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Top down approach to integrating migrants not working

‘The experience of migrating to a country has meant that its problems, and opportunities, have become my own’

The solidarity march in Dublin in support of refugees and migrants was organised at the weekend by a broad coalition of organisations. Photograph: Alan Betson/The Irish Times

Shana Cohen
Mon Feb 20 2023 - 05:00

The volume of people entering Ireland to seek protection has overwhelmed the Government, feeding anti-migrant protests and attacks and undermining Government commitments to accept Ukrainian refugees.

At the same time, Minister for Integration Joe O’Brien has said to expect the same number of refugees and asylum seekers, including Ukrainians, in 2023 as last year, or more than 80,000. The wider migrant population is also increasing. The Central Statistics Office reported that from April 2021-2022, there was a 15-year high of 120,700 migrants settling in Ireland, half of whom came from outside the European Union and United Kingdom.

In short, even if counterprotests supporting refugees outnumber the critics and the Government finds at least short-term solutions for housing those arriving here without resources, the pressures will continue this year and possibly into the future. It’s not just the war in Ukraine, but also climate change and other conflicts that will drive migration trends.

The challenge goes beyond the lack of immediate shelter. It includes access to education, health and social care, and jobs

The Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre has estimated that more than 20 million people have been displaced annually over the past decade due to climate-related hazards. How will the Government respond if inward migration continues to grow?

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The challenge goes beyond the lack of immediate shelter. It includes access to education, health and social care, and jobs. Meeting the needs of new, and even older migrants, only put into relief how unsustainable the strain on public services has become. The Government cannot really help new arrivals without addressing the larger problems facing the country. Ironically, these problems will only diminish by attracting more migrants to work in areas like healthcare, teaching, construction, and care, meaning migrants are part of the solution, not a burden. This State relies more than almost every other Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development country on foreign-trained doctors and nurses.

Many non-economic migrants, from places like Syria and Ukraine, actually have training in occupations like nursing. The Government should take advantage of these skills by developing a clearer strategy for enabling migrants to work in their chosen careers. These people will feel more comfortable and secure while contributing to efforts to confront pressing needs in the Republic.

At the same time, preparing the public for future migrants should go beyond justifying their presence due to labour shortages, as well as humanitarian reasons. The Government should rethink how policymakers refer to migrants. The term migrant is unclear. The Migration Observatory at the University of Oxford states: “The use of the term ‘migrant’ in the public discourse is extremely loose and often conflates issues of immigration status, race, ethnicity and asylum.” And it also warns: “Misuse of the terminology can produce inaccurate reporting and complicate policy debates.”

Thousands joined the antiracism march to support refugees, rejecting a 'culture of fear'. Video: Chris Maddaloni

Migrants can be foreign-born but now citizens or still foreign nationals; they can have temporary or long-term plans, they may have migrated for economic reasons or fled because it was unsafe to stay, and they can possess different rights based on country of origin (eg, EU or UK citizens in the Republic) with varied obstacles to settlement, depending on, for instance, employment status.

Even if the definition of migrant remains imprecise because it depends on how other countries define it as well, one manageable step would be to reconsider the concept of integration in Irish policy. The 2018 Migrant Integration Strategy bases integration on greater acceptance of cultural diversity, which in turn enables migrants to participate in Irish society.

Members of society of Irish heritage will have to ‘expand their notion of Irishness to include migrants and those of migrant origin

The strategy supports a “long-term vision” that involves “a change of perspective from one in which cultural diversity is viewed as optional or temporary to one in which such diversity is recognised as integral to Irish identity”. Members of society of Irish heritage will have to “expand their notion of Irishness to include migrants and those of migrant origin” while “migrants who make their homes in Ireland on a long-term basis will be expected to engage actively and to assume shared civic responsibilities for promoting the wellbeing of our society”.

The difficulty with this approach is that it distinguishes between the attitudes of migrants and those of Irish heritage but then pushes them together in a top-down, prescribed vision of social and cultural change.

If we adopt the UN definition of a migrant, which is to remain at least a year in a country so that it becomes the person’s usual residence, then I have been a migrant for most of my adult life. I am from the US, but I have also lived in several countries in north Africa, as well as in the UK and Republic. I have just applied for my third citizenship. Would I say that I have become integrated in all these countries? I have certainly respected values, beliefs, and customs of the countries where I have moved. However, these places were already diverse, so there was not one culture in which to become integrated.

Perhaps the policy definition of integration, in addition to respect for diversity, should flesh out the benefits of sharing civic responsibilities

For me, the experience of migrating to a country has meant that its problems, and opportunities, have become my own. I may not have extended family in the country, or lifelong friends, but I have lived, even as a highly privileged migrant, with many of the same issues as citizens. I have also formed new friendships, developed social networks and worked when I could.

Perhaps the policy definition of integration, in addition to respect for diversity, should flesh out the benefits of sharing civic responsibilities, of taking on local and national issues together. This emphasis would make it more difficult to identify housing, or access to public services, as a zero-sum game, where migrants are seen to have an easier time than citizens of Irish origin. Respect for cultural diversity, and the enrichment it brings to society, is fundamental to any strategy regarding migration, but being a migrant means more than someone’s language, customs, or beliefs. It means pursuing the possibility of leading a fulfilling life, which can only happen if those around you have the same opportunity.

  • Shana Cohen is director of Tasc, the think tank for action on social change
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