Miriam Ticktin’s article “What’s Wrong with Innocence” brought up the concept of hierarchical divisions shaping the response to the migrant “crisis”. She accurately demonstrated how using “innocence” as a basis to provide relief to a few perpetrates situations to decrease rights of the many, but overall, detracts from the underlying problems that cause migration movements in the first place. It seems that when looking for “innocence” in migrants, individual stories, underlying societal issues, and humanity (not humanitarianism), are lost in the folds of paperwork and interviews.

Real versus illegal, victim versus savior, worthy versus unworthy, innocent versus guilty, light versus dark skinned, us versus them, in versus out. Even when attempting to provide humanitarian support, or appeal to the innocence of youth and purity, or serve those “in need” over those “taking advantage” of the system, there is always a distinct in versus out group. To receive help, aid, support, and even empathy, one must be in the in group – physically (appearance – light skinned, young, female), and emotionally (vulnerable and pure, able to “inflict” positive altruistic feelings in the provider). As Ticktin said, “innocence establishes a hierarchical relationship between those who care and those who are cared for.” This hierarchy creates a situation seen as “better” for the migrants that were “helped”, because they were given assistance and a meager monetary fund to survive. But it also forces them to remain stagnant in their lives once again, unable to move forward or up in the hierarchy. This idea of hierarchy and in/out groups reminded me of the Ticktin reading from last week, where individuals were self-infecting in order to receive papers, but by doing so, they gave up their rights to work and a future. Even when a migrant is in the “in-group”, they never fully are able to achieve freedom or self-sufficiency. They are simply better off (maybe?) than those in the out-group, who face the added struggles of racism, apathy, and no documentation.