Center for Knowledge

Xenophobia is a feeling of intense hatred, fear, or discrimination of people from other countries, categorized by an attitude of hostility toward perceived non-natives in a population.

In 2000, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) predicted  that "migration is likely to be a cutting-edge issue in international relations, economics and social order in many countries."

Poverty, climate change, discrimination, globalization, and violence fuel migration. The world is home to over 280 million migrants, or 3.6 percent of the total global population. While COVID-19-related restrictions have impacted migration trends, migrant and refugee issues remain hugely important. 

The COVID-19 pandemic has created countless challenges in the life and governance of cities. However, these challenges are not the same for all the inhabitants of Latin America and the Caribbean. The pandemic has hit the most vulnerable in particular. Migrants are exposed to the impacts of the pandemic through their work on the front line as well as vulnerabilities related to housing conditions, poverty, and discrimination.

Migration is a contentious issue that often leads to xenophobic behavior detrimental to social cohesion. Latin America has confronted this issue over the last five years, primarily driven by the more than 5.4 million Venezuelans who have been displaced. In some cases, communities accept and support integration, but not all. Increasingly, migrants face prejudice, which must be monitored to prevent their social and economic exclusion. 

Hate speech and other social issues don’t easily translate into hard numbers. But without data, it’s extremely difficult for institutions to develop programs and gain support from governing bodies.