Migrant Rights After the COVID-19 Pandemic: How their protection has changed
Migrant Rights After the COVID-19 Pandemic: How their protection has changed

Summary/Abstract: The migration phenomenon was interrupted all over the world during the spread of COVID-19. The pandemic has brought unprecedented restrictions on some basic human rights. One of them is the right of free movement, which will be the object of study in this scientific research. The impact of COVID-19 on the protection of migrants provides a telling example. When assessed from a policy and normative perspective, public health and human rights are not mutually exclusive. The human rights of migrants, as grounded in international law, provide a flexible toolbox to address their need for protection while facing the current health emergency. Indeed, addressing the pandemic may require more or fewer rights, depending on the relevant legal norms and the factual circumstances. The government, the state, and international organizations have to integrate health and protection considerations as an opportunity to rethink immigration policies through innovative solutions in due respect to human rights. More protection for migrants, more benefits for all the states. That health crisis exacerbates existing vulnerabilities of migrants while generating new forms of vulnerability for them. The most vivid instances include obstacles in accessing health care, denial of protection because of border closures, and the rise of racism, stigma, and discrimination. IOM has identified several non-binding recommendations, with the view of merging immigration and health imperatives. Further systematic integration of health and protection imperatives at the borders entails a broad range of quick and flexible adaptations of both legal and operational measures.

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