The latest on refugee news and updates…
We know how stressful the news can be, especially now, but it’s important to stay educated so we can activate change. Here’s what you need to know:
Refugee News
COVID-19 is a refugee camp’s worst enemy. With crowded conditions and little access to necessary recourses, the virus can spread like wildfire. It is yet another danger added to the list of threats refugees face.
Many fires have struck refugee camps within the last year, stripping refugees of their belongings.
With the transition to online learning, the education of more and more refugees (especially those recently resettled) is being sacrificed. The expense of technology is a huge barrier for families as they try to teach their children at home.
Yemen’s humanitarian crisis is worsening and there is now an influx of media coverage regarding the lack of food, water, and shelter there. More and more refugees are displaced every day due to it.
The massive blast in Lebanon in 2020 displaced around 200,000 people (or left them without windows or doors) and harmed the many refugees living in Lebanon, who come from Syria and elsewhere. Because of the disaster at the port, the aid being sent to Syria is endangered too.
The global pandemic has in no way upended the dangers of war, famine, and violence. People are still fleeing their homes and being mistreated, and we must work together to keep them safe.
Asylum Seeker News
A lot is going on regarding the federal response to how asylum-seekers are treated when they reach the US.
In the past few months, there has been a massive influx of asylum-seekers trying to cross the border. Because of the new administration, many have come because they believe they have a better chance of gaining asylum and eventually citizenship. Officials have even asked for volunteers to help assist them, and there have been accusations of the government trying to cover up the chaos by restricting media coverage.
The Biden Administration has proposed legislation to give DACA recipients a path to citizenship.
ICE has been accused of performing mass hysterectomies on asylum-seeking women. This has provoked outrage amongst allies to these women.
2020 News Archive
*read an Op-Ed about the new interim Director of ICE, written by Jonathan Lam (Research Team member), here!*
(Meg Kinnard/Associated Press)
“Biden plans sweeping reversal of Trump's immigration agenda, from deportations to asylum policy”
-CBS News
November 11, 2020
“While the COVID-19 public health crisis and its impact on the U.S. economy will preoccupy President-elect Joe Biden during his first weeks in office, the incoming Democratic administration is also expected to quickly start dismantling President Trump's immigration agenda.”
(Zik Maulana/Associated Press)
“For Young Rohingya Brides, Marriage Means a Perilous, Deadly Crossing”
-The New York Times
October 17, 2020
“Girls and young women from refugee camps in Bangladesh, promised to men they have never met, are undertaking the dangerous journey to Malaysia to join them.”
(Marwan Ali/Associated Press)
“'We lost everything': Thousands homeless as Sudan battles floods”
-Al Jazeera
September 9, 2020
“The floods have so far impacted more than half-a-million people and caused the total and partial collapse of more than 100,000 homes in at least 16 Sudanese states.”
(Mauricio Lima/The New York Times)
“UNHCR offers support as large fire destroys asylum center in Moria”
-UNHCR
September 9, 2020
“We have immediately deployed our staff on the ground and have offered our assistance to the Greek authorities as we are concerned about the situation of some 12,000 asylum seekers, including more than 4,000 children as well as other vulnerable groups, including 407 unaccompanied children, pregnant women and elderly people.”
(Rahmat Mirza/AFP)
“Nearly 300 Rohingya come ashore in Aceh after months at sea”
-Al Jazeera
September 7, 2020
“Nearly 300 Rohingya have come ashore in Aceh, on the northern tip of Indonesia's Sumatra island, authorities said, in one of the biggest such landings by the persecuted Myanmar minority in years, after a months-long voyage at sea during which more than 30 refugees are thought to have died.”
(PA Media/BBC)
“Essex lorry deaths: Ronan Hughes admits manslaughter”
-BBC News
August 28, 2020
“A man has admitted manslaughter after the deaths of 39 Vietnamese migrants found in a lorry container in Essex.”
(Asian Dawn)
“Tony Pham, new interim ICE director and Vietnamese refugee, draws criticism from Asian groups”
-NBC News
August 28, 2020
“The Trump administration’s appointment of a Vietnamese refugee to lead Immigration and Customs Enforcement sparked anger among Asian American advocates, many of whom condemned the move as hypocritical.”
(Daily Mail)
“Are asylum seekers really living in luxury hotels? – Q&A”
-The Guardian
August 28, 2020
In the UK:
“Pre-pandemic, many asylum seekers whose claims were refused were eligible for no support at all. It is only during the pandemic that they are receiving accommodation.”
Watch this video to see far-right activists knocking on doors in migrant hotels that have sprouted up due to the pandemic, supposedly to question them.
(National Law Review)
“U.K. Government Releases Details on Post-Brexit Immigration System”
-National Law Review
August 27, 2020
This article encourages you to listen to a podcast that ponders…
“End of free movement for EU nationals. What does this mean for employers with EU-national employees? What about for EU nationals currently living in the U.K.?
Changes to skilled worker migration. What changes to skilled worker migration will impact companies looking to recruit foreign migrants using this route?
Practical preparatory steps for employers. What can employers do now to prepare to comply and adapt to a new immigration system?”
(UN News)
“Address root causes of the Rohingya refugee crisis, urges UN chief”
-UN News
August 26, 2020
“Tuesday marked three years since the start of the crisis, the largest and most recent forced displacement of the minority, mainly Muslim, Rohingya and other communities from Myanmar’s Rakhine state.”
(Anadolu Agency)
“Bosnia and Herzegovina's refugee crisis getting out of hand”
-Anadolu Agency
August 26, 2020
“Bosnia and Herzegovina is facing a rising refugee flow, according to a senior politician Mustafa Ruznic.”
(UNHCR)
“Nicaraguan refugee heals wounds of persecution in Costa Rica”
-UNHCR
August 25, 2020
“She is one of more than 100,000 Nicaraguans estimated to have fled persecution and human rights violations in the wake of the protest movement. Like her, more than 86,000 of them have sought protection in Costa Rica.”
(Sebastian Rich)
“Coronavirus: Fighting fake news in a refugee camp”
-BBC News
August 17, 2020
“Most of the 46,000 people in the Yida camp have fled war in Sudan. So far, the camp has no confirmed cases of coronavirus. But it is ill-equipped to deal with any possible outbreak.”Some young refugees have taken matters into their own hands. On donated bikes, they cycle around the camp to educate others.”
“‘They haven’t even got the tools to take temperature,’ says Raga Gabreel, director of Green Kordofan Charity.
(Inter Press Service)
“Impending Food Crisis in Lebanon will Largely Affect Migrant Workers”
-Inter Press Service
August 12, 2020
“This (food crisis) is because, prior to the blast, they (migrant workers and refugees) were already among those most affected by food insecurity, with about 62 percent reporting inadequate access to food in July…”
“The Aug. 4 blast left an estimated 200,000 people homeless or living in homes without windows or doors, according to the BBC. An estimated 200 people were killed and some 5,000 injured.”
(Foreign Policy)
“Beirut Explosion Imperils Lebanon’s Refugee Population—and Aid Routes to Syria”
-Foreign Policy
August 11, 2020
“The massive explosion that rocked Beirut and destroyed much of the Lebanese capital’s port last week threatens to have disastrous consequences for the roughly 1.5 million Syrian and Palestinian refugees who have long relied on humanitarian aid in the country, according to officials and aid workers…”
(UNHCR, Aristophane Ngargoune)
"Clashes in Sudan’s West Darfur force 2,500 to seek safety in Chad"
-UNHCR
August 11, 2020
“Recent violence in Western Darfur has forced Sudanese refugees to seek safety in neighbouring Chad. Since the end of July 2020, at least 2,500 people have crossed the international border while ethnic-related unrest has affected an estimated 20,000 people within Western Darfur in Sudan – the majority of whom are women and children…killed 61 people …injured at least 88 on 25 July. Houses… burned to the ground… Many of the newly arriving refugees had returned home to Darfur from eastern Chad earlier this year. More than 80 per cent of those arriving in the Chadian border town of Adré are women, children and elderly people who ran for their lives as clashes erupted.”
(Deutsche Welle)
“Refugee crisis worsening in southern Europe amid coronavirus pandemic”
-Deutsche Welle
August 2, 2020
“There is a lot of anger among local mayors aimed at the Italian government at the moment. They are reporting unbearable heat and cramped conditions in refugee camps that are too small and overcrowded — and are demanding a ban on new admissions in their municipalities.”
"…recently two smaller shipyards, where the migrants' wooden boats are often stored, were set on fire…a changed mood among the population, which used to be open-minded towards the migrants.”
(The Guardian, Anna Pantelia/MSF)
"Greece's refugees face healthcare crisis as Lesbos Covid-19 centre closes"
-The Guardian
July 31, 2020
“In a fresh blow to refugees and migrants experiencing dire conditions in Greece, frontline medical charity Médecins San Frontières (MSF) on Thursday announced it has been forced to closed its Covid-19 isolation centre on Lesbos after authorities imposed fines and potential charges.”
(Politico)
"Acting ICE chief announces retirement following clashes with Trump officials”
-Politico
July 31, 2020
“The acting chief of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Matthew Albence, is leaving the government… Albence’s decision to halt most ICE enforcement efforts put him on thin ice with White House officials.”
His statement: “I am honored and beyond grateful to have served… Every day, against incredible odds, constant politicization, and misperceptions of the incredibly critical and complex mission they perform, ICE employees carry on with professionalism and integrity.”
(The Guardian from Last Week Tonight with John Oliver)
“John Oliver explains China's 'appalling' treatment of Uighurs”
-The Guardian
July 27, 2020
“Systemic government suppression of the Uighurs – who number about 11 million in Xinjiang and are culturally, linguistically and ethnically distinct from the Han Chinese who comprise 90% of the country’s population – builds on decades of discrimination by the communist regime based in Beijing.”
(USA Today)
“US government sued after report of detained migrant children at Hampton Inn hotels”
-USA Today
July 27, 2020
“Legal advocacy groups have sued the government to try to stop the expulsion of children believed to be detained in Arizona and Texas hotel rooms by the Trump administration under an emergency declaration citing the novel coronavirus.”
“‘What are they doing in hotel rooms with babies and teenage girls?’ the Paradise Valley Democrat (Arizona State Rep. Kelli Butler) asked. ‘The thoughts are unimaginable.’”
(NPR)
“U.S.-Canada Asylum Treaty Unconstitutional, Judge Finds, Citing 'Cruel' U.S. Behavior”
-NPR
July 23, 2020
“…a Canadian judge has ruled that an asylum treaty with the U.S. violates Canada's own charter of human rights, because it returns asylum-seekers to the U.S., where they are ‘immediately and automatically imprisoned…’”
(San Antonio Express News)
“Migrant camp shrinks as hope for asylum dwindles”
-San Antonio Express News
July 22, 2020
“An encampment of U.S. asylum-seekers in Matamoros has dwindled to less than half its size as the coronavirus pulses across the Americas.”
(NBC News)
“Judge delays deadline for release of migrant children held by ICE”
-NBC News
July 16, 2020
“A federal judge in California extended the deadline she first imposed that mandated the release of immigrant children detained with their parents in ICE family detention centers.”
(UN News)
“COVID-19: UN and Partners Work to Ensure Learning Never Stops for Refugees”
-UN News
July 13, 2020
“Despite improved enrollment rates, only 63 per cent of refugee children are receiving primary or secondary education.”
(Time)
“Trump Administration Proposes Denying Asylum to People From Disease-Stricken Countries”
-Time
July 8, 2020
“The Trump administration… proposed empowering border authorities to deny asylum to people from countries with widespread communicable disease, its latest in a string of regulations…”
(The New York Times)
"Federal Judge Strikes Down Trump Administration’s Asylum Rule”
-The New York Times
July 1, 2020
The rule would have “prevent(ed) migrants from gaining protection in the United States if they fail(ed) to first apply for protection in a country en route to the southwestern border.”
(NBC News)
“Supreme Court blocks Trump from ending DACA in big win for Dreamers”
-NBC News
June 18, 2020
“The Supreme Court ruled Thursday that the Trump administration cannot carry out its plan to shut down the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which has allowed nearly 800,000 young people, known as Dreamers, to avoid deportation and remain in the U.S.”
(The New York Times)
“California ‘sanctuary’ rules stay in place after Supreme Court rejects Trump’s challenge”
-LA Times
June 15, 2020
“The Supreme Court… refused to hear the Trump administration’s challenge to a California “sanctuary” law, leaving intact rules that prohibit law enforcement officials from aiding federal agents in taking custody of immigrants as they are released from jail.”
(Blair Gable Photography)
“Canadian Politicians Denounce Trump’s Protest Response, Call For Canada To Accept U.S. Asylum Seekers”
-Forbes
June 4, 2020
“Elizabeth May, leader of Canada’s Green Party… calling on Canada to accept qualified asylum seekers from other countries coming to Canada via the U.S., which she said is “no longer safe” for them to seek asylum in.”
(Getty Images)
“UN chief underlines need to protect refugees and migrants in COVID-19 pandemic”
-UN News
June 3, 2020
“‘Fear of COVID-19 has led to skyrocketing xenophobia, racism and stigmatization’, (Guterres, UN Chief) added.”
(International Rescue Committee)
“Yemen: ‘Hanging on by a thread’, UN chief requests funding to meet staggering humanitarian crisis”
-UN News
June 2, 2020
“On 10 April, Yemen reported the first confirmed case of COVID-19, posing a terrifying threat to people weakened by years of conflict, and with a health system on the brink of collapse.”
(The Independent)
“Greek refugee shelter in Lesbos engulfed in flames amid migrant crisis”
-The Independent
March 8, 2020 (this article is a bit older, but directly affects an organization that we support, One Happy Family)
“A massive fire caused significant damage to a refugee shelter on the Greek island of Lesbos as tensions continue to mount over the ongoing refugee crisis.”
*These articles were found by our research team. It is important to us to give you the facts, plain and simple, and we trust these websites to supply them. None of the articles or photos are our own work.