invisible borders
*Borders are those that separate a person from justice*
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Us and Them
The latest ESRI study on perceptions of immigration in Ireland shows that most Irish people hold key misconceptions about migrants. This can be exploited to promote xenophobia, racism, and violence. Let’s look at the main findings of the study, which showed that: * Participants estimated that 14 percent of the population was born outside the…
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Un hombre que mira un montón de cajas abiertas
La migración es tal vez una de las experiencias más universales. Desde hace cientos de miles de años, los hombres han tenido que moverse de un lugar a otro, ya sea por propia voluntad, impulsados por sus sueños de una vida mejor o por la necesidad de escapar de la violencia y la guerra. La…
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A man looking at a pile of open boxes
Migration is perhaps one of the most universal experiences. For hundreds of thousands of years, people have had to move from one place to another, whether by choice, driven by dreams of a better life, or escaping violence and war. Literature and art have drawn on migration as a constant source of inspiration for artistic…
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What should we do?
A month ago, I wrote a piece describing a situation that affects us all, migrants and nationals alike: our difficulty in confronting injustice, racism, or discrimination in private and daily life settings, and in giving a voice to those affected, setting aside our egos. After the piece was published, an Irish friend asked me: “Well,…
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The human side of things
A few days ago, I was talking with a friend about the latest political developments regarding the changes the government is introducing to immigration policy. Among other things, this reform will charge asylum seekers for accommodation, make it more difficult for refugees to apply for citizenship, and make family reunification for migrant workers more complicated.…
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Challenging ourselves
A few weeks ago, I participated in a public demonstration against the criminal act committed in the city of Drogheda against women and children living in an IPA centre. As I listened to the passionate speeches of local community representatives, I reflected on a fact we often forget. There are visible and invisible struggles. The…
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Pied Piper of Hamelin
The growing gap between the heterogeneity and diversity one observes in the street and the faces one encounters in national and local politics could be regarded as one of the symptoms of the weakness of democracies. When one walks the streets of any large European city, it is not difficult to encounter people from different…
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More than just a number
I wish nationals (those born in this country) had the opportunity to see themselves through the eyes of migrants and refugees. What would they see? They would surely see something they wouldn’t like. Still, the effort would be worth it, because they could learn a lot about the society they have been building and, more…
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Héroes
A lo largo de mi vida, he tenido la oportunidad de conversar con miles de personas que han tenido que dejar sus hogares debido a la violencia política. Primero, en mi propio país, recuerdo haber conversado con personas provenientes del Perú que se opusieron a Fujimori y con personas que escapaban de los enfrentamientos entre…
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Heroes
Throughout my life, I have had the opportunity to share with hundreds of people who have had to leave their homes due to political violence. First, in my own country, working with migrants and refugees, I remember conversations with people from Peru who opposed Fujimori’s government, some even taking more radical actions to defend their…
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Not good enough
Some of the reasons for the lack of representation of migrants and refugees in leadership positions could be found in the conditions in which we, migrants, live and also within ourselves. Do we see ourselves as an essential part of the economic and social development of this, our host country? Do we see the value…
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Distant relatives
Often, in conversations with other migrants, I’ve wondered if the imprint of colonialism is still present in the way each of us experiences migration. It’s clear that we move for multiple reasons, but where we decide to migrate is never random. Typically, the route we migrants follow has been previously travelled in the opposite direction…
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Parientes lejanos
A menudo, conversando con otros migrantes, me he preguntado si es que en la manera en que vivimos cada uno de nosotros la migración, está presente aún la huella del colonialismo. Es claro que uno se mueve por múltiples razones, pero nunca es casual el lugar al que uno decide emigrar. Habitualmente la ruta que…
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Shifting the Focus
One may make the mistake of thinking that racism is a problem for migrants, one that belongs to them rather than to the society that exercises it. Similarly, one sees this tendency of asking migrants to explain what is happening. This may seem obvious because they are the ones who suffer racism firsthand and can…
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Rethinking Friendship to Combat Racism
The intensified manifestations of racism we have experienced in recent weeks should make us think, not just react. Because acting only makes sense when our actions express deep-seated values and ways of life, and not just mere fleeting moral indignation. Moral indignation, as we all know, has very short feet and only walks so far.…
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We were looking for culprits and ended up looking in the mirror
We know that migration and refuge are often used as political instruments by different groups, whether to emphasise the economic, social, and cultural contributions that migrants make to the host society, to denounce the opposite fervently, or to portray them as objects of charity. Today, what we witness (or endure, depending on where you stand)…
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Migrant engagement in local elections
The elections are over, and the data on migrants and representation are there to make us think. In 2024, we had more than 120 candidates with a migrant background (a record number); in 2019, there were only 53. More than 20 local councillors with a migrant background were elected in 2024, surpassing the number elected…
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Los costos ocultos de la perfección
La principal amenaza que trae la inteligencia artificial es quitarnos la posibilidad de cometer errores. Mientras los algoritmos y aplicaciones que usan AI se acrecientan, multiplican y nos maravillan con su versatilidad, nosotros nos preguntamos crecientemente como estas nuevas herramientas pueden mejorar el trabajo que hacemos y como nos pueden ayudar a ahorrar tiempo y…
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The hidden cost of AI: losing the art of making mistakes
The main threat posed by artificial intelligence is taking away our ability to make mistakes. As algorithms and applications that use AI grow, multiply, and amaze us with their versatility, we increasingly wonder how these new tools can improve our work and help us save time and resources. To perfect everything we do. It’s all…
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Utopía y refugio: buscando un futuro mejor
En estos tiempos resulta mucho más fácil imaginar el fin del mundo que imaginar un mundo mejor. Cada día los medios nos alimentan con cantidades ingentes de noticias que anuncian el empeoramiento de aquello que justo ayer era malo. Cada día se hace más verídica la idea que efectivamente, cada día puede ser peor. Es…
invisible borders 