Human Writes: The many myths of human migration

A photo from 2015 of a Rohingya mother and children in Kuala Lumpur. Currently, Malaysia has no formal framework for refugees, leaving them vulnerable to arrest and detention. — AFP

If there is one issue that is a political tinderbox across so many countries today, it is surely migration. The topic is a powder keg that can ignite hate and hostility – and win votes, as many politicians know.

Migration buoyed the return to the White House of US President Donald Trump, who stoked fear with false claims about migrants stealing jobs, draining resources, and even “eating your pets”. He has cast undocumented immigrants as criminals “poisoning the blood of America” and “animals”.