We Condemn the Government’s Anti-Human-Rights Joint Crackdown on Undocumented Migrants
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On October 5, the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) issued a press release announcing the resumption of the so-called “joint government crackdown on illegally staying foreigners.” Five ministries, including the Ministry of Justice, the Korean National Police Agency and the Korea Coast Guard, will carry it out jointly for two months, from October 11 to December 10. We strongly condemn this joint crackdown as an anti-human-rights measure that creates an atmosphere of fear among undocumented migrants, treats them as criminals to justify their oppression, and will produce countless human rights violations in the process. The history of migrant policy over the past 30 years or so clearly confirms that violent crackdown and deportation policies cannot resolve the issue of undocumented migrants and only generate harm. The government must stop this anti-human-rights forced crackdown and put forward measures to stabilize the residence status of undocumented migrants.
First, we must point out once again that the expression “illegally staying foreigners” used by the government is itself wrong, and that it treats undocumented migrants as criminals, justifies their oppression and human rights violations, and pushes them into vulnerability. During the COVID period, even the Prime Minister used the word “undocumented” when appealing for vaccination for the sake of disease control, yet now that the government is cracking down, is it retreating to the past? The UN and the National Human Rights Commission of Korea have recommended a change of terminology, and major media around the world are changing their terms, so why does the Ministry of Justice still insist on an anti-human-rights term? Moreover, if the government talks about an immigration policy and the establishment of an immigration agency, it must begin by changing this term.
In its press release, the government gave as the reason for the joint crackdown that “since the spread of COVID-19 the focus has been on disease-control inspections of illegally staying foreigners, but as the number of illegally staying foreigners has recently increased again, we are carrying it out to establish strict order in residence.” However, the crackdown has nothing to do with what the government calls establishing order in residence. The government has used a forced-crackdown policy for decades, and it has produced nothing but harm, with countless casualties. It is no exaggeration to say that the structural causes that increased the number of undocumented people were visa policies that are inflexible and not inclusive and that always keep migrants in an unstable position, and residence policies on labor, marriage and study that make migrants lose their visas over trivial circumstances. Even so, the government has deported 30,000 to 40,000 people every year through forced crackdowns, and it is highly doubtful whether the order in residence that the government speaks of has been established in this way. To place all the responsibility on individual undocumented migrants and crack down on them, without focusing on improving the flawed policies and structures, is to put the cart before the horse.
Since the 2000s, migrant rights organizations estimate that some thirty undocumented migrants have died in direct or indirect connection with crackdowns. Even by the Ministry of Justice’s own estimate, the number since 2010 exceeds ten. In the case of Burmese worker Thang Zathei in 2018, he fell eight meters underground because of an excessive and dangerous crackdown at a construction site, fell into a state of brain death and then died, and an ex officio investigation by the National Human Rights Commission of Korea found the Ministry of Justice responsible. However, the Ministry of Justice did not admit responsibility and did not accept the recommendation. Even afterward, in 2019 in Gimhae, the Thai worker Phumnu Anusak died of broken ribs and the resulting liver damage during a crackdown. More recently, in July of this year, during a crackdown on a massage shop in Gunpo, a Chinese worker fell 11 meters from a window frame and died. Does the government really intend to repeat such tragedies?
“No One Is Illegal!” Undocumented migrants must no longer be made scapegoats of violent and anti-human-rights forced crackdowns. It is now truly time to establish measures to stabilize the residence status of undocumented migrants. Crackdowns only instill fear in migrants, make them shrink back and hide further, and ultimately cause harm. Therefore, migrant rights organizations across the country oppose the government’s anti-human-rights joint crackdown and will continue to work so that migrants do not suffer harm on the ground.
– We condemn the government’s joint crackdown! Stop the anti-human-rights forced crackdown!
– Implement a policy to stabilize the residence status of undocumented migrants!
October 11, 2022
All organizations participating in the press conference
난민인권센터, 두레방, 외국인보호소폐지를위한물결IW31, 이주민법률지원센터 모모, 이주민센터 친구, 이주민과함께, 이주여성인권포럼, 한국이주여성인권센터, 한국이주인권센터, 화성외국인보호소방문 시민모임 마중
광주전남이주노동자인권네트워크(공익변호사와 함께하는 동행, 광주민중의집, 광주비정규직센터, 광주외국인노동자센터, 광주외국인복지센터, 공공운수노조(광주전남지부), 금속노조(광주전남지부,광주자동차부품사비정규직지회·금호타이어비정규직지회), 사회진보연대광주전남지부, 전국민주노동조합총연맹 법률원(광주사무소), 전남노동권익센터)
대구경북 이주노동자인권·노동권 실현을 위한 연대회의(경북북부이주노동자센터, 대구이주민선교센터(북부,현풍), 성서공단노동조합, 이주와가치, 민주노총경북지역본부, 민주노총대구지역본부, 경산장애인자립생활센터, 대구경북인도주의실천의사협의회, 대구사람장애인자립생활센터, 땅과자유, 민주사회를위한 변호사모임, 민중행동, 무지개인권연대, 인권운동연대, 장애인지역공동체, 지구별동무, 노동당대구시당, 노동당경북도당, 녹색당대구시당, 정의당대구시당, 진보당대구시당)
이주민 인권을 위한 부산울산경남공대위 (노동당 부산시당, 민주노총 부산본부, 부산지역일반노동조합,(사)이주민과함께, (사)희망웅상, (사)함께하는 세상, 울산이주민센터, 정의당 부산시당, 진보당 부산시당)
난민인권네트워크(TFC(The First Contact for Refugee) 공익법센터 어필, 공익변호사와 함께하는 동행, 공익사단법인 정, 공익인권법재단 공감, 공익인권센터드림(DREAM), 국제난민지원단체 피난처, 글로벌호프, 난민인권센터(NANCEN), 동두천난민공동체, 동작FM, 민주사회를 위한 변호사모임 국제연대위원회, 사단법인 두루, 수원글로벌드림센터, 순천이주민지원센터, 아시아의 친구들, 아시아평화를향한이주MAP, 이주여성을위한문화경제공동체 에코팜므, 이주민지원공익센터 감동, 의정부 EXODUS, 이주민지원센터친구, 천주교 제주교구 이주사목센터 나오미, 재단법인 동천, 재단법인 화우 공익재단, 제주평화인권연구소 왓, 참여연대, 파주EXODUS, 한국이주인권센터, 호모 인테르)
외국인이주·노동운동협의회((사)모두를 위한 이주인권문화센터, 아산이주노동자센터, 부천이주노동복지센터, 인천외국인노동자센터, (사)한국이주민건강협회 희망의친구들, 남양주시외국인복지센터, 성공회파주이주노동자센터 샬롬의집, 포천나눔의집, 서울외국인노동자센터, 아시아인권문화연대, 순천이주민지원센터, 외국인이주노동자인권을위한모임, 의정부EXODUS, (사)함께 하는 공동체, (사)한국이주여성인권센터, 원불교 서울외국인센터, 한삶의집, 이주민센터 동행)
이주인권연대(경산(경북)이주노동자센터, 경주이주노동자센터, 아시아의 창, 울산이주민센터, (사)이주민과 함께, 이주민노동인권센터, 이주와 인권연구소, 지구인의정류장, 충남이주여성상담소, 한국이주인권센터)
이주노동자평등연대(건강권 실현을 위한 보건의료단체연합(건강권 실현을 위한 행동하는 간호사회, 건강사회를 위한 약사회, 건강사회를 위한 치과의사회, 노동건강연대, 인도주의실천의사협의회, 참의료실현청년한의사회), 공공운수노조사회복지지부 이주여성조합원모임, 노동당, 노동사회과학연구소, 노동전선, 녹색당, 대한불교조계종사회노동위원회, 성공회 용산나눔의집, 민변노동위원회, 사회진보연대, 이주노동자노동조합(MTU), (사)이주노동희망센터, 이주노동자운동후원회, 이주민센터 친구, 전국민주노동조합총연맹, 전국불안정노동철폐연대, 전국학생행진, 지구인의정류장, 천주교인권위원회, 필리핀공동체카사마코, 한국비정규노동센터)