and international law, crossing an international border for asylum is not illegal, and every asylum seeker’s case for refugee status must be heard.
Did you know that thousands of families from Central America have fled extreme danger in order to seek asylum in the United States? These families are often described as “illegal immigrants,” but in truth, they are actually abiding by international and U.S. asylum laws. There is no way for them to ask for a visa or any type of authorization in advance. As put by the ICR's director of immigration, "They just have to show up.”)
Unlike refugees and asylum seekers, “migrants” are not fleeing from persecution or violence in their home countries. Rather, they are searching for opportunities to obtain a better quality of life. The ICR defines a “migrant” as “someone who is moving from place to place (within his or her country or across borders), usually for economic reasons.” Migrants, refugees and asylum-seekers may all be referred to as "immigrants," which the ICR defines as “someone who makes a conscious decision to leave his or her home and move to a foreign country, with the intention of settling there.” Many immigrants become lawful permanent residents and eventually citizens in their new country.
As of 2015, there were more than two million immigrants living in Argentina. This population included Syrian refugees, as well as Bolivian, Peruvian and Paraguayan migrants and others. Since then, Argentina has also granted residency to more than 650,000 Venezuelans. Unfortunately, after their arrival, many immigrants are negatively affected by their residential and legal statuses in their host communities and often face discrimination.
