Introduction: The Struggles of Migrants in Nation-States

Migrants are the ones who move away from their existing place of residence, they move either with a country or through international boarders to have a permanent nation state, which best serve them and accept them within its territory. This paper argues that refugees and migrants face devastating challenges in establishing a home in new nation-states due to a combination of legal uncertainties, restrictive immigration policies, psychological distress from long detention, and social discrimination. By examining these factors, this paper will show how these interconnected barriers prevent migrants from achieving stability and integration in their host countries.

First, this paper will analyse the personal experience as a refugee and will provide a background on the legal and bureaucratic hurdles that migrants encounter, illustrating their constant state of mobility and uncertainty. Second, it will discuss the work of Sanaa Alimia and discuss shift in immigration policies in traditionally welcoming countries, highlighting how these changes have criminalized and controlled migrants, particularly post-9/11.

Third, this paper will explore the psychological impact of detention on migrants, showing how prolonged uncertainty and isolation lead to severe mental health issues. Finally, it will give my analysis and examine the social exclusion and discrimination migrants face, emphasizing how these factors exacerbate their sense of isolation and hinder their ability to adapt to new cultures. 

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Dehumanization and Social Discrimination of Migrants

Migrants from Asia, Africa, and Latin America face complete discrimination and societal bias, which throw them as dangerous outsiders, denying their basic human rights and dignity. Innocent they who have nothing but a body which God has given to them, and rest is grabbed by the ruling class, and they share a common thing i.e., homelessness, and aloneness in the camps .

They are the ones who are seen by the society as something like disease, which is contagious and will harm the society, and kept outside a commonplace i.e., unofficial camps, and hence they are not considered as community. Pain has become their routine and they have been marginalized. The metaphor is use for them i.e., Sisyphus which shows their constant struggle for the unattainable goal, where immigrants are kept in illusion, affecting them psychologically and socially, and this transfers from generation to generation.

Invisible Borders and Racialized Exclusion

Psychologically they face “invisible boarders” which discriminate them in every aspect: they are being racialized as they are outsiders, they are being discriminated on gender basis, like, women on the basis of sexuality, and men are targeted on the basis their religion, and ethnicity, and this discrimination of men got its peak aftermath of 9/11 also known as “war on terror” which restricted their movement and excluded them as a part of society .

It is the few men like Osama Bina laden and Saddam Hussain whose actions had and still have set the Muslims bad in the society, which ultimately affected every Muslim who want to seek asylum in foreign country. And even if we take example of Khosrvi and others, who were shot in Stolkhom, were shot because they were viewed as a part of Iranian mafia/danger by the ones who shot him, but they were not, rather they were there for their study purposes . This shows that every non-European regardless of their background were shot in a terror or danger, and immigrants were seen as people of great terror and threat. 

Deportation, Loss of Dignity, and Mental Suffering

Immigrants and refugees face total barriers and societal bias, denying them stability, dignity, and integration, which lead to legal exclusion, lack of documentation, and societal discrimination extend their marginalization and suffering. The first gesture of foreign people towards immigrants is their special look towards them which shows that as if they are some kind of aliens.

Then comes their illegality to live in a place which makes them unpredictable and unsettled in a specific place, which happen when an immigrant is deported or sudden interruption is brought in their lives, innocent they who have no means of access to talk with their friends and families but talk to them and treat with them like Childs who know nothing .

One refugee said that, “Neither the lashes on my back in prison, nor the statelessness could take dignity from as the Arctic camp did to me” which shows that on one side they have been beaten in the detention centre where they are being placed with smugglers, prostitutes and murderers, while on the other side when they are being deported then they are given such conditions which becomes enough to take their dignity away from them. With their happiness, enjoyment and self-representation is also being abducted, but what they can do? nothing! because they are speechless helpless as if their tongues and hands are taken from them.

Partition and the Historical Roots of Refugee Marginalization in Pakistan

The 1947 partition and later waves of migration to Pakistan have led to systemic exclusion and marginalization of refugees and undocumented migrants, who face significant barriers to legal rights and integration, with bureaucratic hurdles, and lack of affordable housing led to their socio-economic instability and repatriation efforts.

If we take example of partition of subcontinent in 1947, where millions of people migrated to the opposite sides, firstly in their religious homelands they started to claim on different lands and morals which lead to conflicts among the people that complicated the union among them . While one side India was Hindu based country and on the other side Pakistan was a Muslim based country, the religious minorities felt excluded and were viewed with suspicion, and they were not fully accepted as citizens. Since that Pakistan has become a hub for migration and hosts the highest number of refugees, displaced person, and undocumented migrants.

By 2005 it has been estimated the country was 8 million Afghan, also contain Bangladeshis, Rohingya, Sri Lankan, Somali, Thai, Filipino, Iranian, Iraqi, and Yemeni migrants settled in different places of Pakistan . These migrants when come to cities in search of jobs, they find neither jobs nor affordable houses and they ended up as becoming slums, beggars, and part of sprawling .

Moreover, they also face difficulty in having the legal rights and formal citizenship which limit their lives to formally fit into the society. Having the documents was expensive and one should need to have link with higher officials, while some of Afghan people have successfully acquired the formal documents but majority have not and left behind, which is more difficult by new computerised surveillance. This paved a path towards their repatriation to them. 

The Afghan Refugee Crisis and Pakistan’s Hostility

Afghan refugees in Pakistan face systemic exclusion, lacking basic rights and living in dangerous conditions, which preserves their marginalization and instability. Since 1970 millions of Afghan refugees have fled to Pakistan, a state which does not always wanted to engage with them, who are not naturalized yet and consider them as aliens with denied access to citizenship .

Their legal exclusion shows an uncertainty of them living them here which seek to exclude them. The basic rights like water, housing, and sanitation have not been given to them formally , which force them to gain these things informally, and additionally they are also policed regularly with the intention to deport them back. Between 1970s and 1980s Pakistan was very hostile towards them but aftermath of War on Terror shifted the scenario and Pakistani state started to strengthen it agenda of Afghan Refugee Repatriation.

The Afghan refugees who are settled in Mohman district of Pakistan are place in such places which are prone to floods, and natural disasters, and semi-functioning bridge is installed which at any time may break when walk across it, and one side of there are camps and on the other side there is busy and hustling road . The refugees who settled here were for a temporary period and were given a Shanakhti pass which was applicable till their departure. They have not been given a proper hosing system, but only katcha makaans are there for them.

Legal Limbo and Bureaucratic Violence in Western States

The biggest challenges refugees and migrants face in trying to create a home in new nation-states are many i.e., legal, social, and psychological barriers that stops them for being a part of society. Among them the most significant challenge is the legal and bureaucratic hurdles that migrants encounter. For example, migrants are often recognised with terms like “deportspora,” which shows that they are stateless and unidentified.

These individuals are in a constant state of mobility, seeking citizenship rights but rarely getting it. The case of Hamed, who left his country barefoot and sought asylum in the Netherlands and Sweden only to be repeatedly denied, exemplifies this continuous state of uncertainty and rejection. This legal limbo prevents migrants from establishing a stable life, as they are constantly at risk of deportation without the means to secure their stay. Additionally, the shift in immigration policies in traditionally welcoming countries further worsens these challenges. Sweden, once known for its generous stance towards immigrants, has adopted increasingly restrictive measures.

Post-9/11, these policies have become even more stringent, criminalizing and controlling migrants through a security-focused lens. Immigrants are often deemed dangerous, diseased, or deceitful, which justifies their exclusion . This stigmatization is reflected in the prolonged detention of undocumented migrants in Sweden, where they are kept in centers with no clear timeline for release, leading to severe psychological distress.

The psychological impact of these conditions is profound. Migrants in detention experience a “death of time,” living in a state of continuous uncertainty and isolation from the outside world. Their mental health worsens due to the lack of information about their future and the constant threat of deportation. This treatment dehumanizes them, reducing them to mere objects to be transported at will, without regard for their emotional well-being.

Commodification and Dual Rejection of Migrants

Moreover, the deportation process itself presents significant challenges. Migrants are often sent to countries where they face rejection due to documentation issues, as seen when undocumented immigrants are deported to Iran. This process is not only bureaucratically faulty but also appears to be a financial transaction, with migration boards receiving monetary compensation per deported individual. Such practices underline the commodification of migrants, further alienating them and denying their humanity.

In the case of Afghan deportees, they are left in an even more dangerous situation. Deported from Sweden and rejected by Afghanistan, they receive no support, worsening their conditions. This dual rejection leaves them in limbo, unable to find stability or community. Additionally, xenophobia, racism, and discrimination based on ethnicity, religion, or nationality add layers of social exclusion, making adaptation to new cultures very difficult. 

Conclusion: Towards a Humane and Inclusive Migration Policy

Refugees and migrants face huge challenges in achieving stability and integration in new nation-states due to legal, social, and psychological barriers. Complete discrimination, restrictive immigration policies, and bureaucratic hurdles maintain their marginalization and strip them of basic rights and dignity. Historical and contemporary examples, such as post-1947 partition migrants and Afghan refugees in Pakistan, highlight the severe impact of these exclusionary practices.

The stigmatization and commodification of migrants further alienate them, making stability an unattainable goal. Addressing these issues requires a humane approach that recognizes the dignity of all individuals and ensures equitable access to rights and opportunities. Only through inclusive reform can true integration and acceptance be achieved, allowing migrants to build stable and secure lives.

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References

Alimia, Sanaa, “How Afghans Changed Urban Pakistan,” Refugee Cities, 1-25. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, n.d.

Khosravi, Shahram, “The Invisible Border,” Illegal Traveler, edited by Ivam Manokha, 1-150. United Kingdom: Palgrave Macmillan, 2011. 

Khosravi, Shahram, Deportation as a Way of Life for Young Afghan Men (n.d), 169-181.