[This is an excerpt from an article in The Round Table: The Commonwealth Journal of International Affairs and Policy Studies. This article was published before the June earthquakes in Venezuela.] 

The role of metaphors in media framing of migrants

Metaphors in media coverage, such as ‘waves’, ‘swarms’ or ‘invaders’, powerfully shape public perceptions of migrants by evoking emotional imagery that frames them as either threats or victims (Blachnicka-Ciacek et al., Citation2021; Taylor, Citation2021). In Guyana, where migrants face scrutiny amid economic and ethnic tensions, these linguistic tools can influence attitudes and policy debates (Valencia, Citation2020). Research has shown that metaphors in media framing construct narratives through which migrants are understood, reinforcing wider political and social debates over belonging and exclusion.

Such metaphors evoke chaos and threat, portraying Venezuelan migrants as a mass influx straining resources, a pattern similar to global trends where right-wing media amplify fears during crises (Findor et al., Citation2021; Kollias et al., Citation2025; Seo & Kavakli, Citation2022). According to Liudmila Arcimaviciene and Sercan Hamza Baglama (Citation2018), moral metaphors such as ‘invaders’, ‘freeloaders’ or ‘criminals’ reinforce an ideological ‘them vs. us’ dichotomy, delegitimising migrants as burdens while legitimising host societies’ exclusionary stances. Tetsuta Komatsubara (Citation2024) extends this by noting that metaphors highlight problems while hiding solutions, for example, framing migration as a ‘natural disaster’ (e.g., ‘wave of immigration’), mirroring Venezuelan portrayals in Guyanese media as dehumanised objects or commodities (Hadžić, Citation2021; Taylor, Citation2021). Sensational headlines such as ‘migrant crisis’, ‘illegal invasion’ and ‘flood of foreigners’ have dominated right-wing media discourse, reinforcing ideas of chaos, invasion or loss of control, particularly during key political moments such as elections or post-conflict refugee surges (Findor et al., Citation2021; Kollias et al., Citation2025; Seo & Kavakli, Citation2022).

The foregoing studies capture the nature of media frames in the coverage of migrants, and the key textual features that accompany how citizens may respond to migrants in their host countries. However, other scholars have also documented the perils faced by migrants fleeing various crises, the challenges they confront, and the human toll including barriers to employment and settlement.

Lived experiences of migrants

Migrants worldwide face countless challenges that shape their lived experiences, from displacement and adaptation to questions of identity. Their stories are often marked by trauma but also by resilience, and yet the human dimensions remain underexplored beyond statistical data (Demireva & Quassoli, Citation2019). In many contexts, media and policy often frame migration in terms such as ‘crisis’ or ‘floods’, which strips away the personal struggles and reduces people to numbers (Akef et al., Citation2024). What matters are the physical dangers, psychological strains and social realities that define migrants’ daily lives, drawing from perceptions worldwide. Understanding these experiences helps to garner empathy, highlighting the need to look beyond headlines to the individuals behind them.

Book Review – Migrants: The story of us all
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The journeys themselves are often dangerous, leaving migrants in perilous conditions. Crossing deserts or seas leaves migrants exposed to dehydration, violence and exploitation, with reports of rape, kidnapping and death at the hands of traffickers (Idemudia & Boehnke, Citation2020). It is estimated that one-third of migration-related deaths occur in the Sahara, reflecting the brutal toll of such journeys. Women face additional risks, including gender-based violence and barriers to maternity care, heightening health vulnerabilities during pregnancy (Fair et al., Citation2020; Schilling et al., Citation2017). Economically, many encounter underpaid labour or forced work upon arrival, their physical strain made worse by an uncertain legal status (Fair et al., Citation2020; Idemudia & Boehnke, Citation2020). Socially, hostility adds another layer, as seen in post-Brexit Britain, where migrants report anxiety and non-belonging amid rising xenophobia (Guma & Jones, Citation2019). Daily life involves discrimination, language barriers and economic precarity, eroding social ties. Yet, some manage to forge support networks, showcasing adaptation amid adversity (Demireva & Quassoli, Citation2019). What stands out is how these hurdles shape a reality of survival and resilience.

Employment is critical for refugee integration and survival. In 2024, the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) cited crisis or war, and persecution or danger as the major factors that trigger the movement of refugees to countries that they consider safe havens. To facilitate refugee settlement and employment, some host countries, such as Germany, have developed labour inclusion structures (Özbilgin et al., Citation2025). However, Maissam Nimer and Susan Rottmann (Citation2021) note that the language barrier undermines labour market integration and remuneration of skilled immigrants and refugees. Examples of deskilling, as patterns of change from high-skilled jobs to low-skilled jobs among high-skilled migrants, were observed particularly among migrants from the Caribbean, Africa, Asia and the Middle East (Niraula & Valentin, Citation2019). Notably, deskilling of refugees can be traced to the post-Second World War period that highlighted the plight of Turkish citizens who migrated to the United States, Ukrainians who migrated to Poland and Austria, and Chechen refugees in Austria (Aigner et al., Citation2025; Bojarczuk et al., Citation2025; Luimpöck, Citation2019).

Carolyn Walcott is with Clayton State University, Coreen Jacobs-Chester is with the University of Guyana and Coleen Patterson is with the University of Guyana.