The Myth of Migration | Michelle Ezeuko | TEDxSOAS
The speaker argues that the "myth of migration" is the most dangerous falsehood of our time, as it distracts from systemic crises like poverty and climate change by weaponizing fear. This myth is maintained by governments enforcing a "hostile environment" and by economic globalization, which benefits only the wealthy few. To counter this, the speaker advocates for "choosing love" while highlighting the profound flaws in current legal systems. ## Speakers & Context - Speaker's goal: To debunk the "myth of migration" using personal experiences, arguing it is ruining lives and that "deeming debunking the myth of migration is an act of justice." - Speaker's advocacy role: To "carry on that conversation" concerning migration abuses (referencing the Windrush scandal). - Topic framing: The talk is intentionally *not* a political talk, but it will "dub into politics" because migration has been politicized. ## Theses & Positions - The myth of migration is *"the most powerful insidious and dangerous myth of our time today."* - Borders are *"man-made"* and *"do not apply equally."* - Poverty and climate change are *not* being treated as threats, despite evidence that they "kills and it's killing many people in the UK right now" and "is already killing people in the global south." - The method of control involves *"weaponizing hate fear racism and xenophobia into a system legitimizing that and using it to marginalize and abuse the most vulnerable people in our society."* - *"The good migrant bad migrant dichotomy doesn't exist."* - The hostile environment is "*predicated on making living in the UK so unbearable for migrants that they voluntary leave.*" - The core flaw is systemic: *"it is not a system of law it's not a lawful system rather it is the sister it no this is not a glitch in a system sorry it is the system they have violated no law it is the law that is violating them."* - The most effective countermeasure is to *"choose love."* ## Concepts & Definitions - **Myth of migration:** Defined as *"bringing the movement of people into the realm of security,"* allowing governments to classify migrants as a threat. - **Social construct:** Used to define borders, asserting that they *"do not apply equally."* - **Economic globalization:** Defined specifically as *"free trade and giving corporations the power to do anything really to maximize profits."* - **Hostile environment:** *"a system that creates conditions that make it impossible for people to have lawful status and then punishes them for that reason."* - **Model migrant:** The ideal portrayal of a migrant who has worked, contributed to the economy, and is perceived as the "perfect good migrant." ## Mechanisms & Processes - **Mechanism of myth creation:** Governments create this myth by "bringing the movement of people into the realm of security." - **Criminalization process:** When inequality arises (due to globalization/corporations), governments *"mobilize hate they stoke fear"* instead of addressing deep systemic issues (like resource redistribution). - **Hostile environment mechanism:** *"taking away legal aid increasing fees detaining people deporting people requiring the burden of proof to be on migrants."* - **Legal Challenge Process:** The "right to rent" law (2010 to 2015) was challenged, and the court found it violated human rights. ## Timeline & Sequence - **Centuries:** Time frame during which migration has historically occurred. - **Colonization era:** Time when Britain colonized the world, stating that "borders did not exist." - **1960s:** Peter Griffin won a place in Parliament using the slogan *"if you want a n-word for a neighbor vote labor."* - **2009:** Year Ken immigrated to the UK with lawful status. - **2010 to 2015:** Timeframe for the discriminatory "right to rent" law. - **Last five years:** Duration over which hate crime has reportedly over doubled. - **16 years:** Duration the speaker's mother has been paying taxes in the UK. ## Named Entities - **Peter Griffin:** Figure who won a place in Parliament in the 60s. - **Ken:** Speaker's friend who immigrated to the UK in 2009 with lawful status. - **Home Office:** Government agency that enforces status checks and can detain/deport people. - **EU:** Entity cited for funding the Libyan Coast Guard. - **NHS:** Criticized for being accused of acting as border enforcement by sharing data with the Home Office. - **West Africa:** Origin point from which slaves were taken; a time when borders did not apply. - **UK:** The location where the speaker resides and where the hostile environment is discussed. - **India or Bangladesh:** Destinations where corporations like Dyson can move factories to exploit cheap labor. - **China:** Mentioned in the context of colonization/control. - **Libya:** Current example where the UK funds the Coast Guard to prevent migrants from reaching Europe for asylum. ## Numbers & Data - **185 countries:** Number of countries reachable visa-free with a British passport. - **46 countries:** Number of countries reachable visa-free with the speaker's own passport. - **Five countries:** Number of countries reachable visa-free with an Afghan passport. - **2017:** Year Walmart made more profit than the whole GDP of Belgium. - **1%:** Percentage of people in England who own 50% of England's land. - **2,200:** Number of global billionaires. - **12%:** Percentage increase in wealth for the top group of people relative to the bottom. - **5 billion:** Number of people who grew 11% poorer. - **16 years:** Duration the speaker's mother has been paying taxes in the UK. - **30 months:** Period interval for the speaker's status renewal. - **£2033:** Amount the speaker must pay every 30 months to maintain status. - **2010 to 2015:** Timeframe for the "right to rent" law. - **78,000:** Amount spent in the month the talk was given on challenging a discriminatory law. - **1.6 million / 4.4 million:** Amounts spent per year on indefinite detention (varied figures mentioned). - **55%:** Percentage of detained people who are subsequently sent back into the community. ## Examples & Cases - **Colonization example:** When Britain colonized the world, borders did not exist. - **Passport disparity:** Comparison showing British passport (185 visa-free) versus Afghan passport (5 visa-free). - **Corporate exploitation:** Dyson moving factories to India or Bangladesh to exploit cheap labor, where *"there's no border issue."* - **Economic disparity:** Walmart making more profit in 2017 than the whole GDP of Belgium. - **Windrush scandal:** Example where the system punished citizens, resulting in "eleven people died as a result of Windrush before that cases could be resolved." - **Friend's case (Ken):** Ken, lawful in 2009, became undocumented due to increased renewal fees, requiring friends to publicize his case for his release. - **Libyan Coast Guard issue:** The EU funding the Coast Guard to curb asylum claims is presented as a modern analogue to historical abuses. - **Legal failure:** The "right to rent" appeal, which found the law violating human rights. - **NHS failure:** Doctors were accused of being conscripted to share data with the Home Office, contradicting doctor-patient confidentiality. - **Protest example:** A group of doctors protesting on a tarmac to stop a deportation flight, leading to charges of terrorism. ## Tools, Tech & Products - **British passport:** Allows visa-free travel to 185 countries. - **Speaker's passport:** Allows visa-free travel to 46 countries. - **Afghan passport:** Allows visa-free travel to only five countries. - **Student Finance:** System that the speaker could not access due to the hostile environment. ## References Cited - **DTaP Go:** Academic source used to explain how various actors (military, intelligence, police, journalists, economists) instill fear regarding migration. - **Refugee Convention:** Human right enacted after the Holocaust guaranteeing the right to claim asylum. - **Windrush Scandal:** Cited as a major historical example of systemic failure within the UK immigration system. - **The Youth Strike for Climate:** Mentioned as an example of young people protesting for the future. ## Counterarguments & Caveats - The government defense that it is *"willfully misleading to conflate the situation experience on people from the windows generation with measures in force to tackle illegal immigration."* - Counterpoint to the "voluntary leave" argument: The speaker argues people move because they are *"desperate because they don't have a choice."* ## Methodology - The speaker’s methodology is built on using personal testimony and drawing historical parallels (colonization) to argue that the systemic processes are flawed, not the migrants themselves. - Research focuses on comparing passport access disparity and analyzing economic data (Walmart vs. GDP) to demonstrate who truly benefits from current global structures. ## Conclusions & Recommendations - The primary recommendation is to *"choose love"* as the means to fight the myth. - Society must shift focus from border control to *"systemic issues that are actually ruining our lives things like climate change things like poverty inequality austerity."* - The goal is to build the future *"based on freedom based on love based on basic human rights."* ## Implications & Consequences - If the myth is sustained, society remains vulnerable to the *"weaponizing hate fear racism and xenophobia."* - Continued systemic failure leads to consequences like indefinite detention, abuse, and the violation of basic rights. - The current structure allows governments to *"take advantage of the vulnerable and to do whatever they can to keep that system in place."* ## Open Questions - Why are people so certain that migrants will *"voluntary leave"* the UK because of the hostile environment? - How can the fundamental conflict between the state's current enforcement mechanisms and fundamental human rights be resolved? ## Verbatim Moments - *"the myth of migration is the most powerful insidious and dangerous myths of our time today."* - *"borders are man-made so if you're hearing in the breath sick talks the issue of the Irish border it's because of how they're going to maintain that border because it's very much my maid it's a social construct."* - *"it's bringing the movement of people into the realm of security."* - *"weaponizing hate fear racism and xenophobia into a system legitimizing that and using it to marginalize and abuse the most vulnerable people in our society."* - *"Dyson can take you know their factories move it to India or Bangladesh and exploit cheap labor there there's no border issue."* - *"it's only making very few people rich."* - *"the system punishes us all and eleven people died as a result of Windrush before that cases could be resolved."* - *"it's not a system of law it's not a lawful system rather it is the sister it no this is not a glitch in a system sorry it is the system they have violated no law it is the law that is violating them."* - *"choose love that's all you can do."*