Richmond, VA Immigration Law Firm discusses climate change and immigration. Call (804) 249-4747 to schedule a consultation.
When you consider why a person would contemplate immigration, you might think of reasons such as economic hardship, government turmoil, or the goal of reunifying family members. But have you ever considered the role climate change plays in immigration?
Due to high pollution levels, the Earth’s climate has become more inhospitable over the decades. Massive typhoons, devastating earthquakes, major flooding, raging wildfires, and scorching temperatures that make outdoor work hazardous plague people across the globe.
Unfortunately, unless the world’s governments swiftly enact new environmental policies to protect and preserve our natural resources, the future appears bleak regarding global environmental health. And with sweeping climate change comes the need for migration.
Areas with more temperate weather and higher reserves of wealth are seeing an influx of immigrants seeking shelter and a new home. These people are called environmental migrants or “climate change refugees.” They migrate both internally, within their own country, or across national borders.
If you are considering immigrating to the United States or want to help a family member overseas join you here, please contact our immigration lawyers at Fayad Law in Richmond or Fairfax, VA, today. We can help you or your family achieve the American Dream.
Climate-Induced Displacement
The immigration infrastructure, as it is now, is unstable. In recent years, areas such as Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador, have seen long-term climate change and subsequent severe weather that resulted in a significant loss of life.
Experts are projecting that by 2050, nearly four million people will immigrate from Central America and Mexico due to climate change alone.
Now add in the pre-existing socioeconomic instabilities and the newer economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Essentially, you have a perfect storm of situations forcing people from their homelands to migrate to safer areas, such as the United States.
What Can We Do?
Ultimately, we first need to be laser-focused on saving the people who are already feeling the negative effects of climate change. If you or a loved one needs assistance leaving your home country and immigrating to the United States, please contact our immigration lawyers at Fayad Law.
Our immigration lawyers are dedicated to defending human rights. We will work tirelessly for an immigrant’s physical security. Our immigration legal services include:
- Nonimmigrant visas
- Humanitarian aid
- Asylum law
- Removal and deportation defense
- Criminal defense
- Citizenship and naturalization
- Family immigration
- Employment immigration
Enacting Long-Term Policy and Aid Change
Climate change is more than an environmental concern—it is a humanitarian crisis.
If a geographic area is in a season of prolonged drought, farmers cannot produce their crops. Because of the aridity of the land and the pre-existing poverty levels and violence in the streets, these farmers might conclude that risking immigration is safer than staying and starving in their homeland.
Currently, immigrants who migrate due to climate change do not qualify as “refugees” by governmental and non-governmental organizations, so they do not receive the same benefits as immigrants with refugee status. Changing the policies to include those escaping climate crises in their native country for survival will help safeguard human rights.
Once Congress proposes new legislation to protect immigrants fleeing to the United States due to climate change, we can focus on the bigger picture of healing climate change globally.
In the meantime, if you or a family member is planning to emigrate from your homeland and want information about the United States’ current immigration laws, please get in touch with us at Fayad Law, an immigration law firm located in Richmond and Fairfax, Virginia, in the U.S. We will work to safeguard your future.
Halting the Climate Change Crisis
While finding ways to decrease the vulnerability of people to climate change might reduce the need for them to emigrate, attacking climate change at the source would be instrumental in controlling climate-induced displacement. Environmental researchers and humanitarian organizations estimate that by 2050, the world will have between 150-250 million people displaced by climate change.
To lessen the effects of climate change, the United States government can:
- Decrease greenhouse gas emissions
- Address its role as one of the largest polluters in the world and pass measures that would eliminate our use of fossil fuels
- Implement technology such as high speed rail, solar fields, and container farming
- Teach other countries about its technological advancements and offer financial aid
- Help countries most affected by climate change adapt, so their people do not have to leave, and catalogue the adaptation techniques to help future governments
Contact an Immigration Attorney From Fayad Law, P.C. Today
If you are one of the countless web surfers searching “Immigration lawyer near me” because you want to migrate to the United States to pursue citizenship and naturalization, or if you have any questions about the immigration process as a whole, our immigration lawyers of Fayad Law, P.C. are available to assist you.
With offices located in both Richmond and in Northern Virginia (Fairfax), Fayad Law, P.C., is an immigration law firm with attorneys who were immigrants themselves. For this reason, we possess firsthand knowledge of the entire process from both sides. We proudly serve our global clients in their native languages, including:
- Spanish
- Russian
- Arabic
- English
- French
- Farsi
With over 20 years of legal experience and a reputation of sound legal counsel, we will fight on your behalf to help you achieve your American Dream.
Whether you need assistance with understanding citizen eligibility requirements, have questions about deferred action, or if you want to prevent deportation, our legal team is here to help.
To speak with an immigration lawyer from Fayad Law, please call us at (804)-249-4747 today or complete our online contact form. Let us know how we can help you.
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The information in this blog post (“post”) is provided for general informational purposes only and may not reflect the current law in your jurisdiction. No information in this post should be construed as legal advice from the individual author or the law firm, nor is it intended to be a substitute for legal counsel on any subject matter. No reader of this post should act or refrain from acting based on any information included in or accessible through this post without seeking the appropriate legal or other professional advice on the particular facts and circumstances at issue from a lawyer licensed in the recipient’s state, country or other appropriate licensing jurisdiction.
Fayad Law, P.C.
8501 Mayland Dr Suite 101
Richmond, VA 23294
(804) 249-4747
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