POLITICAL REPRESENTATION

One of the largest issues of environmental migration is that these migrants have no legal protections or political representation. Environmental migrants do not have refugee status, despite not having much of a choice about whether or not they wanted to leave their homes. When groups do not have refugee status, there is typically an automatic assumption that these people had a choice, and that they do not deserve legal protections because it is not an "emergency." When migrants are not legally protected, or do not have legal status, it is nearly impossible for them to have any political representation due to fears of deportation, or because they are primarily focusing on meeting their basic needs. We hope that increased visibility and dialogue will liken the chance for environmental migrants to gain legal status and more political representation. In order for government officials and other people in power to advocate for or implement any legal protections or political representation, they must first be aware of the severity of the problem. Help us do so by sending a message to government officials!