Immigration policy has been a hot topic in presidential races for decades and it continues to be addressed daily in social media and major news outlets.

There’s a lot of hate out there – a lot of anger, a lot of fear. And not a lot of understanding. The nuances are lost among a population of voters who don’t realize that “immigration” cannot be encompassed by a single-story approach that dominates the media. By this I mean the story that immigrants are: bringing drugs and violence, trying to take advantage of U.S. taxpayer-funded social services and “stealing American jobs.”

When politicians talk about immigration policies in debates, how do those policies really work? When people are being let into the U.S., where do they go? When we hear “immigrant,” “asylum seeker” and “refugee,” how do we understand the differences among these terms?

Each of these labels encompass very different lived realities. An “immigrant” is someone who comes to a country to take up permanent residence. While this includes people who move for opportunities in employment and education, it also includes those fleeing persecution in their home country.

An immigrant may move for many reasons: to take a job that pays better and to support their families; for opportunities in education and employment; or because they like the country. However, they may also move because they are refugees and are unsafe in their home country. This is hardly a choice.

Many people disagree with policies that allow such people to enter the U.S. They may subscribe to the rhetoric that immigrants are taking American jobs or bringing trouble with them, and that their home governments should deal with their civil, economic and social problems. Others recognize that this is unlikely to happen, but still think these people should go to countries other than the U.S. for such opportunities. Though this may be feasible for some, it is not an option for all.

What is important to understand here is that not all people immigrating to the United States have the opportunity to actually live anywhere else, the opportunity to complete necessary day-to-day tasks without having their lives threatened. “Refugees and asylum seekers” defines a group of people persecuted on the basis of race, religion, nationality, political opinion or membership in a particular social group, including sexual orientation and political participation. These people are threatened every day of their lives by unimaginable horrors, simply by existing in their home countries. The distinction between immigrants seeking better opportunities and refugees fleeing persecution is often overlooked. This distinction is important. For many, the policies of the United States have life-or-death stakes.

When we talk about letting people into the country, we should make a clear distinction between those who are able to lead lives in their home countries, and those whose lives are threatened, for whom it is unfeasible to seek refuge in any country but the U.S. Many of these people do not intend on moving to the country permanently, though ongoing violence may force them to do so. Most of them would much prefer to stay home if they were safe doing so, for the journey itself is perilous. In the last 10 years, more than 63,000 people have died or gone missing while migrating to another country. Despite harrowing statistics, someone deciding to make this journey believes that they are more endangered staying in their home country than taking the risk of fleeing.

When U.S. citizens with the power to vote are considering immigration policies, we must be clear on the consequences for the people affected by that policy. Closed-door policies for asylum mean very different things for people than restrictions on student or work visas (though both reasons for immigrating are important and can change people’s lives). It is crucial to view asylum as a different type of migration – one based on humanitarian reasons. The ability to seek asylum is a human right. Regardless of one’s stance on immigration for employment or education, it is our duty to protect this right.