THE CURRENT HEALTH CRISIS

Asylum seekers, refugees, and foreigners had nothing to with the spread of the virus in most countries, under the international law, governments addressing public health threat can adopt only measures that are supported by science, proportionate to risk involved, and anchored in human rights, including the right to seek asylum and the prohibition of discrimination. Responses that stigmatize whole populations and disproportionately affect the most vulnerable are not only wrong, but also will fall to control the spread of the disease.

Faced with the growing COVID -19 crisis, the local to international community should ensure that cities and states with large migration populations have the necessary resources to serve all the residents. All health care facilities should be free of immigration enforcement, and COVID-19 responses should not trigger any immigration enforcement.

Refugees and forced migrant were not the source of COVID-19's spread. Blaming these vulnerable group damns them twice and exposes everyone to even greater risks. The history of epidemic shows that how we treat our vulnerable populations determines the fate of us all.