7: Solidarity towards distress migrants: how changing frontline communities depend on states to build a new public space

Migration scholars and advocates have long examined the impact of state policy on distress migrants’ access to protection, security and well-being. They have shown how ruthless border exclusion policies aggravate the risks migrants face and how discriminatory domestic laws deprive those migrants of sorely needed safe shelter, health and welfare services. Much less attention has been paid to the impact of state policy on host societies, and in particular on their ability to provide solidarity to displaced populations. Yet the availability and persistence of host community solidarity are crucial resources for migrants coping with the consequences of ruptured lives. At a time when experiences of dramatic loss and fear are likely to be overwhelming, the welcoming embrace of host population officials and communities can be transformative. Conversely, exposure to racist abuse and other forms of pervasive hostility can further aggravate the trauma distress migrants experience. Our chapter addresses the topic of host solidarity towards migrants, its importance, its impact and its potential fragility. We focus, in particular, on recent developments in Greece and in Poland. We examine how state policies – at the border and inside the host countries – impact the ability of host communities themselves to offer continuing solidarity or conversely undermine that ability. Generous state policies protect host communities from a sense of burden or resentment in relation to distress migrants within their midst and instead support local communities in their efforts to be inclusive.