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Inside Story: Migrants or Refugees? — Al Jazeera
In this segment of Inside Story, Mike Hanna discusses the difference between the terms "migrant" and "refugee" with Gauri Van Gulik, deputy director for Amnesty International in Europe and Central Asia; Adrian Berry, chair of the Immigration Practitioners' Association; and Francois Gemenne, research fellow from the Centre for Ethnic and Migration Studies. Refugees are people who have fled persecution in their home countries, while migrants are people who seek better opportunities. Refugees have the right to seek asylum, and they cannot be deported to their home countries. Van Gulik, Berry, and Gemenne believe that European government officials will often use the word "migrant" to describe people fleeing their home countries to release themselves from the responsibility of helping them.