Immigrants fulfil an economic role in taking on low-paid, low-skilled work, despite them having good qualifications and eminent careers in their home countries. As immigrants take lower-paying jobs, many employers hire immigrants due to which they face considerable hostility. Moreover, in many host countries, they are not treated well and are confined to the worst housing, in jobs where they do not get promoted and even ostracized from the company of whites. For example, migrants in Qatar faced pathetic living conditions and had their wages withheld and passports confiscated. Moreover, there is stark discrimination between expatriates and citizens.
Many also raise concerns about illegal immigration as it leads to crimes like human trafficking and terrorism by organised criminal gangs. Illegal immigrants are particularly vulnerable because of their poverty and lack of legal status to work or claim benefits. Any involvement of immigrants in crime is frequently highlighted by the media, worsening their image further. For example, many countries ban Muslim immigrants from entering their countries. However, such restrictions have often been criticized by people. They believe that such restrictions are racist and discriminatory.
Immigrants may bring in diseases that prevailed in their country. Pathogens, viruses and certain serious infections have a chance of being transferred between countries through the immigrants. To reduce the risk of such transfer of diseases, many nations have started carrying out a screening of immigrants on their arrival. Reportedly, AIDS was transferred to the United States in 1969 through one infected immigrant from Haiti. Similarly, was believed that the increase in migration led to the spread of Ebola virus, Zika Virus and Coronavirus.
Ethics oppose immigration on grounds on brain drain that results from it. What some call an exchange of expertise between nations can also be a drain of knowledge from one country to another. When a nation loses its people to another nation, it also loses its talents. A poor country might end up donating its educated minority to other richer countries, thus suffering from a severe loss.
In the future, the changing climate may fuel even more mass movements. A 2018 World Bank report found that more than 143 million people may soon become “climate migrants,” driven from their homes by floods, droughts, and water scarcity. No matter the reasons, migration will likely continue if there are humans—and if there are places to go.