The Imagined Threat of an Inherently Vulnerable Population: The Securitization of Refugees in the United States

Abstract

Refugees are one of if not the most vulnerable populations on the planet. Forced to flee from their homes, migrants face instability at nearly every turn. The international community has recognized the crisis in its midst and issued numerous policies and mandates working to protect the rights of those displaced. However, refugees are portrayed in two opposing fashions: first as being in dire need, and second as being threats to national and international security. The latter portrayal is a result of securitization, a process by which a political issue is transformed into an issue of security thereby allowing states to defend the use of greater power to respond to that issue.[1] The securitization of the refugee crisis and refugees themselves is present in international and national policy in many states but is especially salient in wealthy Western countries. The United States, despite being generally removed from the worst refugee crises, provides a profound example of this securitization process.

[1] Eroukhmanoff, C. (2020, May 7). Securitisation theory: An introduction. E-International Relations. Retrieved May 4, 2023, from https://www.e-ir.info/2018/01/14/securitisation-theory-an-introduction/