The Recent Afghan MIgration into Europe

In contrast to the general perception of the recent Afghan migration into Europe as a recently conceived inundation of people fleeing persecution and the generalized violence of war, this paper posits a relatively moderate migration that is essentially a phase in the traditional migration of members of transnational families for economic reasons. While many Afghans have, indeed, fled for reasons meriting international protection under the 1951 Geneva Convention and other instruments, the large majority of Afghans has migrated in order to send remittances to family back in Afghanistan, as Afghans have been doing for generations. Afghan families see the financing of migration of one or more sons as an investment, from which they expect a regular return. The imperative concerning remittances and the importance Afghan society places upon tribal, ethnic, and family ties over national allegiances, brings the migrants to make choices that undervalue legal immigration status, frequently placing them in economic and socially untenable situations.