Give me your tired, your poor,

Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,

The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"
Emma Lazarus

Statistics:
The Majority Of People Are
Economic Migrants
(Legitimacy of refugee status)

Islamic State Militants Are

Posing As Refugees /
Terrorism / Criminals
(Security threat)

UNHCR
Facts and Figures
about Refugees
UNHCRs full-time
statisticians keep
track of the number
of people of concern
to the Agency.
These figures are
released every June
in the annual Global
Trends report.
http://www.unhcr.ie/a
bout-unhcr/factsand-figures-aboutrefugees

Number of forcibly displaced

worldwide: 51.2 million
This figure is the highest on record
since comprehensive statistics on
global forced displacement have been
collected.
Including:
13 million refugeesRegistered under UNHCR's
mandate
Another 5 million
refugees are Palestinian
Refugees registered
by UNRWA (United Nations
Relief and Works Agency)
1.3 million Asylum Seekers
Persons who are seeking refuge
in a country that is not their
country of origin
In 2014, 50% of refugees
were under 18 years old.
This was higher than in 2012
when it stood at 46%.
Where do the World's Refugees
come from?

Refugees And Migrants

Will Ruin Economies

Migrants And Refugees Can Just

Stay In Turkey / Lebanon / Etc

(Economic Threat)

(Passing the burden)

Who Hosts the World's
Refugees?
Pakistan continues to host
the largest number of
refugees worldwide at 1.6
million refugees, virtually all
of which are from
Afghanistan.
Lebanon has become the
Second Largest Refugee
Hosting Country hosting
over 1.1 million refugees,
the majority of whom have
fled the conflict in Syria. As
of March 2015, 1 in 4
persons in Lebanon is
displaced from Syria.
The Islamic Republic of
Iran is the 3rd largest
refugee hosting country with
a total of 982,100 Refugees,
the majority of which hail
from Afghanistan and Iraq.
In 2014, Developing
Countries hosted 86% of the
worlds refugeee

They Don't
Look Like
They Need
Help

For more than 3 decades

Afghanistan has been the
largest source of Refugees.
However, by mid-2014, at more
than 3 million
Refugees, Syria had overtaken
Afghanistan as the largest
refugee population, accounting
for nearly a quarter 23%) of all
refugees under UNHCRs
mandate.
Afghanistan dropped to the
second largest refugee group
with 2.7 million Refugees under
UNHCRs Mandate.
Somalia remained the third
largest refugee producing
country at 1.1 million Refugees.
Accumulatively, these 3
countries accounted for 52% of
all Refugees under UNHCRs
mandate

Seeking Asylum in Europe:

According to Eurostat figures
there were 626,065 non-EU
asylum applications lodged in
the EU in 2014.
In 2014 Germany once again
received the highest number of
asylum applications of any
European Country, however the
numbers of claims almost
doubled from 109,600 in 2013
to 202,645 applications in
2014.
This trend was similar
in Sweden which replaced
France as the second highest
European recipient of asylum

applications, 54,300 in 2013

to 81,800 applications in 2014.
In third position, Italy replaced
the UK as the third highest
recipient of asylum applications
with more than double the
applications with 64,625
applications in 2014 compared
to 27,800 in 2013, a 57%
increase, primarily due to a
dramatic increase in asylum
seekers crossing the
Mediterranean seeking safety in
Europe.
In contrast, Irelands number
of asylum applications was
comparatively lower in 2014
with 1,450 non-EU applications
for asylum.

Where do Europes Asylum Seekers

Come From?
In 2014 an overwhelming
majority of the EUs Asylum
Seekers have fled Syria,
between 2013 and 2014 there
was a 144% increase in the
number of Syrians seeking
asylum in Europe with numbers
rising from 50,420 in 2013
to 122,790 applicants in 2014.
This was followed
by Afghani asylum seekers
at 41,305 applicants in 2014,
a 57% increase from 26,235 in

2013.
The third largest group of
Asylum seekers in the EU came
from Kosovo, with an 87%
increase from 20,220 in 2013
to 37,875 applicants in 2014.

THE GUARDIAN
10 Truths About
Europes Migrant
Crisis
-Patrick Kingsley
Aug. 10, 2015
http://www.theguardi
an.com/uknews/2015/aug/10/1
0-truths-abouteuropes-refugeecrisis

When youre facing the worlds biggest

refugee crisis since the second world
war, it helps to have a sober debate
about how to respond. But to do that,
you need facts and data two things
that the British migration debate has
lacked this summer. Theresa May got
the ball rolling in May, when she
claimed on Radio 4 that the vast
majority of migrants to Europe are
Africans travelling for economic
reasons. The media has followed suit,
one example being the Daily Mails
unsubstantiated recent assertion that
seven in 10 migrants at Calais will
reach the UK.
Foreign secretary Philip Hammond this
week not only repeated Mays
claimsabout African economic migrants,
but portrayed them as marauders who
would soon hasten the collapse of
European civilisation. Hammond, like
many people, could do with some
actual statistics about the migration
crisis. Here are 10 of the key ones:
62%
Far from being propelled by economic
migrants, this crisis is mostly about
refugees. The assumption by the likes
of Hammond, May and others is that
the majority of those trying to reach
Europe are fleeing poverty, which is not
considered by the international

1.2 million
There are countries with social
infrastructure at breaking point
because of the refugee crisis but
they arent in Europe. The most
obvious example is Lebanon,
which houses 1.2 million Syrian
refugees within a total population of
roughly 4.5 million. To put that in
context, a country that is more than
100 times smaller than the EU has
already taken in more than 50 times
as many refugees as the EU will
even consider resettling in the
future. Lebanon has a refugee crisis.
Europe and, in particular, Britain
does not.

community as a good enough reason to

move to another country. Whereas in
fact, by the end of July, 62% of those
who had reached Europe by boat this
year were from Syria, Eritrea and
Afghanistan, according to figures
compiled by the UN. These are
countries torn apart by war, dictatorial
oppression, and religious extremism
and, in Syrias case, all three. Their
citizens almost always have the legal
right to refuge in Europe. And if you
add to the mix those coming from
Darfur, Iraq, Somalia, and some parts of
Nigeria then the total proportion of
migrants likely to qualify for asylum
rises to well over 70%.
0.027%
Hammond said that the migrants would
speed the collapse of the European
social order. In reality, the number of
migrants to have arrived so far this
year (200,000) is so minuscule that it
constitutes just 0.027% of Europes
total population of 740 million. The
worlds wealthiest continent can easily
handle such a comparatively small
influx.
50%
the dog-whistle rhetoric of Hammond
and Theresa May, the archetypal
contemporary migrant in Europe is from
Africa. But again, thats not true. This
year, according to UN figures, 50%
alone are from two non-African
countries: Syria (38%) and Afghanistan
(12%). When migrants from Pakistan,
Iraq and Iran are added into the
equation, it becomes clear that the
number of African migrants is
significantly less than half. Even so, as
discussed above, many of them
especially those from Eritrea, Darfur,
and Somalia have legitimate claims to
refugee status.

THE ECONOMIST
How many
migrants to
Europe are
refugees?
Sep 7th 2015
http://www.economis
t.com/blogs/economi
stexplains/2015/09/eco
nomist-explains-4

VIKTOR ORBN, Hungarys prime

minister, says the overwhelming
majority of migrants in Europe are not
refugees but are merely seeking a
better life. Robert Fico, his Slovak
counterpart, says up to 95% are
economic migrants. The distinction
matters, for under the 1951 Refugee
Convention and a string of EU laws,
European countries must offer refuge or
other types of protection to asylumseekers who can demonstrate that they
are fleeing war or persecution. They are
under no such obligation to those
looking to improve their prospects,
even if they have left behind lives of
destitution. So if Messrs Orbn and Fico
are right, Europes migration crisis
amounts largely to a problem of border
management and repatriation; not
relocation, integration and the rest of it.
Are they?
The UNHCR says that Syria, Afghanistan
and Iraq account for nine in ten of the
quarter-million-odd migrants detected
arriving in Greece this year. Citizens of
Eritrea, Somalia and Sudan comprise
41% of the 119,500 arrivals in Italy,
and another 6% come from Syria.
In other words, citizens from countries
that usually obtain protection in the EU
account for fully 75% of illicit arrivals by
sea this year. Crunch the numbers
further and we find that at least 81% of
those migrants entering Greece can
expect to receive refugee status or
some other form of protection in the
EU. The figure for those entering Italy,
who are a far more diverse bunch, is
46%. Many Nigerians, Bangladeshis and
Gambians, among others, fail to obtain
protection after crossing the

Mediterranean (see chart 2).

These numbers capture only those

entering (and detected) by seasome
European countries, Germany in
particular, have a separate problem of
asylum-seekers travelling overland
from Balkan countries like Kosovo,
Serbia and Albania, the vast majority of
whom are denied protectionand cover
only first-instance decisions. Still, the
headline numbers suggest that the vast
majority of illegal migrants reaching
Europe will be eligible for protection
once they arrive. In Mr Orban's
defence, it is true that the legal
distinction between refugees and
economic migrants often fails to
capture the complex mixture of motives
that drive migrants to make their epic
journeys. War may be the catalyst for a

journey that refugees will then seek to

make as economically beneficial as
possible. But in dealing with large
numbers of migrants who, the data
show, have fled countries stricken
by war or the caprice of
dictatorship, European politicians
should strive for a more generous
approach.
WORLD ECONOMIC
FORUM
4 Myths about
Refugees
Debunked
-Stphanie
Thomson, Editor,
World Economic
Forum
-Published
Thursday 19
November 2015
https://www.weforum
.org/agenda/2015/11
/4-myths-aboutrefugees-debunked/

Myth 3: Theyre not really refugees

theyre just economic migrants seeking
a better life
Whats been said: At the peak of the
refugee crisis this summer, Hungarys
prime minister, Viktor Orban, claimed
that the majority of those attempting to
make it to Europe were not fleeing war
and persecution: 95% of these people
are economic migrants, he said.
The reality: Journalists at
the Economist did some number
crunching. First, they looked to identify
those countries whose citizens were for
the majority receiving some form of
protection once their claims were
processed. They then cross-referenced
these countries against the
nationalities of people reaching Europe.
That led them to the following
conclusion: The headline numbers
suggest that the vast majority of illegal
migrants reaching Europe will be
eligible for protection once they arrive.

Myth 1: Turning away refugees

will reduce the threat of
terrorism
Whats been said: In a letter
to President Barack Obama,
Governor Greg Abbott of Texas
wrote that his state will not
accept any refugees from Syria
as this would irresponsibly
expose our fellow Americans to
unacceptable peril. Hes not on
his own: more than half of US
governors are attempting to
stop Syrian refugees from
resettling in their states.
The reality: History tells us we
have very little to fear from
refugees. Since 2001, the US
has taken in 784,000 refugees
from across the world. Of
those, just three have been
arrested for activities related to
terrorism. The refugee route
would also be one of the least
effective ways to enter a
country, says Kenneth Roth of
Human Rights Watch: Just as no
refugee would brave crossing
the Mediterranean or
negotiating the land route
through the Balkans if easier
options were available, so these
routes would hardly seem to be
major avenues for well-financed
terrorist groups. More
importantly, though, as Nick
Stockton of Wiredhas argued,

Myth 2: Refugees are a

drain on societies
Whats been said: The
language used to refer to
refugees says it all. Theyre
described as a burden, a
strain and a drain on
countries.
The reality: Resettling
refugees, especially on such
a large scale, is very
expensive. Between 2012
and 2013, for
example, Jordan spent
almost $8.2 billion when it
took in thousands of fleeing
Syrians. But thats just one
side of the story. Research
based on countries such as
the US, Denmark and
Uganda has found that in
the long term,
refugees have a positive or
neutral effect on the host
countrys economy.
A 2012 study in
Cleveland also found that
refugees were more likely to
be entrepreneurial
compared to natives. The
same trend has been found
to apply to migrants more
broadly

closing our doors to refugees

could have the opposite effect: it
might make vulnerable people
feel even more marginalized,
and create a breeding ground for
the type of resentment and
anger that fuels terrorism in the
first place.

Myth 4: Even if we want to

help, theres no more space
Whats been said: Lets
take the example of Britain.
Of the millions fleeing Syria,
just a couple of hundred
have been resettled there.
But that doesnt stop many
people from arguing the
country is full, as this
spoof article for
the Metroshows.
The reality: Across much of
Europe, birthrates are
declining and populations
are either shrinking or
standing still.
The Washington Post has
even gone as far as to refer
to the situation as a
demographic timebomb, at
least for Germany. Some
are therefore seeing the
influx of often highly
educated refugees as a
boon for their
countries, including
Germanys chancellor,
Angela Merkel: If we do it
well, this will bring more
opportunities than risks.

HUFFINGTON
POST
5 Major Myths
Of Europe's
Refugee And
Migrant Crisis
Debunked
It's time to put these
falsehoods to rest.
Nick Robins-Early
Sept. 22, 2015
http://www.huffingto
npost.com/entry/eur
ope-refugee-migrantcrisismyths_us_55f83aa7e
4b09ecde1d9b4bc

There's a prominent claim among

immigration opponents that the
majority of people who are entering
Europe through irregular means during
this crisis are not refugees, but rather
economic migrants searching for
economic opportunities.
Hungary Prime Minister Viktor Orban
has claimed that economic migrants
constitute the "overwhelming majority"
of those who are seeking to enter the
bloc, while characterizing the current
crisis as a "rebellion by illegal
migrants." Orban's sentiment was
echoed by other hardline conservative
politicians, including Britain's Nigel
Farage and Slovakia's Robert Fico.
Yet the idea that the majority of those
arriving in the EU -- 95 percent by Fico's
calculation -- are economic migrants is
not borne out by reality. While there is
no definitive proof of the background
and origin of every migrant and refugee
entering Europe, UNHCR estimates
that just over 50 percent of the people
who have arrived to Europe by sea so
far in 2015 are from Syria, a country
ravaged by civil war where bombings
and violence are a daily threat.
Some of the other prevalent
nationalities arriving in Europe are from
similarly war-torn states, like
Afghanistan and Iraq. Many others are
fleeing repression and sometimes
forced conscription under regimes in
Eritrea and Gambia.
In an analysis of migrant and refugee
arrivals, The Economist estimates that
75 percent of people who take irregular
sea routes to Europe are from countries
whose citizens are usually granted EU
protection in some form.

One photo purports to show an

Islamic State fighter holding a
rifle in Syria earlier this year,
then smiling in a separate image
as he enters Europe wearing a Tshirt that says "thank
you." Another image claims to
show refugees holding an
Islamic State flag and attacking
German police.
In actuality, both photos don't
really show anything close to
what people circulating the
images online claim.
The first before-and-after image
is that of a man profiled by the
Associated Press who was a Free
Syrian Army commander before
fleeing the conflict. Now, he
hopes to bring his family to the
Netherlands. The flag photo is
from years ago andunrelated to
refugees, or possibly even the
Islamic State.
The photos' circulation is
representative of a fear
expressed by European
officials and media outlets that
Islamic State militants may be
hiding among migrant groups in
order to sneak into Europe and
commit terror attacks. An
unnamed Islamic State operative
also told Buzzfeed in January
that he aided in smuggling
militants into Europe.
However, as things stand now,
there is little to confirm these
claims. Europe's border control
agency stated that there was no
concrete evidence to support
the idea that Islamic State
militants are among migrants,
and experts say such plans
sound specious.
"I don't see the need for ISIS to
embark on such a convoluted

Beyond security and

humanitarian criticisms, a
prominent complaint from
the anti-immigration camp
is that taking in refugees is
a tremendous economic
cost. These newcomers,
they say, will take away jobs
from the native population
and create poverty.
This nativist argument
doesn't hold up to scrutiny,
experts say, and some
economists argue that if
handled correctly, the influx
of refugees could
actuallyhave a positive
effect on the economy.
Studies across a number of
countries show that when
there is an influx of refugees
into a population, it
produces long-term positive
or neutral effect on the
nation's economy, The
Washington Post reports.
Migration expert Hein de
Haas also told The
WorldPost that in general,
migration has a relatively
small -- rather than radical
or negative -- effect on
economies.
"It would be outrageous to
suggest that migration is
either the cause of
structural unemployment,
which is one example, or the
precariousness of labor," de
Haas said.
As The Washington Post
explains, states will have to
spend heavily at first to
receive the number of
refugees that are currently
arriving. But in the long-

Another myth related to the claim

that most people reaching Europe
are economic migrants is the
contention that refugees, especially
Syrians, could simply stay in
neighboring countries. Some say
that when these people choose to
travel to Europe, they don't do it out
of fear -- but rather a desire to live
off a welfare state.
"Turkey is a safe country. Stay there.
It's risky to come," Hungary's Orban
saidearlier this month.
But opponents miss the legal status
of refugees in Turkey and
neighboring states, as well as the
deteriorating humanitarian
conditions that now characterize
living there.
Turkey, which has taken in 1.9
million Syrians, does not actually
grant Syrians living there refugee
status as agreed upon in the Geneva
Convention and Protocol Relating to
the Status of Refugees. Turkey didn't
sign on to one part of the
agreement, and therefore isn't fully
bound by it.
Instead, Ankara offers Syrian
refugees temporary protection with
the idea that they will one day leave.
Additionally, conditions for refugees
in Turkey have steadily deteroriated
as humanitarian aid has dwindled,
tensions with local populations have
risen and camps have become
overpacked.
In Lebanon, Syrians now make up
one-fifth of the population. Over half
of these more than 1.1 million
refugees live in insecure
dwellings, according the United
Nations Refugee Agency.
Conditions in Jordan, which has over
600,000 Syrian refugees, are
similarly dire. Two-thirds of the

Another
criticism
levied by antiimmigrant
groups is that
many people
entering
Europe have
smartphones,
are wearing
expensive
clothing or
generally
appear to be
in good
health.
The perverse
notion that a
person
doesn't look
destitute or
sickly enough
to be granted
asylum
contains a
fundamental
lack of
understandin
g about what
being a
refugee
means. The
people
heading to
Europe come
from diverse
backgrounds,
including mid
dle-class
lives or
wealthy and
educated
families, but
they have
been forced
to flee due to
horrific

scheme to carry out attacks or

be a threat in the West,"
Reinoud Leenders, associate
professor in international
relations and Middle East studies
at King's College London, told
The Los Angeles Times. After all,
many members of the Islamic
State are foreign fighters who
already possess European
citizenship, Leenders pointed
out.
The response to this concern,
aid groups told the LA Times, is
not to shut out migrants and
create increased irregular
migration that is hard to
document. Rather, they said,
countries should create safe,
legal and documented channels
to review arrivals.

term, this should be seen as

a potentially lucrative
investment.
As The Washington Post
notes, a 2013 study of
Syrian refugees in
Lebanon found around
half were skilled or semiskilled workers.

Syrian refugee population there lives

in poverty, according to the U.N.,
while 1-in-6 live in extreme poverty.
Barriers preventing legal work in
Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey mean
that refugees are often forced into
an informal economy where they
lack rights or a guaranteed minimum
wage.
The World Food Program has been
providing food aid to Syrian
refugees, but a lack of funding
has forced sizable cuts. Now, those
who do receive aid from the group
only get around 50 cents a day to
feed themselves, Abeer Etefa from
U.N.'s World Food Program for the
Middle East and North Africa region
told NPR.
"After years in exile, refugees'
savings are long depleted and
growing numbers are resorting to
begging, survival sex and child
labour. Middle-class families with
children are barely surviving on the
streets," UN High Commissioner for
Refugees Antnio Guterres stated in
March about refugees in Syria's
neighboring countries.

conflict.
As The
Washington
Post notes,
a 2013
study of
Syrian
refugees in
Lebanon
found
around half
were skilled
or semiskilled
workers.
Syria is also a
country
where there
are between
75 and 87
mobile phone
subscriptions
per 100
people, Cana
da's
CBC reports.
Smartphones
also provide
a vital means
of
communicatio
n and
navigation alo
ng the routes
to Europe.
Refugees and
migrants use
these devices
for GPS, as
well as to
contact family
members and
other
travelers.
They can also
call or
message for

help from
authorities
should trouble
arise on the
dangerous
journey.

GLOBAL CITIZEN
ORG
Before you say
no to refugees,
here are 8
debunked myths
By Joe
McCarthy on Nov.
20, 2015
https://www.global
citizen.org/en/cont
ent/before-yousay-no-torefugees-here-are8-debunked/

After the recent terrorist attacks

in Paris, political conversations
quickly turned inward, centering
on the question of Syrian
refugees.
Should refugees be admitted
into safe countries?
In rapid succession in the
US, governors and presidential
contenders announced that
refugees would not be welcome,
that the US could not risk an
attack on its people.
The speaker in the House of
Representatives, Paul Ryan,
summoned enough votes for a
bill that would sharply restrict
the eligibility of refugees to
settle in the US.

1/ MYTH: Terrorists are

posing as refugees to
infiltrate the US
Terrorists are not posing as
refugees to infiltrate the US. This
has not happened and it wont
happen. The barriers that have
been put in place are simply too
steep. Unlike in Europe, the
refugees from Syria and North
Africa cant scramble onto an
overcrowded, plastic dinghy to
enter the US outside of officially
sanctioned routes. It is
impossible. Theres an ocean in
the way.
While in theory it is more likely
that a terrorist could blend in
with a crowd of refugees and
migrants slipping into Europe,
this is also unlikely. The
possibility is probably in the
realm of 1 in 10,000 or 100,000.
The terrorist attacks in Paris
were carried out by homegrown

7/ MYTH: Refugees would

be a burden on society
Refugees want to come to
the US so that they can get
their lives back on track.
They want to start working
again. They want to raise
families. They want to
contribute to society.
Many of the refugees are
college-educated and
highly skilled. Their
impact on society would
be beneficial.
8/ MYTH: If the US takes
care of refugees, then it
cant take care of its own
people
There is no reason why the
US cant take care of both
refugees and its own
people. Its not a zero-sum
game. The US can easily
afford to take in refugees,
while also helping its own
citizens to deal with poverty
(and it needs to do a much
better job on this front). In
fact, many of these
skilled refugees could be
leaders in the struggle to
end poverty in the US.

4/ MYTH: Why dont neighboring

nations shoulder the refugee
burden? Why is it up to the US?
The countries surrounding Syria-Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey--are
shouldering the refugee burden.
The US has a population of
318,000,000 and has taken less than
2,000 Syrian refugees over 4 years.
Turkey has 75,000,000 people and
hosts 2,200,000 refugees.
Lebanon has a population of
4,800,000 people and hosts
1,140,000 refugees. The US would
have to take in around
75,000,000 refugees to match the
proportion in Lebanon. Conversely,
Lebanon would have to cut down its
refugee population to a few dozen to
match the US's proportion.
These countries
are overburdened. Their ability to
handle the influx of refugees is
strained to the limit, which means
many refugees find themselves in
dirty, cramped camps without
adequate resources.

terrorists who were influenced

by radicals.
Refugees are refugees: victims
of war seeking safety.
If a terrorist wanted to enter the
US, posing as a refugee would
make it nearly impossible.

REFINERY 29
5 Awful Myths About
Refugees And
Terrorism
Debunked
-Lili Petersen
-Nov. 18, 2015
http://www.refinery29.
com/2015/11/97887/fi
ve-worst-mythsrefugees-andterrorism

Myth: Immigrants are

more likely to be
terrorists.
As a matter of fact,
America has more to
fear from attacks by the
radical right. According
to a study by
Washington research
center New America
Foundation, there have
been 48 people killed by
domestic right-wing
terrorists since 9/11,
and 26 by homegrown
Muslim extremists.The
Southern Poverty Law
Center has a list of 112
documented radical
right-wing terrorist plots
since 1995, an average
of five-and-a-half a year.
The plots included
plans to bomb
government buildings,
banks, refineries,
utilities, clinics,
synagogues, mosques,
memorials, and bridges;
to assassinate police
officers, judges,
politicians, civil-rights
figures, and others; to
rob banks, armored
cars, and other
criminals; and to amass
illegal machine guns,
missiles, explosives, and
biological and chemical
weapons. One plot was
designed to kill as many
as 30,000 people 10
times the number of
people killed on
September 11.
The National Abortion

Federation found there

have been more than
200 bombings or arsons
of abortion clinics since
1976. Additionally, there
have been eight
murders and numerous
attempted murders of
doctors and clinic staff.
When it comes to crime
in general, immigrants
are less likely to commit
crimes than native-born
Americans. The
American Immigration
Council reports that
immigrants are not only
less likely to end up in
prison, theyre less
likely to engage in
criminal behavior at all.
A variety of different
studies using different
methodologies have
found that immigrants
are less likely than the
native-born to engage in
either violent or
nonviolent antisocial
behaviors; that
immigrants are less
likely than the nativeborn to be repeat
offenders among high
risk adolescents; and
that immigrant youth
who were students in
U.S. middle and high
schools in the mid1990s and are now
young adults have
among the lowest
delinquency rates of all
young people.

UNHCR
Skilled, educated
Syrian refugees in
Greece seek asylum
in Germany, Sweden
UNHCR says most of
Syrians arriving in
Greece are students
News Stories, 8
December 2015

Most are fleeing the

conflict in Syria.
Educationally, they
are the flower of
their country: 86 per
cent say they have
secondary school or
university education.
Half of that group
had studied at
university.
But they carry the
wounds of war with
them. One in five is still
searching for a family
member missing in
Syria.
These are some of the
results of a survey,
released by UNHCR in
Geneva. It draws on
interviews carried out
by UNHCR border
protection teams in
various locations in
Greece along the GreekTurkish border. In all
1,245 Syrians were
interviewed between
April and September
2015.
The vast majority of
those surveyed (78
per cent) were under
35.
The most frequently
mentioned
occupation of those
questioned was
student: 16 per cent
of those questioned
said they were
studying before they
fled. That was
followed by:
merchants nine per
cent; carpenters,

electricians,
plumbers seven per
cent; engineers,
architects five per
cent; doctors or
pharmacists four
per cent.
Overall, the profile is
of a highly-skilled
population on the
move.
Almost two-thirds of
those surveyed 63 per
cent said they left
Syria in 2015. And some
85 per cent said they
reached one of the
Greek islands on their
first attempt. Most of
those who answered
the questionnaire, 65
per cent, said they
had no special needs.
The UNHCR survey is
not representative of
the whole Syrian
refugee population
arriving in Greece. The
methodology was not a
random sampling.
But the analysis does
give a good overall
picture of the 'profile' of
Syrians arriving in
Greece between April
and September 2015.
Source: UNHCR

HARVARD BUSINESS
REVIEW
Europe Can Find
Better Ways to Get
Refugees into
Workforces
Luk N. Van
Wassenhove
Othman Boufaied
OCTOBER 05, 2015
https://hbr.org/2015/10/
europe-can-find-betterways-to-get-refugeesinto-workforces

Most people fleeing

conflict and political
oppression dont
want handouts they
want to work in order
to create some
semblance of a
normal life for their
families. They are keen
to contribute to the
countries that have
taken them in, for which
they are often
profoundly grateful.
While some refugees
remain hopeful that
they will soon return to
their home countries,
most accept that they
are unlikely to do so;
the conflicts in Syria and
Iraq, for example, will
not be resolved quickly.
Most refugees,
therefore, want to
integrate into their host
counties while
preserving the
essentials of their
cultures.
As refugees they have
the same rights and
obligations excepting
only the right to vote
as the citizens of their
host countries and they
have much to offer in
economic terms:
many are highly
trained and possess
much-needed skills.
Although many
European countries
currently suffer from
high unemployment,
some key sectors
(including, for

example, health care)

suffer from a chronic
lack of qualified jobseekers. Unfavorable
demographics, with the
aging of the baby
boomers and low birth
rates, also represents
an economic time
bomb for countries
whose
public retirement syste
ms rely on current
contributions to finance
current pension
obligations. In short,
Europe needs young,
skilled workers who
can pay taxes and
contribute to social
security today.
Yet despite a proforma
acknowledgment of
these facts, many
European countries
have not put in place
effective processes
for integrating into
the workforce the
growing number of
well-qualified
refugees they are
hosting.
Most obviously, this
represents an
immediate cost. Once
a refugees status
has been confirmed,
he or she is eligible
for the same social
benefits available to
any local citizen. The
longer the refugee is
without a job, the

longer he or she will

be a burden on the
state. And the sooner
the refugee finds a job,
the sooner he or she
can contribute.
Accelerating the
integration of refugees
will require a special,
dedicated effort; host
countries cannot resolve
it by simply increasing
the budget for the
employment services
they currently offer.
Refugees face specific
issues in entering a new
labor market that will
require investment in
dedicated processes.
We need to find ways to
assess their
qualifications and prior
experience. They may
have no social networks
to build upon and will be
unfamiliar with local
labor market norms.
They may not speak the
local language. For their
part, local employers
may need to adjust
some of their practices
to accommodate their
new employees.

AL JAZEERA - AMERICA
Refugees will change
Europe for the better
Immigration could help
European countries
reverse their negative
demographic trends
and boost their
economic growth
October 25,
2015 2:00AM ET
by Paul Hockenos
http://america.aljazeera.
com/opinions/2015/10/r
efugees-will-changeeurope-for-thebetter.html

Demographic crisis
First, demographics:
Deaths outpace
births across Europe.
The gap is acute and
pressing in Germany,
but the Europe-wide
problem receives too
little attention.
European leaders
must lure young
people to populate
their cities, pay
pensions for retirees
and care for them as
well as to sustain the
continents growth.
Germanys growing
economy may be
exceptional in
recession-plagued
Europe, but its
demographic quandary
isnt. Germans have
been graying as a
nation and dwindling in
numbers for decades. If
this trend persists, the
German population will
shrink from 81.5 million
to 60 million over the
next 35 years even
if 100,000
people immigrate to
Germany every year. In
2014, Germany
welcomed 550,483 new
migrants to keep its
total population steady.
But unless fertility rates
rebound dramatically, a
regular inflow of
immigrants is needed
from outside the
country.
In contrast to the early
1990s, when Germany

instigated EU-wide
asylum reform to limit
immigration, today,
theGerman business
community already
struggling to fill job
vacancies and empty
spots in vocational
training programs is
firmly behind Chancellor
Angela Merkels
welcoming stance and
wants the
newcomers trained and
integrated more swiftly.
Other European
countries such as Spain
and Portugal are also
suffering from low
birthrates exacerbated
by the emigration of
hundreds of thousands
of countrymen since the
euro crisis hit in 2010.
Portugals population is
estimated to drop, from
10.5 million to 6.3
million by 2060.
But the crunch could be
worse in Central
European countries that
are stubbornly sealing
off their borders.
Eastern and Central
European countries
are expected to lose the
most population per
capita over the next few
decades. For example,
Bulgarias population
could drop 12 percent
by 2030 and 28 percent
by 2050. Should current
trends continue, Central
Europe could be
depopulated and
economically depressed,

even as pro-immigrant
nations such as
Germany and Sweden
become more
multicultural and
prosperous.
Economic benefits
The refugees offer
Europe more than their
numbers. Their
reception and
integration will require
investment that could
help pull Europe out of
recession. Language
instructors, social
workers, translators,
teachers, vocational
trainers and other
personnel are needed to
facilitate their
socialization. For
example, the refugee
inflow could finally push
Germany to initiate a
spending program that
experts, including
economists at Deutsche
Bank, have long
advocated for to sustain
the countrys growth
and help pull the rest of
Europe out of its slump.
Germany will also have
to consider the
construction of social
housing for the
refugees, which would
benefit low-income
Germans as well. In
recent years, the
country has allowed its
once vaunted public
housing programs
rental apartments
owned and managed by

the state or nonprofit

organizations to slip.
Almost no new social
housing has been
built since 2007, which
has led to rent hikes
everywhere. Hamburg
and Berlin now have
plans to build 5,600 and
3,000 units,
respectively. Other
municipalities should
follow suit.
Finally, the
overwhelmingly Muslim
refugees could be a
boon to security. After
all, most of the Syrian,
Afghan and Iraqi
refugees are fleeing
Islamic fundamentalism
and thus are the least
likely to support radical
groups. In fact, their
experiences and
attitudes could have a
moderating effect on
Europes Muslim
communities. It is
plausible that radicals
could still use the
refugee flow to plant
sleeper cells across
Europe, but German
authorities have yet to
detect a single figure on
their security lists.
Moreover, by absorbing
more Muslim refugees,
Europe is de facto
beginning a process of
reconciliation with the
Muslim world, especially
in the Middle East and
Northern Africa.
Europes generous
response to Muslim

refugees may even

bring Occident and
Orient closer together.
Islam is now firmly a
part of Europe, not an
exception to the
Christian rule. Once the
war ends, Europeans
may get to know Syria
the way they now know
Turkey.

HUFFINGTON POST
Immigration Is
Good for Economic
Growth. If Europe
Gets It Right,
Refugees Can Be
Too.
09/15/2015 09:24 am
ET | Updated Sep 15,
2015
http://www.huffingtonpo
st.com/jonathanportes/economiceuroperefugees_b_8128288.ht
ml

Some view this as a

humanitarian crisis and
others see it as a
challenge and a threat.
And then there are the
economists! Economists
tend to see a large
influx of refugees not as
an obligation or a threat
-- but as an opportunity.
In particular, Europe
faces a major
demographic challenge:
our population is aging,
and, in many countries,
shrinking. The EU's total
fertility rate is not much
over 1.5 children per
woman -- you don't
need to be a
demographer to work
out the long-term
implications. Indeed, if it
weren't for migration,
the EU's working age
populationwould already
be shrinking.
Last year,
deaths exceeded births
in Greece and Italy
(where the vast
majority of the migrants
arrived) and in
Germany (where the
largest number end up).
Germany's economy
is creating jobs faster
than the natives can fill
them. Surely the answer
is obvious -- Europe
should not only accept
refugees, but welcome
the consequential
increase in the labor
force. As Thomas
Piketty, the celebrated

author of "Capital in the

21st Century,"
recently wrote, the crisis
represents an
"opportunity for
Europeans to jump-start
the continent's
economy."