In times easier for Egyptian refugees, pro-government TV host Azza Mostafa had nothing but generous words for the thousands of Syrians building new lives in Egypt. own country exploded Civil war in 2011.
“I would like to say to our Syrian families and our brothers in Egypt,” he said 2019 show“You have truly brought light to Egypt.”
But he appeared on his show in June, echoing the country's leaders, who have tightened policies on refugees and migrants as they grapple with growing numbers of outsiders. economic crisis The wars in neighboring Gaza, Sudan and Libya have worsened.
“It's become unbearable” Mrs. Mustafa saidaccuses migrants of raising rents and promoting female genital mutilation. “There's a lot of over-the-top action. Is this acceptable? After we open our country to them?”
Egypt has long made it easy for foreigners of all kinds, whether refugees, migrant workers or Westerners fleeing coronavirus lockdowns, to live and work in the country, largely without interference.
The past 13 years have brought an almost continuous flow of newcomers fleeing conflict to the country known as the “mother of the world” among Arabs. This includes not only Syrians, but also Sudanese, Yemenis, Eritreans and most recently Palestinians from Gaza.
Under Egypt's immigration rules, many have never been formally registered as refugees or received formal permission to stay long-term, but have been able to enter the country almost seamlessly, support themselves, and sometimes start businesses.
since Civil war in Sudan drove a increase in refugees to Egypt starting in 2023, but the impoverished government in Cairo complains more and more loudly about the burden of foreigners. He quickly tightened his policies – analysts and diplomats say he hoped to win more support from international backers who want to curb migration to their countries.
Egypt says it spends $10 billion annually on nine million refugees, according to officials and government-controlled media (although experts say both figures are greatly exaggerated), while Egyptians putting up with soaring prices and cutting subsidies.
Years of government overspending, reliance on imports and policies that neglected private sector growth left the country's finances in a precarious position before the wars in Ukraine and Gaza brought them down. As a result of the conflict in Gaza, Egypt lost 7 billion dollars in 2024 of the important income it receives from the Suez Canal. Distressed shipping in the Red Seaaccording to government officials.
As Egypt is deeply in debt and struggling to pay for imports such as wheat and energy, the currency has collapsed and some goods have become hard to come by.
Ahmed Abu Al-Yazid, head of the government-owned sugar firm Delta Sugar Company, blamed refugees for the sugar shortage, which experts linked to the economic crisis. The president accused them of draining Egypt's precious water. Pro-government social media accounts — some of which appeared to be fake — accused Sudanese refugees of raising rents and promoting FGM.
According to migrants, refugees and their advocates, the accusations were quickly followed by a crackdown.
There were Sudanese refugees rounded off was detained in police sweeps and shortly deported. Syrians who have been living in Egypt for years have been told to pay thousands of dollars to stay. Many are hesitant to return The fall of the Assad regime until the situation stabilizes in December.
Now foreign workers from Asia and other parts of Africa face additional obstacles Human rights activists say they have been arrested to maintain their legal status, and in some cases to force them to pay high fees.
Last month, Egypt passed a law giving the government, rather than the United Nations refugee agency, responsibility for vetting refugees and others.
Government officials said the measure would provide for a wide range of refugees. Critics of the move said it would much more difficult for refugees to have access to protection or health care and schools. The law also gives the government the power to revoke refugee status on unspecified grounds, such as violations of national security, political activity or violations of Egyptian social customs.
Abu Saleh, a 32-year-old Syrian who works in a small grocery store in Cairo, said he lived in the city for 13 years “without any problems” until he learned in July that he could no longer enroll his son in school without a residence permit. .
Just to renew his family's tourist visas, he was told he would have to return to Syria and pay a fee of $2,000 per person – a process he would have to repeat every six months.
“Egypt has always been there for us,” said Abu Saleh, who asked not to be identified by the name he uses around town to avoid possible repercussions. “I would like to appeal to the Egyptian government: give us accommodation, even if it is a little expensive. We are facing difficult conditions.”
Egypt has not explained its harsh attitude towards foreigners. But analysts and migrant advocates attribute it to an economic crisis that has fueled widespread bitterness and hatred. President Abdulfattah al-Sisi's power was undermined.
Rights groups say the newcomers make convenient scapegoats for Egyptians' troubles. Immigration fees charged in dollars could provide some of Egypt's much-needed foreign currency. Rights groups say foreigners are also valuable pawns in Egypt's push for more financial support from its international partners.
“They think, 'How can these people be useful to the government?'” says Nur Khalil, executive director of the Refugee Platform in Egypt, which defends the rights of migrants.
UN Refugee Agency There are approximately 818,000 registered refugees Those entitled to free public healthcare and education in Egypt. Although analysts and aid workers dispute the number as high as nine million, there are likely many more unregistered refugees.
The benefits received by registered refugees mean that Egypt “treats them like Egyptians, even though we are not a rich country.” “There is no other country in the world that accepts these responsibilities and challenges as Egypt does. We don't have a single refugee camp – they are fully integrated into society.”
Refugee advocates agree that Egypt needs more resources. Unlike other countries in the region, including Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey, where the United States, the United Nations and the European Union have spent billions to support refugees, Egypt has not received significant funding to resettle Syrian or other refugees.
This is changing.
As the war in Gaza has hit Egypt's finances, so have its Western patrons He ran to the aid of Egyptare worried about preventing an economic collapse in the Arab world's most populous country, analysts and diplomats say. A crash in Egypt could further destabilize the Middle East and send a flood of migrants across the Mediterranean to Europe. pressure to limit migration.
The European Union promised to take swift action 8 billion dollar aid package Egypt in March, reverberates deals The bloc clashed with Mauritania, Tunisia and Turkey, which financed the migration enforcement in these countries.
Other backers, including the International Monetary Fund, have sent billions more stabilize Egyptian economy.
Critics say the Europe pact with Egypt is like the bloc's other migration deals creates conditions for violation of rights by rewarding Mr. al-Sisi's authoritarianism and potentially funding the current crackdown on migrants.
There are groups including Amnesty International and the Platform for Refugees in Egypt documented what he said was a pattern mass arbitrary arrests and illegal deportations of Sudanese refugees – some detained for being smuggled across the border, others picked up during random sweeps of mostly Sudanese neighborhoods.
Mr. Khalil from the refugee platform said that some Syrians were also expelled. His group also documented the arrest of more than 50 foreign workers, some of whom were already domiciled, until they paid $1,000 in fees and fines.
The climate of fear has brought Sudanese to the doorstep of the UN Refugee Agency in Cairo, seeking official protection. But obtaining refugee status can take months, perhaps years: Appointments to begin the process are not available until late 2025. According to Mr. Khalil, some Sudanese who were detained and deported received some form of identity card at the UN. questioning whether the organization can guarantee security.
Among those waiting outside one morning was 36-year-old Mohammad Abdulwahab. When he and his family tried to cross the border from Sudan this spring, Egypt had severely restricted free movement between the two countries, so they turned to smugglers. instead of.
Mr. Abdelwahab and his 14-year-old son, Mohanad, used to collect plastic bottles for a living on the streets of Cairo without legal documents. Mr. Abdelwahab was looking for a better job when Mohanad disappeared in June.
Twenty days later, Mohanad resurfaced with a WhatsApp message: He was rounded up and deported along with a group of Sudanese.
Mr. Abdelwahab was looking for Mohanad in another city. When he returned to Cairo, his wife and three other children had been evicted for non-payment.
“It's indescribable,” he said. “Now they're all camping here,” he added, referring to his family, gesturing to the sidewalk outside the refugee agency, where other groups of Sudanese waited impatiently in the sun.
Mother Mackay and Rania Khaled contributed to the report.