20 law and are entitled without any discrimination to equal protection of the law”15. Therefore, all human beings have the right to equal political, social, cultural and economic opportunities and resources. This is “extending the Christian theological doctrine of equal human dignity to the concrete realm of social existence,”16 into all areas of life. The right to equality before the law is the principle rule expressed through specific provisions of the law, aimed at establishing the right to equal and fair treatment of all citizens. Accordingly, all citizens, men and women of different ethnicities, beliefs, religions, social classes, and statuses in a country must not be discriminated against. Therefore, when vast inequalities prevent people develop their lives, the CST states: “People of faith must speak out against these injustices”17. Immigration: Definition and Rights Migration is the phenomenon of people moving from one region to another. Migrants are those who leave their place of residence in the country of their nationality or permanent residence to reside long-term or settle in another country. However, people who leave their country for a limited period of time to carry out purposes such as working or studying are not considered migrants. Migrants who have to flee to another country to escape danger, persecution or arrest by a power in the place of residence are often referred to as asylum seekers. Migrants who have crossed the border to another country because of instability caused by natural disasters, war and civil unrest are called refugees. Both refugees and asylum seekers are protected and assisted by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Migration flows can increase or decrease the population and labor force of both the original or receiving country. The international community has continuously built and improved a solid legal corridor through the promulgation of international conventions, and multilateral agreements for the protection of the rights of migrants, principally by the UN Declaration of Human Rights. In addition, migrants and their family members also enjoy several special rights: the right to life, liberty and security of the person; the right to be free from discrimination; the right to be protected from abuse and exploitation, to be free from slavery, involuntary servitude, torture, and from cruel, inhuman; the right to a fair trial and to legal redress; the right to protection of economic, social and cultural rights; and other human rights as guaranteed by the international human rights instruments to which the state is party and by customary international law,18 ratified by the International Labour 18 International Commission of Jurists commission members, Migration and International Human Rights Law - A Practitioners’ Guide (Switzerland: International Commission of Jurists, 2014), 36-37. 15 United Nations, Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 3. 17 Massaro, Living Justice: Catholic Social Teaching in Action, 82. 16 Massaro, Living Justice: Catholic Social Teaching in Action, 81.
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