Saturday, May 4

Migration, Immigration, Borders

Migration is a serious issue impacting the people who leave their countries without adequate food, water and legal protections and the countries they migrate to. The issues involved include immigration policies, human trafficking and smuggling, and humanitarian aid.

Biden Wades Into Immigration Debate On Visit To Border
9Jan By Patti MohrNo Comments
Migration, Immigration, Borders, Types of News: Analysis

Biden Wades Into Immigration Debate On Visit To Border

El Paso prepared for the president's Jan. 8 visit. January 9, 2023—The immigration issue is about the largest hot-button political issue in U.S. politics today. It is one of the most emotionally charged issues generating the highest level of noise and legitimate criticism. Moreover, it's about as difficult to enter the political discourse as any. The battle is fierce, and it's nearly impossible to find a consensus. It involves the question of care for humanity as well as the legitimate right of a nation-state to define its borders. Any pragmatic solution is likely to be attacked from multiple sides. Also, it's hard to find common ground for even a debate. But there are some things people can't argue about. Migrants On The Streets Here's a basic fact of the immigration probl...
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After Two Years In Office, Biden Acts On Border Crisis
5Jan By Patti MohrNo Comments
Migration, Immigration, Borders, Types of News: Brief

After Two Years In Office, Biden Acts On Border Crisis

President Biden announced he is taking a number of administrative steps today on the border crisis. Jan. 5, 2023 Biden Announces New App For Asylum Seekers, Cracks Down On Smugglers January 5, 2023—With the number of migrants continuing to swell at the U.S. border and the U.S. Supreme Court saying illegal immigration itself is a crisis, President Joe Biden is taking notice and acting—as some would say, “finally.” The White House announced today it is taking a series of new steps to curb illegal immigration to the United States while opening lawful means to seek refuge in the country. Biden and his administration face immense pressure to address the border crisis. Since he took office in January 2021, the number of migrants crossing into the United States illegally hit record n...
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Migrant Workers At U.S. Military Bases Face Forced To Stay By Private Contractors
31Oct By Patti MohrNo Comments
Arms Sales, Military Industry, Human rights, Migration, Immigration, Borders, Types of News: Brief

Migrant Workers At U.S. Military Bases Face Forced To Stay By Private Contractors

Photo NBC Complaints Of Forced Labor Linger While Private Firms Continue To Win U.S. Contracts October 31, 2022—In an irony of ironies, the U.S. government opposes to human trafficking and forced labor at the same time that its Defense Department hires private contractors that routinely conducting those practices.  Migrant civilians working on U.S. military bases in the Persian Gulf are subject to trafficking and abusive labor practices, according to a groundbreaking investigation conducted by a team of international journalists. The team included investigative reporters from the Washington Post, NBC News, the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, and Arab Reporters for Investigative Journalists to uncover the story. Their findings came to light late las...
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Biden Announces Plan For Stabilizing Migration In The Americas
10Jun By Patti MohrNo Comments
Migration, Immigration, Borders, Types of News: Brief

Biden Announces Plan For Stabilizing Migration In The Americas

Source: Jill Biden via Twitter June 10, 2022—Hosting the Summit of the Americas this week, U.S. President Joe Biden is coming away with some outcomes. Primarily, the White House announced plans coordinated with countries in Central America, South America, Canada and Spain. Since Biden took office in 2021, illegal immigration across the U.S.-Mexican border has skyrocketed. U.S. border patrol encounters grew from 405,036 in 2020 to 1.2 million by 2022, according to statistics by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Source: CBP.gov Here are a few takeaways from the White House fact sheet: The United States promised to provide guidance for temporary migrant workers, resettle 20,000 refugees from the Americas in 2023 and 2024 and increase resettlement of Haitians, and provide...
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Nearly 3.7 Million Ukrainians Are Refugees With Millions More Internally Displaced
24Mar By Jacob DavenportNo Comments
Migration, Immigration, Borders, Types of News: Brief

Nearly 3.7 Million Ukrainians Are Refugees With Millions More Internally Displaced

More than 3.5 Ukrainians have fled their country as of March 23, 2022 in the outbreak of war. Photo credit: CBS News. EU Pledges Financial Support For Receiving Countries March 24, 2022--As the Russian incursion continues, more and more Ukrainians escape their battle-beaten, war-torn country. To date, nearly 3.7 million Ukrainians have fled the country. Overall, the United Nations says the war has impacted 12 million. Once inside the European Union, immigrants with visas have access to the entire European Union. The Schengen area is a consortium of 26 European countries that allows unrestricted personal travel between nations for periods up to 90-days. Based on the free movement of people in this visa-free zone, the world's largest visa-free zone, Ukrainian refugees can escap...
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Ukraine Could Become ‘Europe’s Largest Refugee Crisis’ In A Century
2Mar By Jacob DavenportNo Comments
Globalization, Global Disintegration, Migration, Immigration, Borders, Types of News: Brief

Ukraine Could Become ‘Europe’s Largest Refugee Crisis’ In A Century

Neighbors, Humanitarians Respond To Refugee Crisis In Ukraine Editor's Note: As Russia wages a brutal war on its neighbor Ukraine, people are fleeing the country en masse spurring a call for humanitarian funding and action. The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) estimates that up to 4 million Ukrainians may seek refuge in other countries. The agency is seeking $1.7 billion in funds to help it provide humanitarian relief to refugees as well as the millions of people who stay behind in Ukraine. The flood of people seeking refuge could become "Europe's largest refugee crisis this century," UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi said this week. "Casualty numbers are rising fast. This is the darkest hour for the people of Ukraine," UN Humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths said, ...
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The Weird History of the Venezuela-Colombia Relationship Under Chavismo
28Feb By Ernesto RodriguezNo Comments
Diplomacy, Domestic Politics, Migration, Immigration, Borders, Political Systems, Domestic Politics, Types of News: Analysis

The Weird History of the Venezuela-Colombia Relationship Under Chavismo

Photo of Colombia-Venezuela border by El Espectador. By Ernesto Rodriguez February 28, 2022—Neighbors can be a complex issue in international politics. While having an economic and political ally next door can be beneficial—after all, that’s the whole conceit of the European Union—it doesn’t always work that way. When you have a neighbor that has significant political differences or is even an open enemy, it can be catastrophic. Just ask Ukraine. In South America, relations between Colombia and Venezuela are quite complicated. They have been difficult and complex since Hugo Chávez-led Chavismo, a radical left-wing ideology, came to power in the late 1990s.  A Shared History And Culture The two countries share a 2,219-km (1,379-mile) border, a common language and many s...
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Australia Has Ruled, And It’s A Grand-Slam Crackdown On Speech
16Jan By Patti MohrNo Comments
Democracy, Domestic Politics, Migration, Immigration, Borders, Type of Post: Essays & Travel Writing, Types of News: Analysis

Australia Has Ruled, And It’s A Grand-Slam Crackdown On Speech

Three-Panel Judge Backs Immigration Official's Right to Make Personal Decision over Visa Status January 16, 2022—A three-judge panel made a decision today in the case of Novak Djokovic versus an immigration minister, and the decision is final. The 20-time-Grand Slam title champion lost his appeal to stay in the country; the government's deportation order stood, and Novak Djokovic left the country. Game over. What Happened? The troubling part of the story is the legal reasoning behind the decision. The court order on January 16 said, "reasons to be published at a later date." Ruling by three-judge panel that gave the final word in the Novak Djokovic visa case. In short, it was not because of Djokovic's vaccination status or visa status. Either one of those issues, if ...
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As Migrants Freeze on EU-Belarus Border, Political Tensions Heat Up
11Nov By Patti MohrNo Comments
Globalization, Global Disintegration, Human rights, Migration, Immigration, Borders, Types of News: Brief, Types of News: Videos

As Migrants Freeze on EU-Belarus Border, Political Tensions Heat Up

Photo Source: Belarus Government November 11, 2021--Political tensions between the European Union and the dictatorship of Belarus are rising, and the lives of thousands of migrants are caught quite literally in the middle. President Alexander Lukashenko, whom many call the last dictator in Europe, has been systematically encouraging migrants into his country only to push them across the border into Europe. Now, as cold weather sets in, thousands of migrants are camped between the Poland and Belarus border, under siege. Belarus encourages visa-free travel through the Minsk airport from Turkey. Migrants are reportedly coming from war-torn countries of Iraq, Syria and Yemen. Yesterday, the Belarus border officials said they met with delegates from the UN High Commissioner for Refug...
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ESSAYS: History Is Cyclical, And Humans Are Migratory
31Aug By Ernesto RodriguezNo Comments
Migration, Immigration, Borders, Type of Post: Essays & Travel Writing

ESSAYS: History Is Cyclical, And Humans Are Migratory

Ernesto Rodriguez moved to Madrid, Spain in 2019, escaping the political and economic crises in Venezuela. History doesn’t repeat itself exactly, but it does rhyme. Immigrant. It’s a loaded word. Honestly, it took a few months for me to assume it as mine. Its three syllables need to cover a crisis, a trauma, and a common name for more than 5 million Venezuelans. But it’s not just attributed to us. It’s also the reality of my grandparents, who had to leave Spain due to the economic crisis after the Spanish civil war. It's also true of for millions of displaced refugees from the Middle East, or even of a young person moving to Los Angeles to try his or her hand at showbiz. As the Uruguayan singer-songwriter Jorge Drexler sings, “Somos una especie en viaje.” We are a species of trav...
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