Xenophobia, fear and contempt of strangers or foreigners or of anything designated as foreign, or a conviction that certain foreign individuals and cultures represent a threat to the authentic identity of one’s own nation-state and cannot integrate into the local society peacefully. The term xenophobia derives from the ancient Greek words xenos (meaning “stranger”) and phobos (meaning “fear”). Xenophobia implies the perception that not only is it impossible for certain people designated as foreign to integrate into one’s own society but also that they pose a threat to the integrity of that society. (https://www.britannica.com/science/xenophobia) 

Refugee, any uprooted, homeless, involuntary migrant who has crossed a frontier and no longer possesses the protection of his or her former government. Prior to the 19th century the movement from one country to another did not require passports and visas; the right to asylum was commonly recognized and honoured. Although there have been numerous waves of refugees throughout history, there was no refugee problem until the emergence of fixed and closed state frontiers in the late 19th century. By the 1920s and ’30s the tradition of political asylum had deteriorated considerably, partly because of growing insensitivity to human suffering and partly because of unprecedented numbers of refugees. (https://www.britannica.com/topic/refugee) 

Article 2 Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status. Furthermore, no distinction shall be made on the basis of the political, jurisdictional or international status of the country or territory to which a person belongs, whether it be independent, trust, non-self-governing or under any other limitation of sovereignty. (https://www.un.org/en/about-us/universal-declaration-of-human-rights) 

Map of the world with the only borders that matter, the one that divides water and land. 

Country borders, as we understand them today, have evolved over centuries and do not have a single point of invention. The concept of borders began to take shape with the rise of nation-states in the early modern period, particularly from the 16th century onward. However, the delineation of borders can be traced back to ancient civilizations, where boundaries were often marked by natural features like rivers or mountains, or defined by treaties and wars.

The Peace of Westphalia in 1648 is often cited as a significant moment in the establishment of modern state borders, as it recognized the sovereignty of states and laid the groundwork for the nation-state system in Europe. Over time, borders have continued to change due to conflicts, colonization, and international agreements. (Ecosia AI chat)

The Peace of Westphalia established the precedent of peace reached by diplomatic congress and a new system of political order in Europe based upon the concept of co-existing sovereign states. The Westphalian principle of the recognition of another state’s sovereignty and right to decide its own fate rests at the foundations of international law today. (https://courses.lumenlearning.com/atd-herkimer-westerncivilization/chapter/the-peace-of-westphalia-and-sovereignty/) 

Sovereignty is a term that is frequently misused. Up until the 19th century, the radicalised concept of a “standard of civilization” was routinely deployed to determine that certain people in the world were “uncivilized”, and lacking organised societies. That position was reflected and constituted in the notion that their “sovereignty” was either completely lacking or at least of an inferior character when compared to that of the “civilized” people”.Lassa Oppenheim said, “There exists perhaps no conception the meaning of which is more controversial than that of sovereignty. It is an indisputable fact that this conception, from the moment when it was introduced into political science until the present day, has never had a meaning, which was universally agreed upon.” In the opinion of H. V. Evatt of the High Court of Australia, “sovereignty is neither a question of fact, nor a question of law, but a question that does not arise at all”. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sovereign_state)