A la Carte Refugee Labeling
Is classifying Venezuelan migrants as "refugees" for aid purposes a slippery slope?
By Nayla Rush on May 13, 2019
In a recent post, Oxford's Alexander Betts, argued that Venezuelan migrants should be classified as refugees. Betts deplored the absence of development-based support of Venezuelans who are fleeing, in his words, "economic and political collapse" rather than persecution. Because they are being labelled "migrants" and not "refugees", the help they are receiving is mostly limited to basic humanitarian aid since access to efficient development assistance that works towards the socio-economic inclusion of displaced populations can only come through the global refugee regime nowadays. Betts recommends that Venezuelans who emigrate be given refugee status so that they and the countries that host them are provided with the support they need.
https://cis.org/Rush/la-Carte-Refugee-Labeling
