The Legacy That Must Haunt Us...

The uncertainty that undocumented immigrants face in the U.S. today is the exact situation refugees found themselves in Malawi in 2023.

Under President Lazarus Chakwera, the Malawi government ordered all refugees who settled in out-side-camp communities to herd back to Dzaleka Refugee Camp in Dowa.

Police and Immigration officers employed military force to arrest the refugees, similar tactics Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents are currently using in the U.S.

In addition, other refugees were forcibly deported to their countries.

The Malawi government officials said some of the refugees were criminals fleeing justice from their countries, particularly Rwanda, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Human rights groups, including the UNHCR, opposed the actions as a violation of international law but authorities justified the crackdown by citing security concerns.  

Domestically, the mass relocations won the support of some sections of the disillusioned natives who accused the refugees of taking away business opportunities from them.

In essence, however, this was mere thoughtless political populism. The leadership was seemingly diverting attention from addressing real governance issues.

Malawi is one of the friendliest nations to refugees fleeing strife from their countries. It’s a legacy the country has had since independence in 1964.

But this was tainted when the government uprooted refugees from their families, disrupting not only their lives but also businesses.

Dzaleka refugee camp has a capacity to accommodate 12 000 people but at that time it had over 50 000 refugees, including asylum seekers.

Yet, we ignored the moral implications of putting vulnerable people into harm’s way and overcrowding them into a facility that still lacks basic amenities.

Yes, our national security was at stake, but we could have done better to neutralise the threats.  

Instead, authorities set out on an exercise that was arbitrary, one that dehumanised the refugees thereby reminding them of problems that necessitated their escape from their homelands.

What was clear in the thinking of our government was a fortress mentality. It's a concept where nations prioritize exclusion over compassion.

The drawback of it is that it creates a sense of protectionism and paranoia where one trusts nobody and suspects everybody.

Therefore, one can go to an extent of stripping the dignity of a human being in the name of security. That’s exactly what we did to the refugees.

Our government first put out a vacation notice and then security forces moved in to arrest them indiscriminately like criminals.

That was shameful. Now we have no moral standing to criticise similar policies elsewhere.

If African nations treat refugees inhumanely, why should Western nations, where racism and nationalism thrive, should treat migrants any better?

By saying this, it doesn’t mean Western nations are justified to ill-treat African migrants. Rather, it’s a wakeup call to rethink how we treat each other.

As for our case, it’s pleasing to note the government backtracked on the crackdown.

But our reputation is already spoiled because it will be harder to demand fairness for Malawians fleeing crises in the future.

As we speak, the Trump administration is not doubling down on mass deportations. Like Malawi’s policy, it is framed as necessary for security and economic protection.

Ostensibly, as a nation, our refugee or immigration policies must be rooted in universal human rights and not political convenience.

It’s fair to say that the leadership chose short-term populism over love for humanity and respect for dignity.

Malawians should be worried. The 2023 refugee’s crackdown set a dangerous precedent, aligning us with nations and leaders who see immigrants as garbage.

And that’s the legacy that must haunt us and the generations to come, forever.