The differences between migrants and refugees can be confusing, especially when reports use the words interchangeably in descriptions of immigration issues and humanitarian crises around the globe. In October 2021, news organizations reported thousands of migrants crossing into Europe from Belarus, but a month earlier, reports described refugees evacuating from Afghanistan to come and live in the United States.

Migrants

“There are two views,” immigration attorney Andres Mejer said. “One and the one I believe is accurate is, migrant is anybody who’s leaving their country for any reason. The other view looks at migrants are those that are leaving for financial reasons for a better life,” he said.

Those reasons can include education or job opportunities. One example is within the horse racing industry. Many breeders, groomsmen and trainers get temporary work visas to come into the U.S. for seasonal work. They are considered migrants. 

Refugees

Refugees have less of a choice, according to Meijer.

“They’re afraid of the government or group the government can’t control,” he added. Refugees need a protected reason to leave. “The group or the government are going to persecute them because of race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or particular social group.”

Afghans who helped the U.S. fight the Taliban fled to this country as refugees to avoid persecution in August 2021 after the U.S. military left Afghanistan. They got the paperwork needed and were granted entry legally. But most refugees don’t have that luxury.

Over the past two decades, refugees from the Middle East tried to seek refuge in the European Union. While they didn’t have their paperwork in hand, war was a good enough reason for fleeing. So, not every case is clear cut.

Blurred lines

When refugees migrate from country to country, referring to them as refugees or migrants gets complicated.

In September 2021, a surge of about 12,000 Haitian migrants gathered under a border bridge in Del Rio, Texas. While those migrants initially fled Haiti seeking a better life, they went to Central America first. Many found work. Then when work ran out, they migrated to North America, sometimes working along the way before reaching the U.S. border.

Definitions

According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, refugees flee. Migrant is a more inclusive label, according to MeaningOfMigrants.org, and refugees fall under the broader migrant umbrella.

But MeaningofMigrants.org also concludes there is no consensus on the meanings of the two terms, leaving organizations to decide on their own definitions.