Caught in the Crossfire: Migrant Workers and the Hidden Fallout of War

As tensions continue between Iran and Israel, with the United States positioned as both mediator and instigator, much of the world’s attention has turned to diplomatic negotiations, military escalations, and the risks of a regional war. Yet, amid the airstrikes and sanctions, one group remains tragically overlooked: the migrant workers who labor quietly, and invisibly across the SWANA (South West Asian and North African) region.

From millions of migrants from South and Southeast Asia, East Africa, and beyond, life in the region has long meant working under a system of exploitation in construction sites, agricultural fields, and private homes. But when war erupts, instability multiplies. Jobs vanish, borders tighten, embassies close, and those who were already living at the margins are pushed even further into uncertainty.

Their stories rarely make headlines, but this isn’t anything new.

Rising Tensions Between Iran, Israel, and the United States

In June 2025, another wave of Western violence broke out in the SWANA region, centered around missile strikes between Iran and Israel. On June 13, Israel launched missile strikes targeting Iran, and they quickly struck back. This escalation prompted the U.S. to deploy additional naval and air forces to the eastern Mediterranean amid fears of broader regional war. 

Geographically, the Levant is located between Israel and Iran, placing it at the epicenter of missile routes and potential ground escalation. Bordering countries like Syria and Lebanon host armed groups aligned with both sides, leaving the region especially vulnerable to spillover violence. 

The Levant region, which includes Palestine, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, and Israel, is also home to millions of migrant workers. Now, with rising military escalation, these already precarious lives are further endangered. Many migrant workers come from nations without strong consular presence or diplomatic leverage in the region, leaving them without safety nets during wartime.

As global powers compete for influence and borders are fortified in the name of national security, migrant workers, whose labor sustains entire sectors, remain disposable in the eyes of both local regimes and international actors.

Lebanon’s Migrant Workers Amid Economic collapse and Regional Instability

Lebanon hosts approximately 176,000 migrant workers, predominantly women employed as domestic workers from Ethiopia, the Philippines, Bangladesh and other countries. 

Since 2019, Lebanon’s economic crisis has devalued the Lebanese pound by over 90%, collapsing wages and drastically increasing the cost of living. This financial instability intersects with the country’s geopolitical tensions, especially near southern border areas prone to Israeli drone strikes and air raids linked to conflicts with Hezbollah.

According to reports from Amnesty International and The New Humanitarian, many migrant workers are abandoned by employers during war escalations and economic downturns. Passport confiscation, wage theft, and locked housing remain pervasive.

Further, migrant workers are systematically excluded from emergency aid programs, which prioritize Lebanese nationals. Although NGOs in Lebanon have historically stepped in to support migrant communities, many of these shelters have closed in recent years due to ongoing funding shortages, particularly in the aftermath of the 2023/2024 Israel-Hezbollah escalation. 

This has left countless migrants without access to safe refuge during times of conflict. Local and international aid organizations, such as Doctors Without Borders, acknowledge that donor fatigue, shifting geopolitical priorities, and post-ceasefire defunding have contributed to the closure of temporary shelters in Beirut and other cities. 

Jordan’s Economic Pressures and Migrant Precarity

Jordan hosts over 400,000 migrant workers from Sudan, Egypt, and Southeast Asia, primarily employed in agriculture, construction, and domestic work. 

Though Jordan avoids direct conflict, regional militarization and economic instability have reduced employment opportunities for migrants, especially in the last five years. Many report unpaid or delayed wages and face limited legal protections under the Kafala sponsorship system, which ties their residency and job security to employers.

Jordanian labor groups note that migrant workers frequently struggle to access healthcare and legal recourse, compounding their vulnerability amid regional instability. 

Colonial Legacies and the Disposability of Migrant Workers

The persistent marginalization of migrant workers in the Levant cannot be disentangled from British colonial history in the greater-SWANA region. European imperial powers carved borders and structured economies to exploit migrant labor, all while denying them full citizenship or rights. 

Today’s geopolitical conflicts reflect and reinforce those structures. Migrant workers are essential to economies but excluded from protections, treated as disposable “others” whose lives can be sacrificed for state security or economic gain.

As tensions between the U.S., Israel, and Iran escalate, migrant workers in the Levant region face layered crises of displacement, neglect, and invisibility rooted in these enduring colonial logics. 

Towards Recognition and Protection

The human cost of war in the SWANA region is not only measured in headlines about military strikes or diplomacy. It is counted in the lives of migrant workers–often forgotten in policy and humanitarian response.

Meaningful change requires inclusive evacuation protocols, reform of exploitative labor systems, expanded access to aid, and legal protections that recognize migrant workers as full human beings. In doing so, the region can begin to dismantle colonial structures that have long rendered migrant workers invisible and expendable.

So What Can We Do?

For readers driven by justice and equity, change begins with awareness and can evolve into impactful action like: 

1. Press Policymakers.

Urge your national and local representatives to support international labor standards such as the ILO’s Migrant Workers Convention, and push for consular protections to include migrants during crises. 

2. Support grassroots groups already doing the work.

In Lebanon, the Amel Association for example has provided emergency shelters and health services to migrants during escalations. In Jordan, advocacy groups like Tamkeen for Legal Aid are calling for safe grievance mechanisms and expanded protections for migrant laborers. The Arab Renaissance for Democracy and Development (ARDD) also empowers migrant workers through legal awareness, peer support, and advocacy. These are just a few of the important resources in need of further support. 

3. Amplify migrant voices.

Readers can do this by sharing stories online, petitioning consulates, and fundraising for migrant-led relief networks.

4. Advocate for structural reform.

This might look like abolishing kafala-type sponsorship systems and demanding that temporary shelters be open to all, regardless of citizenship, especially during times of war. 

Gen-Z and all future generations can reject narratives that devalue migrant lives by centering equity in activism. By lifting up migrant-led movements, holding governments accountable, and forging inclusive humanitarian responses, we fight for a future where migrant workers are seen, valued, and protected, not disposable in geopolitical tables of power.