Human Rights Beyond the Headlines: Migration is a Human (Rights) Story

 
 

Iraqi and Syrian refugees arrive to Greece by boat (Image via Wikimedia Commons)

 

Migration, the movement of people away from their home to somewhere else, is a fundamental part of human history. Migration has always happened. But why do people move from home to somewhere else–crossing cities and borders, countries and continents?

Everyone needs and deserves to be safe. When people feel unsafe, mistreated, or vulnerable, they sometimes look for options to live elsewhere. When people don’t have educational and work opportunities to build a decent life, or when their families and loved ones live in other places, they make the difficult decision to leave home. Often, the journeys are dangerous, difficult, and uncertain–but they go anyway.

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What to Know

(Background information for educators and can be read aloud, shared, or summarized with learners)

Key definitions and distinctions

Migration is a large, multi-faceted, and complex subject that raises many interpersonal, geopolitical, sociopolitical, and historical issues. To begin, here are some common definitions and distinctions. 

  • Asylum-seeker: A person who flees their home country and seeks international protection from within or at the border of another country 
    Seeking asylum is a human right. Every person in the world has the right to apply for asylum if they are fleeing conflict, violence, persecution (hostility and ill-treatment), or other serious events compelling them to leave their own country. Under US law, applications for asylum come from people who are physically present in the US or at a port of entry (like a border checkpoint or an airport). 

  • Immigrant: A person who makes a decision to leave their home and move to a foreign country with the intention of settling there, but not because they are fleeing war, violence, or persecution
    Immigrants often go through a lengthy vetting process to immigrate to a new country. Many become lawful permanent residents and eventually citizens. Every country has different procedures, requirements, and timelines to become a lawful permanent resident or citizen. 

  • Internally displaced person: A person who flees their home due to conflict, violence, or disaster, but who remains within their country’s borders
    Internally displaced persons are similar to refugees except they do not leave their home country but still fear danger and/or persecution.

  • Refugee: A person who is forced to flee their country due to conflict, violence, disaster or a well-founded fear of persecution due to: race, religion, political opinion, nationality, or membership in a social group
    Under US law, applications for refugee status come from people physically outside of the United States.

Why do people leave home? What are drivers of migration?

There are many reasons people migrate. Some people move from the countryside to the city or to a different part of the country; others cross national borders, move from one country to another, or cross continents. Often, there isn’t just one reason for migration, but a complex set of conditions, opportunities, and motivations. For many, migration is the only choice because they lack options to stay.

According to IOM (International Organization for Migration), 

“The concept of ‘drivers of migration’ is dynamic, reflecting an interaction of personal, social, structural, environmental and circumstantial factors working in tandem with local, national, regional, and global level incentives and constraints.”

Pursuing better financial conditions and opportunities, most notably jobs and employment, drives immigration. Employment opportunities have long been a source of migration around the world. People primarily migrate from poorer to more affluent places in search of jobs, higher incomes, and better living conditions.

Related to job and employment opportunities are education opportunities. Some people specifically migrate to pursue better education options for themselves and their children. Others are able to migrate because they achieved a higher level of education in their home country. 

Family is another important driver of migration. Family motivations to move include both “family formation,” when someone migrates because they marry a resident of another country, and “family unification,” when people move to reunite with family members in the destination country.  

Armed conflicts/wars, violence and the threat of violence (e.g., gang violence, sexual assault, targeted violence based on identity), and human rights violations (e.g., ethnic and religious cleansing, beatings, torture, disappearance, arrest/detention for expressing political views) are other reasons why people migrate. These causes have displaced millions of people around the world, with those people becoming internally displaced in their home countries or seeking protection as refugees in other countries. 

Environmental factors have always been drivers of migration. In recent years, the effects of climate change including natural disasters, floods, wildfires, sea level rises, and changing precipitation have led people to migrate temporarily or permanently. 

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) includes the rights of people who are immigrants and refugees. Article 13 (Right to Freedom of Movement) states that people have the right to travel within their country and choose where they live. People also have the right to leave their country and to return to their country if they want. Article 14 (Right to Asylum) states that everyone has the right to seek and to enjoy in other countries asylum from persecution.

Immigration around the world and across centuries 

Human migration has taken place since the beginning of time. People have always moved, populating continents across the globe from 60,000 years ago and onward. 

In the 21st century (beginning in 2001), international migration and forced displacement reached record highs–driven by many of the reasons cited above and primarily economic disparities, conflict, and climate change. As of late 2025, 117.3 million people worldwide were forcibly displaced due to persecution, conflict, violence, human rights violations, or events that disturb the public order. Among those were:

  • Close to 42.5 million refugees.

  • 67.8 million people displaced within their own countries.

  • 8.42 million people seeking asylum.

In 2026, the top countries left by refugees are Syria, Sudan, Ukraine, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Venezuela.   

In terms of international migration, the International Organization for Migration reports that the number of people living outside of their home countries has grown significantly. In 2000, the total was 173 million; in 2020, it reached 281 million. These numbers are only estimates, as countries do not regularly report statistics. In 2026, the top countries where people are migrating from are India, Mexico, Russia, China, Syria, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Ukraine. The top countries where people are migrating to are the United States, Germany, Saudi Arabia, Russia, and the United Kingdom. 

Some examples of immigration and refugee patterns during the 21st century include:

  • Latin America (Mexico and Central America) to the US due to economic opportunity, safety from violence, political crises, and family reunification.  

  • Migration from Syria to Turkey as well as significant displacement from Ukraine, Afghanistan, and Myanmar to various countries due to conflict, violence, and war.

  • Migration between neighboring countries in Sub-Saharan Africa (e.g., Ethiopia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Nigeria, Somalia, and South Sudan) is driven by economic opportunities, seasonal labor, and conflict. 

  • South and East Asia (e.g., India, China, Thailand, etc.) to Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Western nations primarily driven by labor migration and economic opportunities.

Lived experiences of people who migrate

When learning about any group of people, it is helpful to read, listen to, and watch first-hand accounts directly from those people. This provides information and insight into their lives, stories, experiences, and perspectives.  

Understanding the different ways people migrate, their reasons for doing so, their first-hand experiences, and feelings about it helps to comprehend the human condition. While it is important to gain background knowledge about migration across time and continents, world history, geopolitics, sociology, data, and current events, it is also critical to develop awareness of and empathy for the refugee, immigrant, and asylum-seeker experience. 

You can do this by reading news stories, first person narratives, and books; by looking at images, art, and photography; by listening to podcasts and interviews; and by watching videos of people sharing their stories. Here are some resources for engaging in this process.

Myths, bias scapegoating, and stereotypes

Disagreement and debate about immigration policy is part of political discourse, but it should not cross the line into misinformation, stereotypes, and bias.  

Unfortunately, however, it often does. Refugees and immigrants regularly face bias in interpersonal, institutional, and systemic ways. Due to their immigration status, they are frequently the targets of name-calling, bullying, offensive rhetoric, dehumanization, verbal harassment, misinformation, stereotyping, discrimination, violence, and unjust policies. 

During the 2016 and 2024 US Presidential election campaigns, the Trump campaign used stereotypical language to describe immigrants. In his 2015 campaign announcement, Trump said that Mexico is “sending people bringing drugs, criminals, and rapists.” Also during the 2016 campaign, one of the key campaign promises Trump made was to “build the wall” on the US-Mexico border, rhetoric that was chanted repeatedly at campaign rallies and started showing up in schools and harming students. During the 2024 campaign, both he and Vice President Vance repeatedly targeted Haitian immigrants by saying they have been eating domestic pets.

In 2025, the administration sent more than 100 men to CECOT, a Salvadoran megaprison, after President Trump invoked the Alien Enemies Act, declaring that a Venezuelan gang was an invading force. The men’s removal to El Salvador was blocked by a US district judge, but the men were sent anyway. The Trump administration’s ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) surges in several cities across the country in late 2025 and 2026 have resulted in the government defying court orders, violating immigrants’ and citizens’ constitutional rights, terrorizing communities, and leading to fatal shootings, as well as deaths in ICE facilities.  

The Great Replacement Theory, a white nationalist conspiracy theory, states that “welcoming immigration policies — particularly those impacting nonwhite immigrants — are part of a plot designed to undermine or ‘replace’ the political power and culture of white people living in Western countries.” This conspiracy theory is regularly perpetuated by not only extremists, but also in mainstream media and by elected officials.  

Why It Matters

Migration matters because it is part of the human condition. Since the beginning of time, people all over the world have moved in search of safety, security, and survival. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) includes the right to move within your country and internationally and to seek protection from another country when your home country isn’t safe. Migration is a human right, and therefore, people who are refugees, immigrants, asylum-seekers, and displaced persons deserve to be treated with dignity, respect, and just treatment.

What You Can Do Right Now

(Ideas for learners to take action)

  • Explore ways to be welcoming and inclusive to people in your school and community who are immigrants, asylum-seekers, and refugees. 

  • Learn about local and national legislation that supports refugee and immigrant rights and advocate for that legislation.  

  • Hold a forum in your school or community to learn more about this topic and encourage educators to teach about migration as both a current event and a historical topic. 

  • Connect or volunteer with a local or national advocacy organization that supports people who are asylum-seekers, refugees, and immigrants.

Conversation Starters and Sparkers

To engage learners in a discussion, use non-judgmental and open-ended questions. Non-judgmental questions are curious questions that seek to understand a person, perspective, or situation without making assumptions or judgments. Open-ended questions are broad questions that can’t be answered in one word or with a simple “yes” or no,” but instead are questions that lead to detailed responses that uncover a person’s opinions or feelings and keep the conversation flowing. 

Ask any of the following questions or create your own questions: 

  • Before exploring other people’s migrant stories, what is yours? Has your family or ancestors moved here from somewhere else and why? (This question is best to have learners reflect on individually rather than asking learners to share.)

  • What did you learn about migration that you didn’t know before? 

  • From what you learned, what surprises you? What concerns you?

  • What do people who are immigrants, asylum-seekers, and refugees need?

  • Why do you think it’s important to learn about personal stories as well as facts and data?

  • Have you seen bias, stereotyping, and misinformation about immigrants and refugees–either in your school, community, social media, or in the news? Please explain. 

  • Why do you think there has been so much bias, stereotyping, and misinformation about immigrants and asylum-seekers? 

  • How can you challenge and dispel those myths and stereotypes in yourselves, others, and society?

  • What can we do to support and welcome immigrants and refugees in our schools and communities?

Resources for Further Learning

Woven Teaching believes that human rights education is essential for students and adult learners to understand and assert their own rights and to protect the rights of others. As a result, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) lies at the core of Woven Teaching’s materials. The document’s 30 articles outline fundamental human rights: basic rights and freedoms which every human being is entitled to, regardless of race, religion, birthplace, gender, sexual orientation, or other characteristics. Although its articles are not legally binding, the UDHR serves as a moral compass for the international community. The concepts in this resource connect directly to several UDHR articles, including: 

  • Article 3:   Right to life, liberty, and safety. 

  • Article 13: Right to to move and travel within your country and internationally.

  • Article 14: Right to seek protection from another country (asylum) if treated poorly.

  • Article 15: Right to be a citizen of a country.

 
 
EducationNikki BambauerHuman Rights Beyond the Headlines, immigration, migrants, refugees, asylum