Civilians and rescue teams in Harem, Syria, search for survivors underneath rubble after a devastating earthquake hit the region on February 6, 2023.
Credit: © Anas Alkharboutli, dpa picture alliance/Alamy Images

On Monday, February 6th, 2023, a magnitude 7.8 earthquake hit Turkey at 4:17 AM. The epicenter of the earthquake hit Gaziantep in southeastern Turkey, close to the Syrian border. Tens of thousands of people died in the destruction, and the death toll continues to rise. The earthquake’s grasp extended to Syria, causing widespread damage in the northwestern region of the country. The earthquake and aftershocks were felt in Cyprus, Egypt, Israel, and Lebanon. The damage unfolds a new humanitarian crisis in a region already shaken by economic struggles, an ongoing refugee crisis, and war.

Turkey lies on crisscrossed fault lines resulting in frequent earthquakes. The United States Geological Survey reported the epicenter of the earthquake struck 20 miles (33 kilometers) from Gaziantep, Turkey. It hit 11 miles (17.7 kilometers) below the surface. Normally the initial shock of the earthquake hits hundreds of miles from the surface. The earthquake resulted in unusually strong aftershocks, including a 7.5 magnitude tremor 59 miles (95 kilometers) from the epicenter that was originally thought to be a second earthquake. Seismologists normally expect a 6.8 or lower magnitude aftershock from a 7.5 magnitude earthquake. The area has experienced more than 80 aftershocks measuring 4.0 magnitude and higher in the hours following the original quake. The earthquake was as powerful as the strongest earthquake on record in Turkey which occurred in 1939. The aftermath of the quakes has caused more damage than the country has seen in decades.

Turkey
credit: World Book map

President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced thousands of buildings collapsed in 14 different cities. As search and rescue teams look for people underneath the rubble, snow, rain, and low temperatures hinder their efforts. The near-freezing temperatures shorten the amount of time rescue teams have to retrieve people from the rubble. The weather hampers efforts to stay warm in other parts of the region. Many buildings in Turkey are older with concrete frames that cannot withstand strong tremors. Nearly 15 hospitals buckled from the earthquake. A 2,000-year-old castle used by the Romans and Byzantines also faced damage in the aftermath. The damage has cut power and gas in some regions, leading officials to wonder how to keep survivors warm and safe. Disaster relief officials reported nearly 6,400 people had been rescued already. President Erdogan declared seven days of national mourning.

According to the United Nations refugee agency, Turkey hosts 3.6 million Syrian refugees due to the 12-year civil war in Syria. Many people lived in temporary or unsafe housing before the earthquake struck. These camps and makeshift shelters were decimated by the quake. While many Turkish residents lost their homes, work, and schools, the refugee crisis broadens. As the region grapples with the chaos, the refugee crisis will continue.

More than 1,250 people have died, and 1,040 were injured in government-held Syria. These numbers do not account for Idlib, where rebels control the government in northwestern Syria. Officials estimate nearly 390 people have died in Idlib with hundreds more buried under rubble. Years of air strikes and bombardments weakened the infrastructure across Syria. The earthquake demolished several hospitals and pivotal infrastructure, further stressing underfunded and busy health centers.

Dozens of countries, the European Union, and the United Nations have offered aid and support for the affected regions. Search and rescue teams, aircraft, and medical teams are heading toward the region from all across the world. The earthquake is the deadliest earthquake the world has seen since the quake that killed 1,000 people in Afghanistan in June 2022.

Syrian refugees numbering in the millions fled civil war in their country in the early 2000′s. Many were housed in refugee camps like this camp in Sanliurfa, Turkey.
Credit: © Orlok/Shutterstock

Today, June 20, is World Refugee Day. The United Nations designated the day to honor refugees from around the world. A refugee is a person forced to flee from his or her country and find safety elsewhere. Many refugees seek to escape persecution based on religion, nationality, membership in a social group, or political beliefs. Some flee from war, famine, or other dangers. Many refugees give up everything—home, possessions, and family and friends—to pursue an uncertain future in a foreign land.

The term refugee comes from the French word refugie, which was used to describe Protestant Huguenots who fled France in 1685 because of Roman Catholic persecution. The term displaced person, or DP, is sometimes used interchangeably with refugee.

The flow of refugees from one country to another can present major international challenges. Countries that receive refugees—often called host countries—may have difficulty providing shelter, food, sanitation, and medical treatment for large numbers of people in need. Since 1951, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has helped millions of refugees throughout the world. The UNHCR estimates there were nearly 89.3 million refugees, internally displaced people, and asylum seekers at the end of 2021. This number has increased in 2022 as a result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine as well as the ongoing crises in Afghanistan, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eritrea, Myanmar, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, and Syria. The Rohingya are a people of Myanmar who are not recognized as legal residents and are forced to flee the country for safety and rights.

Rohingya Muslim refugees from Myanmar await rescue after being stranded off the coast of Indonesia. The government of Myanmar limited the rights of its Rohingya population in the 2010′s, leading an increasing number to attempt to flee the country. Myanmar’s government considered them illegal immigrants, although many Rohingya families had lived in the country for decades.
Credit: AP Photo

Under international law, governments in host countries must respect the basic human rights of refugees. Refugees, in turn, are expected to respect the laws and regulations of host countries. The shelter and protection that host countries provide to refugees is called asylum. In host countries, refugees generally have freedom of movement, freedom of religion, and the ability to pursue education and work. However, some refugees have no choice but to stay in crowded refugee camps. Refoulement—that is, the forcible return of refugees to countries where they face persecution—is a violation of international law.

Refugees often face many obstacles and hardships on their journeys. Salva Dut escaped from South Sudan on foot and faced many years in refugee camps before being welcomed in the United States. He works to bring clean water to his home country. Many refugees try to help the community they left in order to make the lives of others safer and healthier.

Many communities plan activities and events on World Refugee Day to support refugees and welcome them. Look up if your community is hosting an event or read about how you can help refugees in your neighborhood.

August 16, 2012

Tens of thousands of young undocumented immigrants lined up yesterday at offices around the country in a first step to apply to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services for the temporary right to live and work openly in the United States. The new policy, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, was announced by Homeland Secretary Janet Napolitano in June. The initiative addresses the status of children who were brought into the country illegally by their parents. The measure allows undocumented youths who came to the United States before turning 16 and who were under the age of 31 (as of June 12, 2012) to remain in the country and apply for work permits. Applicants must also have been in the country for at least five consecutive years and be enrolled in or have completed high school or GED programs or have served in the U.S. military. People with serious criminal convictions are disqualified.

Officials estimate that as many as 1.7 million young undocumented immigrants may qualify, and advocate groups are holding workshops for immigrants eager to learn how to apply. In Chicago, an informational event sponsored by the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights drew thousands of people to that city’s Navy Pier, one of many “DREAM Relief Day” activities scheduled across the nation.

The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals grew out of the so-called Dream Act, legislation–deadlocked in Congress for years–designed to provide young people brought to the United States as minors with a path toward citizenship. Republican leaders accuse President Barack Obama of ignoring Congress by using “prosecutorial discretion,” that is, his executive power, to implement the policy, which they claim is a political move in his bid for re-election. Democrats respond that Republicans who voted for the Dream Act when it was initially proposed during the George W. Bush administration voted against it when it was advocated by President Obama.

Additional World Book articles:

• Immigration
• Immigration 2006 (a Back in Time article)
• Immigration 2007 (a Back in Time article)
• Immigration 2010 (a Back in Time article)
• Immigration 2011 (a Back in Time article)
• Immigration: The Latest Wave (a special report)
• Passport to Reform: The INS and Homeland Security (a special report)
• Immigration Politics 2006 (a special report)