Gary Drescher wrote:

Merriam-Webster: "refugee: one that flees; especially: a person who flees to
a foreign country or power to escape danger or persecution". What's being
objected to is the connotation of having fled from a foreign country;
obviously, that connotation is not objectionable in situations where people
really do flee internationally.

I don't think the terminology is worth obsessing over. But still less is
anyone's obsession over it worth obsessing over.

You gotta remember, alot went to Texas as the article mentioned,
"Texas, its like a whole other country." The fact that they distributed
$2k debit cards to those in the Astrodome, I'm sure kinda made them want
to stay put...