Migrant vs Refugee: Not the Same Journey

In September 2015, Angela Merkel agreed to let over a million people cross Germany’s borders, but not everyone that arrived was called a refugee. A migrant is someone who moves to another country, often for work or to reunite with family. Reasons could be better pay, education, or a new start. A refugee, though, is fleeing dangerous conditions at home-like war or persecution-protected by international law. Migrants choose to leave; refugees are forced out. Migrants can plan, pack, and wait for paperwork. Refugees often run with nothing but what’s in their hands. In Berlin, a mother escaping Syria crosses with nothing, while a student from Spain arrives with luggage after winning a job. Remember it this way: migrants search for opportunity, refugees search for safety. Both travelled far after 2015, but only one had no choice.