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Millions of migrants in the Middle East caught in the middle of the war in Iran

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+ Ashley Westerman In 2019, the International Labor Organization estimates there are more than 24 million migrant workers across the Gulf region alone, and the ILO reports that over 92% of the work force in the UAE alone is made up of foreign workers.
− Fresh Air Wild Card with Rachel Martin It's Been a Minute Planet Money Get NPR+ More Podcasts & Shows Search Newsletters NPR Shop Tiny Desk New Music Friday All Songs Considered Music Features Live Sessions The Best Music of 2025 About NPR Diversity Support Careers Press Ethics Millions of migrants in the Middle East caught in the middle of the war in Iran As the war in Iran continues, millions of migrant workers in the Gulf are caught up in the ongoing conflict, adding to their already vulnerable existence.
+ Giuseppe Cacace / AFP via Getty Images/AFP hide caption When Daffodils Guevarra first arrived in Dubai to work as a general practitioner nearly 20 years ago, she was afraid. Not only had she traveled over 4,500 miles from her home in Pasig, Philippines, to get there, but she'd also heard the Middle East, with its seemingly constant upheaval, was "a scary place." "But once I landed in Dubai and I met the people over here, I realized it was a wonderful safe place," Guevarra, 53, told NPR.
− World Millions of migrants in the Middle East caught in the middle of the war in Iran March 17, 20264:48 AM ET Heard on Morning Edition By Hosts Millions of migrants in the Middle East caught in the middle of the war in Iran Listen &middot; 3:34 3:34 Transcript Toggle more options Download Embed Embed "> <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/nx-s1-5745692/nx-s1-9691029" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"> Transcript As the war in Iran continues, millions of migrant workers in the Gulf are caught up in the ongoing conflict, adding to their already vulnerable existence.
+ "And I said to myself 'Okay, I think it's nice to live here.'" Ever since relocating from the Philippines, Guevarra has lived a stable life in Dubai — until now. Middle East conflict 'We never asked for a ceasefire,' says Iran's foreign minister, as war keeps raging Following U.S.
− Sponsor Message MICHEL MARTIN, HOST: Now we want to talk about an aspect of this Middle East war that many people might not be thinking about - the millions of migrant workers who helped fuel economies across the Middle East and the Persian Gulf and who are now among the casualties of the U.S.
+ and Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28, conflict has spilled across the region, including into the United Arab Emirates.
− and Israeli war with Iran.
+ And even though the UAE has intercepted most of the Iranian missiles and drones targeting their county's energy infrastructure and finance hubs, the typical safe haven cities of Abu Dhabi and Dubai have not been spared. "We were not used to having any war at all over here … everybody was on edge," Guevarra said. Guevarra recalled spending the first few days of the war indoors and away from windows.
− A Filipino caretaker was killed on the first day of the war.
+ Still, she could hear the drones flying overhead.
− Thirty-two-year-old Mary Ann Velasquez de Vera was hit by shrapnel from an Iranian missile strike on Tel Aviv.
+ "Maybe 90% gets intercepted. So technically we hear them and boom, we hear some booms and then quiet," she said.
− A MARTÍNEZ, HOST: Daffodils Guevarra is another migrant worker caught up in the war.
+ More than two weeks later, Guevarra says many things in Dubai have gone back to normal, but the uncertainty of how long the war will grip the region weighs heavily on her.
− DAFFODILS GUEVARRA: I'll be very honest - we're not used to any war at all over here.
+ Even though Guevarra is a Philippine national, getting back to her home country would not be easy.
− MARTÍNEZ: By over here, she means Dubai, the business hub of the United Arab Emirates.
+ This is the reality for millions of migrant workers across the Middle East and the Gulf.
− That safe haven status is now being put to the test.
+ Some, like Guevarra, are in high-skilled jobs in health care and business – but the vast majority work in critical, mostly invisible, jobs that quietly keep the luxury societies of the region humming. In 2019, the International Labor Organization estimates there are more than 24 million migrant workers across the Gulf region alone — typically employed in low-wage jobs in construction, domestic housework, seafaring and caregiving.
− Guevarra has been a general practitioner in Dubai for nearly 20 years.
+ The ILO reports that over 92% of the work force in the UAE alone is made up of foreign workers.
− She remembers hearing drones flying overhead.
+ Most of the migrant workers across the region hail from countries such as India, Bangladesh, Kenya, Senegal and Indonesia.
− GUEVARRA: And then, guess what?
+ Currently, there are an estimated 2.4 million Filipino migrant workers in the entire region.
− Ninety percent gets intercepted. So technically, we hear them, then boom. You hear some booms, and then quiet.
+ The majority, around one million, work in the UAE, according to Joanna Concepcion, the head of Migrante-International, a Manila-based group that supports Overseas Filipino Workers — or OFWs — in over 20 countries.
− MARTÍNEZ: More than two weeks later, Guevarra says many things have returned to normal, but the uncertainty of the war weighs on her.
+ National Security Joe Kent, a top counterterrorism official, resigns citing Iran war Concepcion said that while there is always a risk of conflict in the region, "this time feels different" because of the war's intensity and spread to include countries previously not affected by upheaval — like the UAE.
− GUEVARRA: What will happen one week from now, months from now, years from now?
+ "We are concerned first and foremost about the impact this will have on their livelihood and on their safety," Concepcion said. One of the first deaths in the war against Iran was a 32-year-old Filipino caretaker named Mary Ann de Vera, who was struck by shrapnel during an Iranian missile strike on Tel Aviv on the very first day.
− That's on the top of our heads.
+ The New York Times has since reported that a majority of the civilian deaths across the Gulf have been foreign nationals. Like other governments, the Philippines has managed to bring some nationals home.
− So we're just hoping. I mean, there's a general hope over here that things de-escalate and that hopefully this conflict ends soon.
+ But President Ferdinand "Bong Bong" Marcos Jr.'s administration has told OFWs broadly to shelter in place, hoping the conflict will end soon.
− MARTIN: The International Labor Organization estimates there are more than 24 million migrant workers across the Gulf region.
+ "The situation is very fluid," President Marcos said during a briefing on March 3.
− The vast majority of them work low-wage jobs in sectors like construction, health care and domestic work.
+ "Our assessment is that it's too dangerous to fly, even if we could.
− Most migrant workers are from India, Bangladesh, Kenya, Indonesia and Guevarra's home country, the Philippines.
+ There's nothing we can do because airports are closed." Conception says the "lack of urgency" to ensure the safety of Filipino migrant workers during a war only increases their vulnerability.
− JOANNA CONCEPCION: There are an estimate of about 2.4 million Filipino migrant workers in the entire region of the Middle East, and majority work in the United Arab Emirates. MARTÍNEZ: Joanna Concepcion leads Migrante International, a Manila-based group that supports overseas Filipino workers, or OFWs.
+ "Many foreign governments exploit Filipino labor and treat them essentially as disposable," she said.
− She says the conflict in the Gulf this time feels different than those before it.
+ "Anytime that the contract ends or the workers speak up for their rights they're immediately terminated and just treated as criminals and slaves." While the abuse is hard to fully quantify, academic surveys and nongovernmental organizations such as Human Rights Watch have found that there are thousands of reports from the region every year — partially due to what is known as the kafala system, which gives employers total control over migrant laborers. Over the decades there have been many reports of abuse endured by migrant workers in the region, including passport confiscation, wage theft and violence — including torture and death.
− CONCEPCION: Because of the intensity and in terms of countries that previously were not affected by regional conflict before countries like the United Arab Emirates.
+ 2026 World Cup: North America Iran's soccer team cannot participate in the FIFA World Cup, Iranian minister says Still, Concepcion says most migrant workers don't have a choice but to relocate from their home countries, as there are simply not enough well-paying jobs to keep them there.
− MARTÍNEZ: The Philippine government has managed to bring some of their nationals home, but they've told OFWs broadly to shelter in place, hoping the conflict will end soon.
+ "Millions [in the Philippines] are considered unemployed or underemployed in the country, meaning there's a severe lack of livelihoods and jobs that are long term that provide a living wage enough to feed a family," she said, adding that the current minimum wage in the National Capital Region is less than the equivalent of $15 a day.
− MARTIN: Concepcion says this request only adds to many workers' already vulnerable situations.
+ Meanwhile, with remittances from OFWs making up nearly 10% of the Philippines GDP at $38 billion, there is little incentive for the government to stop its decades-long business of exporting its people to work abroad, Conception said.
− CONCEPCION: Many foreign governments exploit Filipino labor and treat them essentially as disposable.
+ For countries such as Nepal, which also sends hundreds of thousands of migrant workers to the Gulf region, remittances can make up over 26%, according to The World Bank. Daffodils Guevarra says she makes around $160,000 per year as a doctor in Dubai.
− Anytime that the contract ends, or the workers speak up for their rights, they're immediately terminated and just treated as criminals and slaves.
+ That's compared to the around $25,000 per year she would make in the Philippines.
− MARTIN: Now, that abuse is hard to fully quantify, but academic surveys and NGOs like Human Rights Watch have cited thousands of reports each year.
+ "A huge difference" in income, she said.
− MARTÍNEZ: Still, Concepcion says there are simply not enough well-paying jobs at home. CONCEPCION: The current minimum wage in the National Capital Region is less than $15 a day.
+ Even salaries of low-wage workers in Dubai far exceed what they would make in the Philippines.
− A family of five cannot survive with less than $15 a day. MARTIN: Daffodils Guevarra says she makes over 80% more as a doctor in Dubai than she would in the Philippines.
+ Today, a Filipino domestic worker in the Gulf makes at least $6,000 a year.
− And even amid the war, she still has no regrets about coming to Dubai. She suspects she's not alone.
+ That's nearly 40% less than the average annual salary in the Philippines, according to the latest data from the Philippine Statistics Authority.
− GUEVARRA: I think it's provided a lot of opportunities for all the OFWs to live a better life.
+ Middle East conflict Gasoline prices are still rising as the Iran war stretches into its third week Meanwhile, the ongoing war has not made Guevarra regret her choice to move abroad — she suspects she's not alone.
− MARTIN: So for now, Guevarra and the millions of others like her are staying in place as the war rages around them.
+ "I think it's provided a lot of opportunities for all the OFWs to live a better life," she said, noting that many migrant workers have made the region their second home.
− (SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC) Copyright &copy; 2026 NPR.
+ "So I think if you ask people who have left, if they have the option to go back, they will.
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+ No questions.
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+ They really will," Guevarra said. Sponsor Message Become an NPR sponsor