The Freedom to Migrate
A Right That Challenges the World
When we talk about freedom, we rarely think of the most fundamental kind: the freedom to move, to seek a place where we can live with dignity, work in peace, and provide a future for our families. Yet, in today’s era of massive human movements toward Europe and the United States, the freedom to migrate has become one of the most urgent and sensitive issues of our time.
Migration is not a whim. Very few people leave behind their homeland, their language, their customs, and even their loved ones simply to “try their luck.” Most do so because life in their country has become unbearable: wars, hunger, political persecution, violence, and economic crises that offer no future. Migration, therefore, is not merely a desire—it is a necessity, a profoundly human right.
Here, the phrase we have often reflected upon resonates: “Freedom arises from the law.” While the freedom to migrate is rooted in human nature, in practice it depends on the legal frameworks that permit or restrict it. Borders are human inventions; rights, however, are inherent. When someone seeks a safe place to live and work, their freedom collides with the laws of the states that control who may enter and who must stay out.
Europe and the United States have become dream destinations for millions of migrants. There, they see opportunities for safety, education, healthcare, and prospects that no longer exist in their own countries. Yet they also encounter walls, restrictive laws, hate speech, and policies that sometimes forget that behind every migrant lies a story, a family, a heart seeking the same thing as everyone else: to live in peace.
At this point, another phrase comes into play: “Freedom is doing what must be done, in peace.” To migrate freely does not mean doing so recklessly, without respect or responsibility. Those who migrate also assume duties: integrating into the society that receives them, respecting its laws, contributing through work and effort, learning, and giving their best. This is how the freedom to migrate ceases to be a conflict and becomes a bridge.
Of course, abuses exist. Some exploit migration as a political tool, exaggerating fears or dividing societies. Others exploit human suffering by treating migrants as commodities through human trafficking. And some minorities, in the name of their rights, forget their duty to respect the culture that welcomes them. All of this creates tensions that make it difficult to see the essential truth: migration, when approached responsibly, can benefit everyone.
The freedom to migrate does not mean the absence of rules. It means that rules must be fair, humane, and balanced. A society that closes its doors entirely isolates itself and loses the richness of diversity. A society that opens its doors without order risks chaos. The challenge is to find a path where freedom and responsibility go hand in hand.
In the end, the question every country must ask itself is simple yet profound: How can I protect my security without denying the humanity of those seeking refuge? And the question every migrant must ask is equally clear: How can I embrace this new opportunity without forgetting that true freedom involves respect, peace, and responsibility?
The freedom to migrate is, ultimately, the freedom to dream of a better future. When exercised responsibly by both parties—the one who arrives and the one who welcomes—it transforms not only individual lives but enriches humanity as a whole.
Because migration is not a crime. Migration is an act of hope. And that hope, protected by fair laws and lived in peace, is the essence of the freedom we all long for.