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Introduction

Unit One

Unit Two

Unit Three

Unit Four

Appendix

Glossary

Forced Migrants: Persons who leave their place of habitual residence involuntarily, due to persecution, economic hardship, war or civil conflict, or natural or manmade disaster. Among the kinds of forced migrants are asylum seekers and victims of human trafficking, convention refugees, economic migrants, and Internally Displaced Persons.

Convention Refugee: (definition was updated in 1967) a person who is outside the country of their nationality or habitual residence; has a well-founded fear of persecution because of his or her race, religion, nationality membership of a particular social group or political opinion; and is unable or unwilling to avail himself or herself of the protection of that country, or to return there, for fear of persecution.

Refugees as defined by Catholic Social Teaching: In addition to convention refugees, Catholic teaching suggests that de facto refugees (who are victims of armed conflicts, misguided economic policy or natural disasters), and internally displaced persons (who are uprooted from their homes without having crossed an international frontier) should also be recognized as refugees and accorded international protection.

Asylum Seekers: People who have moved across an international border in search of the protection guaranteed to Convention refugees, but whose claim for refugee status has not yet been determined.

Forced Economic Migrants: Persons who seek to live and work in a country other than their country of origin due to a lack of economic opportunity there or better opportunities in another country. Those who become migrants due to necessity due to significant economic hardship are called forced economic migrants. When such hardships are imposed selectively by a government as a form or persecution forced economic migrants may also be convention refugees.

IDPs: Internally displaced persons are "persons or groups of persons who have been forced or obliged to flee or to leave their homes or places of habitual residence, in particular as a result of or in order to avoid the effects of armed conflict, situations of generalized violence, violations of human rights or natural or human-made disasters, and who have not crossed an internationally recognized State border." (Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement, Introduction, para. 2)

Modern Response to Refugees/Migrants

(With focus on the United States)

 

Objectives: Students will be able to

1. Identify biases of writers and commentators in their treatment of refugees.
2. Understand the basis of their personal views on refugees and other migrants.
3. Express their views on migration to the U.S.
4. Understand that refugees may enter the United States legally though the U.S. refugee admissions program.
5. Understand that undocumented persons may enter the United States legally in order to seek asylum.
6. Understand U.S. policies pertaining to undocumented persons not seeking or not eligible for asylum.

Click the chart to download a printable PDF.

Context

Biases exist in media coverage of the immigration issue.

• Buzz words and terms which indicate biases. (See questions in Appendix VI)
• Threats from undocumented aliens: real or imagined?

 

Experience

Media

• System of Neglect – article in The Washington Post, May 2008.
• Weisberger, Bernard, "A Nation of Immigrants," American Heritage – February/March 1994.
• UNHCR, "Refugees: Victims of Intolerance." (PDF)
• Jesuit Refugee Service, God in Exile, Rome, 2005
• Martin, S.J., James, This Our Exile, A Spiritual Journey with the Refugees of East Africa, Orbis Books, Maryknoll, NY, 1999.
• Smith, S.J., Gary, They Come Back Singing, Loyola Press, Chicago, 2008.

 

Reflection

Media influence on our views of migrants either documented or undocumented.

 

Action

• Bookmark website: Refugee Stories.
• Bookmark web page: To Be a Teen Refugee.
• What have you learned, what do you think should be done …

 

Evaluation

Small group interaction – students discuss the biases that exist in U.S. media coverage of refugees and undocumented immigrants.
Student evaluation of the lesson – small group work, then share with class.

The mission of Jesuit Refugee Service/USA is to accompany, serve and defend the rights of refugees and forcibly displaced people. JRS/USA witnesses to the reality that God is present in human history, even in the most tragic experiences of vulnerable and often forgotten people driven from their homes by conflict, natural disaster, economic injustice, or violation of other human rights.