Analysis Of The Film Well-Founded Fear

Improved Essays
“Their bodies lie bare and afloat only to announce their coming but never their presence.” The life of an immigrant is often in danger, physically or mentally. Whether crossing the US/Mexico border, barely staying afloat in the Mediterranean, reliving their trauma while applying for citizenship, or leaving their loved ones behind, almost every experience of migration is unimaginably difficult. Refugees and other immigrants though have become a highly scrutinized population in recent years because Europe and the Untied States have created the idea of a refugee crisis. The issue at hand though, is that the large number of refugees has prompted host countries to minimize, trivialize, and ignore the lives and wellbeing of them. This negative impact …show more content…
The film Well-Founded Fear provides insight to the Immigration and Naturalization Service, often deemed, “the 21st century Ellis Island,” and the process for seeking asylum. The whole process is based on the evaluation of the refugee’s worth. Have they suffered enough? Are they worthy of this ‘desirable’ status? What can they do for us? Are they worth this investment? A refugee must prove themselves to American judges who have no concept of their homeland and a very different geographic imagination in order to be defined as a refugee. Often those who are more educated are more likely to be granted because of their greater economic capital. And those with a translator or a poor lawyer are subject to the mercy of their skill. The value of these people is rested in the opinion of a judge, which is, “an inherently human system” yet still has little sympathy due to state-issued quotas and …show more content…
Their migrations require intense mental stamina and drive to retain a sense of self and worth throughout their journey. From being owned by smugglers to knowing they will not be worth saving on their perilous journeys, or they might not have valid enough reasons to enter a new country, refugees especially are constantly under scrutiny for their worth in society. Currently they are devalued and dehumanized as a way of othering them from the start to perpetuate failure and struggle. States and systems set up a self-fulfilling prophecy for immigrants: deem them worthless and make them feel worthless. This perpetuates negative feelings toward mass migrations movements, and quashes much empathy. The anxiety, fear, and lack of self-worth impact immigrants far more than most, they must constantly worry about their wealth, because the simple fact they are a human trying to seek a better life is not a worthy enough reason to be where they

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    Unfortunately, refugees are greatly affected by America’s illogical vetting system. How little it means, when it’s a little too late. Those who manage to be admitted into the U.S. do not face an easy transition. This is contrary to the falsehood that refugees will deplete American resources. It’s impossible to ignore the reality that refugees are not treated as humans.…

    • 666 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Cultural Homogeneity

    • 974 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Asylum seekers will be secluded from general society, and refugees will have communities that will isolate them from mainstream communities. Asylum seekers and refugees are seen as the causes of bad events, thus the main agenda is to deter other asylum seekers and refugees from entering the country. However, when homogeneity is secure, asylum seekers and refugees are embraced by the policies in their new society. They are made to feel welcome, and are likely to experience equality and compassion from numerous members in their new…

    • 974 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    The claim that refugees have a negative impact on society has been a focus of great discussion for many years, both in Canada and throughout several other countries. Almost since time began, humankind has had difficulties when the condition in their area has altered for the worse, and they have had to make difficult decisions about where they should go next, and the dilemma has never been a more glaring issue than in today's society. It is a dispute with two distinctly diverse sides. On one hand, the refugees, tormented, destitute and living in distress day and night. On the other hand, ordinary citizens, concerned about the expense of looking after the migrants.…

    • 1784 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Great Essays

    An asylum seeker is defined as someone seeking protection whose claims for refugee status has either not yet had their application assessed or rejected. Asylum seekers arrive by boat or plane. The government will assess an asylum seekers’ claims and if they are found to be ‘true refugees’ they are granted the approval of a Temporary Protection Visa (TPV). Asylum seekers who arrive “illegally” by boat in Australia are detained in detention centres, where they are detained (without charge and without trial) by Australia’s Immigration, in anticipation of visas for gruelling periods of time. However, it is not illegal to seek asylum in Australia even if arriving by boat (no matter how you arrive).…

    • 1685 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The Republican Club refused to collaborate with us. As a Muslim Student Association officer, I decided not to give up. The refugee event was to bring a smile on many kids’ face that was more important than anything else. ‘What if one of those refugees turns out to be a terrorist?’ asked a member of the Republican Club.…

    • 249 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    City Of Thorns

    • 768 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Nikita Thompson A new asylum paradigm? Globalization, migration and the uncertain future of the international refugee regime Jeff Crisp In our world, we can find more than 10 million people who, when asked where home is, can only respond that they are stateless. This large cluster of stateless people live and reside in lands where they do not have legal membership, given by the state to them.…

    • 768 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Fear Of Immigration

    • 1395 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Immigration isn’t a brand new topic that we are facing in the world. It something that has been present in the world since the defining of “nations” as people move from one location to another for a multitude of reasons. Whether it is the fleeing from an attacking group, such as the Mongols in the 13th century, the movement of Europeans to the Americas in the 15th and 16th century, the migration of thousands of Mexicans into the United States, or the migration of refugees into countries like Germany, Immigration is an unstoppable process that will always take place. However, this does not mean that it goes unopposed. For example, in the case of Germany and its current influx of refugees, there are groups, such as the Patriotic Europeans against…

    • 1395 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    For my ethnographic research, I am planning on observing, how it is that the ongoing crisis in Middle Eastern countries such as, Syria and Lebanon, has propelled their citizens, to escape and seek refuge elsewhere. In most cases they have sought refuge in the European continent. These refugees have arrived in many different countries, such as Italy, Netherlands, England, Greece, Estonia, and Spain. I consulted 6 different sources of literature that portray what the situation for these asylum seekers is in each of those countries, focusing mainly on the integration of these immigrants in the normal European society of each particular country. I will attempt to use the information learned in the different ethnographic pieces I read, so that I…

    • 1497 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    American Refugees

    • 1939 Words
    • 8 Pages

    Introduction Have you ever wondered why the neighboring countries closest to Syria do not help with the refugee crisis even though they have the resources and money? The closest countries to Syria should accept refugees because other countries are overflowing with immigrants, which consequently causes many problems as the wealthy Arabic countries stand by and do close to nothing. Saudi Arabia, and many more countries are very close to Syria but they are not accepting refugees in their country. These countries should accept refugees because, it was an international responsibility to house them, as many countries have already accepted many thousands. (Kemal)…

    • 1939 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Great Essays

    Diplomat Kofi Annan once said, “I urge you to celebrate the extraordinary courage and contributions of refugees past and present”. This famous quote, is true to its words. Throughout history, refugees of old and young have gone through tough times which led them to flee. That cause of them to flee, whether it was major or not is just another obstacle into greatness they pursued somewhere else. The book that has inspired the hearts of millions of readers about the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression, two of America’s greatest heartache.…

    • 1227 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In 2015 the world was battling with the persistent question of ‘Where can the Syrian Refugees go?’ and ‘Who has the available space to hold the increasing number of asylum seekers?’ One response to these questions was that we, as a first world nation, had a responsibility to care for and help those who had nowhere else to go. Followed by then by the people who blatantly said, “We do not want you. You are not welcome.…

    • 877 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Refugees have been the focus of considerable public concern in recent years and of a range of government and community responses I am writing to you on my thoughts after reading The Happiest Refugee by Anh Do and watching the series Go Back to where you came from directed by Ivan O’Mahoney, I now have a broad knowledge on the advantages and disadvantages of refugees throughout the world. I strongly believe in viewing all sides when we refer to refugees I see how it’s a problem in the world but I also see what it’s doing to these refugees when we deny their entry into our county. There are several disadvantages that are involved with refugees some including, if refugees don't have a proper identification of who they are and there purpose…

    • 517 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Introduction The recent developments of the political struggle that countries around Europe face that cause nations to be engulfed in a war like state has led many of their countries citizens to flee in order to seek asylum. The ongoing increase of asylum seekers that seek refuge in other countries has led to political disputes of how nation’s governments should handle the situations. This has led to the media to cover stories that focus on the stories of these asylum seekers and to see how they are portrayed. The asylum seeker topic has gone under many views that are portrayed by the media both pro and con for asylum seekers and refugees.…

    • 1264 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Everyday, thousands of migrants and refugees from Eastern Europe flood into western European countries. Most of these invaded countries, such as Hungary, Italy, and many others can not easily accommodate the migrants’ simple plea for help. The sudden influx of individuals and families flowing across borders from war torn countries is causing tension and unrest among all affected countries. Although some of the unaffected countries may not think much of the migrant problem, recently released statistics show that it could prove to be a bigger problem than they believe. The negative effects on the economy, nationalistic moral, and the new creation of policies by western European governments support the claim that the increasing amount of immigrants flooding into European countries is having a negative effect.…

    • 939 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    These migrants/refugees come from countries in the Middle East and Africa that have war raging within them. Many of the articles I encountered manly depict the E.U., with mentions of the U.S., not completing their promise to aid in the migrant/refugee crisis. Although the pretense of assistance has been made it can be discerned that the E.U.’s main focus is not on granting asylum to those in need of it, but rather finding a way to deflect them to stay in encampments or return home. In fact the E.U. has shut its borders and has been using Greece as a overcrowded holding pen for migrants/refugees. The key elements of the story is the growing migrant/refugee crisis in Europe and the E.U., along with other nations, not meeting their own quotas of granting asylum to those migrant/refugees.…

    • 1678 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Improved Essays