'They're ECONOMIC MIGRANTS' Nigel Farage slates misuse of term 'refugee'
NIGEL FARAGE offered his take on what a refugee is - before branding “most” of those leaving the seven countries of Donald Trump’s travel ban “economic migrants”.
Farage: Most people coming to the UK are not refugees
The former Ukip leader said the word was often “misused” during a TV discussion about a possible second executive order on immigration after a US appeals court upheld the decision to halt the US leader’s ban.
The initial directive saw citizens from Iraq, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen temporarily barred along with all refugees.
Speaking on Fox News, Mr Farage said: “Be careful about using the word refugees. You know a refugee is somebody in fear of their life because of their race or their religion.”
He said welcoming people from those countries increased the terror threat in Europe and America.
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Actually, most people that are coming from those countries, whether it’s coming into Europe or coming to America are basically economic migrants
The Brexit campaigner said: “Actually, most people that are coming from those countries, whether it’s coming into Europe or coming to America are basically economic migrants.
“And it’s mixed in with some of those that you potentially get terrorists. I do think the word refugee gets misused.”
He then proceeded to give examples of who he thought were refugees.
“The difference is fundamental,” he said. “A refugee is someone like a Jewish person in Germany or Austria, a refugee is someone like an Indian who was living in Idi Amin’s Uganda.
Donald Trump could put forward a second executive order
“They’re people, because of who they are, because of their religion, are being persecuted – perhaps like Christians in Syria or Iraq today.”
Mr Farage said “difficulties” in a country did not necessarily make citizens leaving refugees.
He said: “Just because somebody comes from a country that's got difficulties does not make them a refugee.
“And do you know, even the European Commission, after the millions of people that have come into Europe, even the European Commission, who encourage that, even they admit that at least 60 per cent of those that have come to Europe are economic migrants.”
He then took aim at Angela Merkel after Germany welcomed more than a million migrants in 2015.
Mr Farage said: “I think what she did by unconditionally opening the doors is the worst foreign policy decision, the worst domestic decision combined of any western leader since 1945.”