Irregular Migrants on Australia's Borders

The readings for the past couple weeks have covered a wide range of aspects of globalization. Chapter 3 of the E&Z Reader discussed transnational migration and the struggle for immigrants of all types to feel welcome in new societies, as well as the actions of the governments of countries who receive many immigrants to facilitate-- or refuse-- the resettlement of immigrants. In the article “Why Migration Matters”, by Khalid Koser, the struggle of refugees and immigrants referred to as irregular-- meaning illegal or undocumented-- are discussed in relation to the actions of the governments that receive large numbers of these immigrants. Although much of our class discussion and our readings have centered around the causes of and motivating reasons for migration, I am intrigued by the process of immigration and the actions of sovereign governments to either accept or decline those who seek asylum or refuge, or, as we discussed in class, those who migrate for any of the countless motivating factors.

Koser claims in his article that irregular migrants are those “migrants who enter or remain in a country without authorization; those who are smuggled or trafficked across an international border; those who seek asylum, are not granted it, and then fail to serve a deportation order; and people who circumvent immigration controls” (E&Z 46). These irregular migrants cover a wide range of migrants, and they are likely migrants who have experienced this immigration for various reasons. What Koser does not take time to discuss, though, is what kinds of rights these irregular migrants must give up because of their irregular status.

In the United States, we have heard a lot about the wall that Donald Trump has proposed along the US-Mexico border. Additionally, we have become very familiar with the movements in support of and against undocumented immigrants who have migrated North from various Latin American countries, as well as from other parts of the world. While these issues are extremely important to find solutions to, we can often spend so much time thinking about the conflicts within our own country that we forget that these things happen all around the world.

In Australia, many immigrants who seek asylum from the conditions in their home countries are sent to islands off the coast of Papua New Guinea where they are left with no opportunities to leave. The Australian government has also been known for its tough and strict border control. Here is a video of an Australian public service announcement aimed at people who travel by boat in hopes of finding asylum and safety in Australia:

This deterrence of immigration that Australia has expressed appears to be extremely strict-- and they mean what they say. Reports by various news sources, including the Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, have told the harsh realities of what happens to many migrants who violate the tough policies expressed in the video. The following video outlines some of the reports on the actions of the Australian government against these migrants.

https://youtu.be/DTv84zkhq8U

These practices are extremely alarming, and one could even argue that they are a violation of the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights, such as “No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment” (Sernau 197). Additionally, there is an incredibly unique economic dependency on Australia's use of these islands. In a Human Rights Watch article, it was reported that “It’s unlikely that real change will come from Nauru, though. Refugee detention is its most lucrative – really its only meaningful – source of foreign revenue. To keep the cash flowing in, the Nauruan government has gone to great lengths to keep information about Australia’s offshore operations secret” (Bochenek). Although keeping these migrants in Nauru is very brutal, the economic factors and motivations of the Nauruan government to keep migrants make for an extremely interesting dynamic between Australia, Nauru, and the migrants whose lives have been displaced, and whose hope has been diminished as they are stuck on this tiny island in the Pacific Ocean.

While the economic factors and violation of human rights factor into Australia's actions, how does this policy affect those who truly need asylum? And how does it change the lives of those who could potentially qualify as refugees? As we talked about in class on Friday, it would take over 180 years to process the number of migrants who currently seek asylum in the EU, which might make one wonder why developed countries like Australia retain such strict policies when the rest of the international community is experiencing such extreme effects of this powerful wave of migration. Still, maybe the most haunting realization is that Australia's government, as well as any other sovereign government, can commit these horrible acts against some of the most vulnerable people in the world.
If given the chance to look further into this issue of migration in Australia, I would be interested to learn about the process of leaving these islands. As the video mentions, there are many migrants who stay on Nauru or Manus for years, but where do they go when they are finally given the chance to leave? Do they return to their home countries from which they fled in the first place, or do they migrate again to a new corner of the world in hopes of something better? The international community, although dealing with heavy immigration issues already, should call on Australia to change its practices and should spread word of the brutal and harsh realities of the lives of these irregular migrants as they do what they can to seek a better life.

https://www.hrw.org/news/2016/10/07/nauru-and-australia-partners-refugee-abuse