“We have actually witnessed increased state cooperation and compliance not with the law, but cooperation with each other to actively avoid upholding the law, avoid protecting refugees, deterring them through grave human rights violations such as indefinite detention or family separation here at our own southern border in the United States, and weaponizing and demonizing refugee flows particularly, but not only, in the West,” said Hannah Garry, Law Professor and Executive Director of The Promise Institute for Human Rights at UCLA Law, during her opening remarks at the Aurora Dialogues event held at the Luskin Conference Center in Los Angeles on December 7, 2024.

Professor Garry emphasized that such behavior has intensified in response to the largest number of refugees since World War II. The global refugee population has surged from around 15 million in the mid-1990s to nearly 44 million today. This figure does not even include the 68 million people displaced within their own countries, often a precursor to seeking refuge across borders, nor the 7 million people currently seeking asylum. These numbers, cited by Professor Garry, were drawn from the latest Global Report by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

The event, titled “Advancing Human Rights Amid Global Refugee Crisis,” was organized by the Aurora Humanitarian Initiative in collaboration with The Promise Institute for Human Rights at UCLA Law. The discussion aimed to explore the complexities of the ongoing global refugee crisis and discuss how diverse organizations and voices can effectively address the challenges faced by displaced populations. Featured speakers included Marguerite Barankitse, 2016 Aurora Prize Laureate and Founder of Maison Shalom; Shadi Martini, CEO of the Multifaith Alliance; and Dulce Valencia, Associate Director of Entertainment Media at Define American. The conversation was moderated by Armine Afeyan, CEO of the Aurora Humanitarian Initiative.