties. It's like a promise to a colleague. Sure, you can break them, but you will have to work with them the next day and possibly long after that too.
– JJJ
11 hours ago
|
show 1 more comment
An important factor here is the treaties a country has signed up to. In this case, a relevant one is the 1951 Refugee Convention. From UNHCR:
The 1951 Refugee Convention is the key legal document that forms the basis of our work. Ratified by 145 State parties, it defines the term ‘refugee’ and outlines the rights of the displaced, as well as the legal obligations of States to protect them.
The core principle is non-refoulement, which asserts that a refugee should not be returned to a country where they face serious threats to their life or freedom. This is now considered a rule of customary international law.
Then there is the 1967 convention, which Wikipedia has the following about:
Where the 1951 United Nations Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees had restricted refugee status to those whose circumstances had come about "as a result of events occurring before 1 January 1951", as well as giving states party to the Convention the option of interpreting this as "events occurring in Europe" or "events occurring in Europe or elsewhere", the 1967 Protocol removed both the temporal and geographic restrictions. This was needed in the historical context of refugee flows resulting from decolonisation.
Many countries are party to those treaties, as illustrated by the image below:
Image from Wikipedia, in the public domain
The legend:
Light Green = party to only the 1951
Convention Yellow = party to only the 1967 Protocol
Dark green = party to both
An important factor here is the treaties a country has signed up to. In this case, a relevant one is the 1951 Refugee Convention. From UNHCR:
The 1951 Refugee Convention is the key legal document that forms the basis of our work. Ratified by 145 State parties, it defines the term ‘refugee’ and outlines the rights of the displaced, as well as the legal obligations of States to protect them.
The core principle is non-refoulement, which asserts that a refugee should not be returned to a country where they face serious threats to their life or freedom. This is now considered a rule of customary international law.
Then there is the 1967 convention, which Wikipedia has the following about:
Where the 1951 United Nations Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees had restricted refugee status to those whose circumstances had come about "as a result of events occurring before 1 January 1951", as well as giving states party to the Convention the option of interpreting this as "events occurring in Europe" or "events occurring in Europe or elsewhere", the 1967 Protocol removed both the temporal and geographic restrictions. This was needed in the historical context of refugee flows resulting from decolonisation.
Many countries are party to those treaties, as illustrated by the image below:
Image from Wikipedia, in the public domain
The legend:
Light Green = party to only the 1951
Convention Yellow = party to only the 1967 Protocol
Dark green = party to both
edited 44 mins ago
Alexei
19.2k22 gold badges105 silver badges201 bronze badges
19.2k22 gold badges105 silver badges201 bronze badges
answered yesterday
JJJJJJ
9,6543 gold badges34 silver badges71 bronze badges
9,6543 gold badges34 silver badges71 bronze badges
9
It is notable than two countries who are not party to either convention, Lebanon and Jordan, are the ones who host the most refugees in 2019 (relatively to their population at least).
– Evargalo
19 hours ago
9
This map is weird. Am I reading this correctly; the 1967 treaty is the only one that matters since the 1951 one is restricted to "as a result of events occurring before 1 January 1951"? Why care about whether someone's signed the 1951 one at all?
– JollyJoker
18 hours ago
1
@JollyJoker: For historical reasons. The 1951 Convention was mostly intended to address people displaced by WW2 and its immediate aftermath (which I imagine is why the US didn't bother to sign it - they probably figured the war was an ocean away and not relevant to domestic immigration law).
– Kevin
12 hours ago
2
How does this answer the question? What are the consequences? Saudi Arabia isn't taking any refugees from middle east, and they don't give a shit. Are there any real consequences?
– Davor
11 hours ago
@Davor this is mostly an answer to the last part of the question. As for consequences, I don't think there are hard consequences laid out in the treaties. It's like a promise to a colleague. Sure, you can break them, but you will have to work with them the next day and possibly long after that too.
– JJJ
11 hours ago
|
show 1 more comment
9
It is notable than two countries who are not party to either convention, Lebanon and Jordan, are the ones who host the most refugees in 2019 (relatively to their population at least).
– Evargalo
19 hours ago
9
This map is weird. Am I reading this correctly; the 1967 treaty is the only one that matters since the 1951 one is restricted to "as a result of events occurring before 1 January 1951"? Why care about whether someone's signed the 1951 one at all?
– JollyJoker
18 hours ago
1
@JollyJoker: For historical reasons. The 1951 Convention was mostly intended to address people displaced by WW2 and its immediate aftermath (which I imagine is why the US didn't bother to sign it - they probably figured the war was an ocean away and not relevant to domestic immigration law).
– Kevin
12 hours ago
2
How does this answer the question? What are the consequences? Saudi Arabia isn't taking any refugees from middle east, and they don't give a shit. Are there any real consequences?
– Davor
11 hours ago
@Davor this is mostly an answer to the last part of the question. As for consequences, I don't think there are hard consequences laid out in the treaties. It's like a promise to a colleague. Sure, you can break them, but you will have to work with them the next day and possibly long after that too.
– JJJ
11 hours ago
9
9
It is notable than two countries who are not party to either convention, Lebanon and Jordan, are the ones who host the most refugees in 2019 (relatively to their population at least).
– Evargalo
19 hours ago
It is notable than two countries who are not party to either convention, Lebanon and Jordan, are the ones who host the most refugees in 2019 (relatively to their population at least).
– Evargalo
19 hours ago
9
9
This map is weird. Am I reading this correctly; the 1967 treaty is the only one that matters since the 1951 one is restricted to "as a result of events occurring before 1 January 1951"? Why care about whether someone's signed the 1951 one at all?
– JollyJoker
18 hours ago
This map is weird. Am I reading this correctly; the 1967 treaty is the only one that matters since the 1951 one is restricted to "as a result of events occurring before 1 January 1951"? Why care about whether someone's signed the 1951 one at all?
– JollyJoker
18 hours ago
1
1
@JollyJoker: For historical reasons. The 1951 Convention was mostly intended to address people displaced by WW2 and its immediate aftermath (which I imagine is why the US didn't bother to sign it - they probably figured the war was an ocean away and not relevant to domestic immigration law).
– Kevin
12 hours ago
@JollyJoker: For historical reasons. The 1951 Convention was mostly intended to address people displaced by WW2 and its immediate aftermath (which I imagine is why the US didn't bother to sign it - they probably figured the war was an ocean away and not relevant to domestic immigration law).
– Kevin
12 hours ago
2
2
How does this answer the question? What are the consequences? Saudi Arabia isn't taking any refugees from middle east, and they don't give a shit. Are there any real consequences?
– Davor
11 hours ago
How does this answer the question? What are the consequences? Saudi Arabia isn't taking any refugees from middle east, and they don't give a shit. Are there any real consequences?
– Davor
11 hours ago
@Davor this is mostly an answer to the last part of the question. As for consequences, I don't think there are hard consequences laid out in the treaties. It's like a promise to a colleague. Sure, you can break them, but you will have to work with them the next day and possibly long after that too.
– JJJ
11 hours ago
@Davor this is mostly an answer to the last part of the question. As for consequences, I don't think there are hard consequences laid out in the treaties. It's like a promise to a colleague. Sure, you can break them, but you will have to work with them the next day and possibly long after that too.
– JJJ
11 hours ago
|
show 1 more comment
Really the compulsion is a moral and practical one, rather than something enforced by international law: refugees tend to arrive in large numbers, turning them away is both difficult and tends to get them killed. It may be difficult to deport people to a war zone, e.g. if there are no functioning airports.
The shadow of the Holocaust hangs over 20th-century refugee policy. Before WW2, lots of Jewish refugees were turned away. It became clear afterwards that this was complicity with their mass murder.
1
"refugees tend to arrive in large numbers" - Note that not all people who arrive (whether in large numbers or as individuals) are genuine refugees. Some may be genuine; others may be lying, or exaggerating their claims. See en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asylum_seeker . So each must be assessed on an individual basis on their own merits. Obviously there are historic examples whereby there were indeed masses of genuine refugees (Jewish people from Nazi Germany etc). However in modern times it's important not to blindly accept anyone who claims to be fleeing persecution, as genuine.
– Chris Melville
19 hours ago
2
@ChrisMelville not sure if the comparison with Jewish refugees is very apt, many weren't treated as genuine refugees. Consider the term 'internment of refugees as enemy aliens' in a review of Whitehall and the Jews, 1933-1948: British Immigration Policy, Jewish Refugees and the Holocaust.
– JJJ
14 hours ago
add a comment |
Really the compulsion is a moral and practical one, rather than something enforced by international law: refugees tend to arrive in large numbers, turning them away is both difficult and tends to get them killed. It may be difficult to deport people to a war zone, e.g. if there are no functioning airports.
The shadow of the Holocaust hangs over 20th-century refugee policy. Before WW2, lots of Jewish refugees were turned away. It became clear afterwards that this was complicity with their mass murder.
1
"refugees tend to arrive in large numbers" - Note that not all people who arrive (whether in large numbers or as individuals) are genuine refugees. Some may be genuine; others may be lying, or exaggerating their claims. See en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asylum_seeker . So each must be assessed on an individual basis on their own merits. Obviously there are historic examples whereby there were indeed masses of genuine refugees (Jewish people from Nazi Germany etc). However in modern times it's important not to blindly accept anyone who claims to be fleeing persecution, as genuine.
– Chris Melville
19 hours ago
2
@ChrisMelville not sure if the comparison with Jewish refugees is very apt, many weren't treated as genuine refugees. Consider the term 'internment of refugees as enemy aliens' in a review of Whitehall and the Jews, 1933-1948: British Immigration Policy, Jewish Refugees and the Holocaust.
– JJJ
14 hours ago
add a comment |
Really the compulsion is a moral and practical one, rather than something enforced by international law: refugees tend to arrive in large numbers, turning them away is both difficult and tends to get them killed. It may be difficult to deport people to a war zone, e.g. if there are no functioning airports.
The shadow of the Holocaust hangs over 20th-century refugee policy. Before WW2, lots of Jewish refugees were turned away. It became clear afterwards that this was complicity with their mass murder.
Really the compulsion is a moral and practical one, rather than something enforced by international law: refugees tend to arrive in large numbers, turning them away is both difficult and tends to get them killed. It may be difficult to deport people to a war zone, e.g. if there are no functioning airports.
The shadow of the Holocaust hangs over 20th-century refugee policy. Before WW2, lots of Jewish refugees were turned away. It became clear afterwards that this was complicity with their mass murder.
answered 21 hours ago
pjc50pjc50
12.4k1 gold badge30 silver badges52 bronze badges
12.4k1 gold badge30 silver badges52 bronze badges
1
"refugees tend to arrive in large numbers" - Note that not all people who arrive (whether in large numbers or as individuals) are genuine refugees. Some may be genuine; others may be lying, or exaggerating their claims. See en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asylum_seeker . So each must be assessed on an individual basis on their own merits. Obviously there are historic examples whereby there were indeed masses of genuine refugees (Jewish people from Nazi Germany etc). However in modern times it's important not to blindly accept anyone who claims to be fleeing persecution, as genuine.
– Chris Melville
19 hours ago
2
@ChrisMelville not sure if the comparison with Jewish refugees is very apt, many weren't treated as genuine refugees. Consider the term 'internment of refugees as enemy aliens' in a review of Whitehall and the Jews, 1933-1948: British Immigration Policy, Jewish Refugees and the Holocaust.
– JJJ
14 hours ago
add a comment |
1
"refugees tend to arrive in large numbers" - Note that not all people who arrive (whether in large numbers or as individuals) are genuine refugees. Some may be genuine; others may be lying, or exaggerating their claims. See en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asylum_seeker . So each must be assessed on an individual basis on their own merits. Obviously there are historic examples whereby there were indeed masses of genuine refugees (Jewish people from Nazi Germany etc). However in modern times it's important not to blindly accept anyone who claims to be fleeing persecution, as genuine.
– Chris Melville
19 hours ago
2
@ChrisMelville not sure if the comparison with Jewish refugees is very apt, many weren't treated as genuine refugees. Consider the term 'internment of refugees as enemy aliens' in a review of Whitehall and the Jews, 1933-1948: British Immigration Policy, Jewish Refugees and the Holocaust.
– JJJ
14 hours ago
1
1
"refugees tend to arrive in large numbers" - Note that not all people who arrive (whether in large numbers or as individuals) are genuine refugees. Some may be genuine; others may be lying, or exaggerating their claims. See en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asylum_seeker . So each must be assessed on an individual basis on their own merits. Obviously there are historic examples whereby there were indeed masses of genuine refugees (Jewish people from Nazi Germany etc). However in modern times it's important not to blindly accept anyone who claims to be fleeing persecution, as genuine.
– Chris Melville
19 hours ago
"refugees tend to arrive in large numbers" - Note that not all people who arrive (whether in large numbers or as individuals) are genuine refugees. Some may be genuine; others may be lying, or exaggerating their claims. See en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asylum_seeker . So each must be assessed on an individual basis on their own merits. Obviously there are historic examples whereby there were indeed masses of genuine refugees (Jewish people from Nazi Germany etc). However in modern times it's important not to blindly accept anyone who claims to be fleeing persecution, as genuine.
– Chris Melville
19 hours ago
2
2
@ChrisMelville not sure if the comparison with Jewish refugees is very apt, many weren't treated as genuine refugees. Consider the term 'internment of refugees as enemy aliens' in a review of Whitehall and the Jews, 1933-1948: British Immigration Policy, Jewish Refugees and the Holocaust.
– JJJ
14 hours ago
@ChrisMelville not sure if the comparison with Jewish refugees is very apt, many weren't treated as genuine refugees. Consider the term 'internment of refugees as enemy aliens' in a review of Whitehall and the Jews, 1933-1948: British Immigration Policy, Jewish Refugees and the Holocaust.
– JJJ
14 hours ago
add a comment |
This can be complicated. Some countries recognize other countries as decent, safe nations. Some countries on this planet only border safe countries and may have established "safe third country" treaties with them where neither country will recognize refugee claims by anyone who travels through the other country and arrives at the border. (The idea being that they are already at a safe country and therefore can't seek asylum since they are already safe.) This is further complicated by other factors of course like countries that allows free travel among eachother.
I bring this up because in the modern conversations around European and North American refugee claimants, some people and governments (cough Trump) have asserted they shouldn't accept refugees who have traveled through safe countries (cough Mexico) because the refugee was in a safe country before arriving.
My own country, Canada, is in a particularly nasty situation where for the past number of years we've had people cross our southern border then claim refugee status. If we deny them refugee status, where do we deport them? The US won't be happy and we can't ship them to the country they are fleeing from. If we accept them, we're tarnishing our relationship by functionally calling the USA an unsafe country.
What countries are they coming from? "Safe country" isn't all that meaningful to certain kinds of Asylum cases. Consider if Edward Snowden were at your door.
– Joshua
12 hours ago
There's no point worrying about "calling the USA an unsafe country"; they're running concentration camps.
– dn3s
10 hours ago
Canada has an agreement with the US, so people who fall under that agreement would indeed be sent back to the US to claim asylum there. But the agreement only covers people entering Canada at a pretty of entry. This is why people are trying to cross onto Canada irregularly from the US, because that allows them to have their asylum claim heard in Canada.
– phoog
5 hours ago
@dn3s: People who know what that term actually means disagree
– Ben Voigt
19 mins ago
add a comment |
This can be complicated. Some countries recognize other countries as decent, safe nations. Some countries on this planet only border safe countries and may have established "safe third country" treaties with them where neither country will recognize refugee claims by anyone who travels through the other country and arrives at the border. (The idea being that they are already at a safe country and therefore can't seek asylum since they are already safe.) This is further complicated by other factors of course like countries that allows free travel among eachother.
I bring this up because in the modern conversations around European and North American refugee claimants, some people and governments (cough Trump) have asserted they shouldn't accept refugees who have traveled through safe countries (cough Mexico) because the refugee was in a safe country before arriving.
My own country, Canada, is in a particularly nasty situation where for the past number of years we've had people cross our southern border then claim refugee status. If we deny them refugee status, where do we deport them? The US won't be happy and we can't ship them to the country they are fleeing from. If we accept them, we're tarnishing our relationship by functionally calling the USA an unsafe country.
What countries are they coming from? "Safe country" isn't all that meaningful to certain kinds of Asylum cases. Consider if Edward Snowden were at your door.
– Joshua
12 hours ago
There's no point worrying about "calling the USA an unsafe country"; they're running concentration camps.
– dn3s
10 hours ago
Canada has an agreement with the US, so people who fall under that agreement would indeed be sent back to the US to claim asylum there. But the agreement only covers people entering Canada at a pretty of entry. This is why people are trying to cross onto Canada irregularly from the US, because that allows them to have their asylum claim heard in Canada.
– phoog
5 hours ago
@dn3s: People who know what that term actually means disagree
– Ben Voigt
19 mins ago
add a comment |
This can be complicated. Some countries recognize other countries as decent, safe nations. Some countries on this planet only border safe countries and may have established "safe third country" treaties with them where neither country will recognize refugee claims by anyone who travels through the other country and arrives at the border. (The idea being that they are already at a safe country and therefore can't seek asylum since they are already safe.) This is further complicated by other factors of course like countries that allows free travel among eachother.
I bring this up because in the modern conversations around European and North American refugee claimants, some people and governments (cough Trump) have asserted they shouldn't accept refugees who have traveled through safe countries (cough Mexico) because the refugee was in a safe country before arriving.
My own country, Canada, is in a particularly nasty situation where for the past number of years we've had people cross our southern border then claim refugee status. If we deny them refugee status, where do we deport them? The US won't be happy and we can't ship them to the country they are fleeing from. If we accept them, we're tarnishing our relationship by functionally calling the USA an unsafe country.
This can be complicated. Some countries recognize other countries as decent, safe nations. Some countries on this planet only border safe countries and may have established "safe third country" treaties with them where neither country will recognize refugee claims by anyone who travels through the other country and arrives at the border. (The idea being that they are already at a safe country and therefore can't seek asylum since they are already safe.) This is further complicated by other factors of course like countries that allows free travel among eachother.
I bring this up because in the modern conversations around European and North American refugee claimants, some people and governments (cough Trump) have asserted they shouldn't accept refugees who have traveled through safe countries (cough Mexico) because the refugee was in a safe country before arriving.
My own country, Canada, is in a particularly nasty situation where for the past number of years we've had people cross our southern border then claim refugee status. If we deny them refugee status, where do we deport them? The US won't be happy and we can't ship them to the country they are fleeing from. If we accept them, we're tarnishing our relationship by functionally calling the USA an unsafe country.
answered 17 hours ago
LanLan
1817 bronze badges
1817 bronze badges
What countries are they coming from? "Safe country" isn't all that meaningful to certain kinds of Asylum cases. Consider if Edward Snowden were at your door.
– Joshua
12 hours ago
There's no point worrying about "calling the USA an unsafe country"; they're running concentration camps.
– dn3s
10 hours ago
Canada has an agreement with the US, so people who fall under that agreement would indeed be sent back to the US to claim asylum there. But the agreement only covers people entering Canada at a pretty of entry. This is why people are trying to cross onto Canada irregularly from the US, because that allows them to have their asylum claim heard in Canada.
– phoog
5 hours ago
@dn3s: People who know what that term actually means disagree
– Ben Voigt
19 mins ago
add a comment |
What countries are they coming from? "Safe country" isn't all that meaningful to certain kinds of Asylum cases. Consider if Edward Snowden were at your door.
– Joshua
12 hours ago
There's no point worrying about "calling the USA an unsafe country"; they're running concentration camps.
– dn3s
10 hours ago
Canada has an agreement with the US, so people who fall under that agreement would indeed be sent back to the US to claim asylum there. But the agreement only covers people entering Canada at a pretty of entry. This is why people are trying to cross onto Canada irregularly from the US, because that allows them to have their asylum claim heard in Canada.
– phoog
5 hours ago
@dn3s: People who know what that term actually means disagree
– Ben Voigt
19 mins ago
What countries are they coming from? "Safe country" isn't all that meaningful to certain kinds of Asylum cases. Consider if Edward Snowden were at your door.
– Joshua
12 hours ago
What countries are they coming from? "Safe country" isn't all that meaningful to certain kinds of Asylum cases. Consider if Edward Snowden were at your door.
– Joshua
12 hours ago
There's no point worrying about "calling the USA an unsafe country"; they're running concentration camps.
– dn3s
10 hours ago
There's no point worrying about "calling the USA an unsafe country"; they're running concentration camps.
– dn3s
10 hours ago
Canada has an agreement with the US, so people who fall under that agreement would indeed be sent back to the US to claim asylum there. But the agreement only covers people entering Canada at a pretty of entry. This is why people are trying to cross onto Canada irregularly from the US, because that allows them to have their asylum claim heard in Canada.
– phoog
5 hours ago
Canada has an agreement with the US, so people who fall under that agreement would indeed be sent back to the US to claim asylum there. But the agreement only covers people entering Canada at a pretty of entry. This is why people are trying to cross onto Canada irregularly from the US, because that allows them to have their asylum claim heard in Canada.
– phoog
5 hours ago
@dn3s: People who know what that term actually means disagree
– Ben Voigt
19 mins ago
@dn3s: People who know what that term actually means disagree
– Ben Voigt
19 mins ago
add a comment |
Thanks for contributing an answer to Politics Stack Exchange!
- Please be sure to answer the question. Provide details and share your research!
But avoid …
- Asking for help, clarification, or responding to other answers.
- Making statements based on opinion; back them up with references or personal experience.
To learn more, see our tips on writing great answers.
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function ()
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
);
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
StackExchange.ready(
function ()
StackExchange.openid.initPostLogin('.new-post-login', 'https%3a%2f%2fpolitics.stackexchange.com%2fquestions%2f42697%2fwhat-are-the-consequences-for-a-developed-nation-to-not-accept-any-refugees%23new-answer', 'question_page');
);
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function ()
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
);
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function ()
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
);
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function ()
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
);
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown