Refugees and Migrants

Violence compels returning Afghan refugees to escape again: NRC

31-Jan-2018

The Guardian reported that, according to a study commissioned by the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) and the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre, 72% of those who went back to Afghanistan after having escaped there and lived as refugees have been displaced at least two times. More than one million people have been newly displaced from Afghanistan because of…

Holocaust survivors call on Netanyahu not to expel African migrants in Israel

30-Jan-2018

Holocaust survivors in Israel have called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not to force out 38,000 African migrants, AFP reported. “We, who know precisely what it’s like to be refugees… cannot comprehend how a Jewish government can expel refugees and asylum seekers to a journey of suffering, torment and death,” 36 survivors wrote in a…

ILO, OECD launch report on immigrants in developing countries

27-Jan-2018

The Development Centre of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the International Labour Organization (ILO) have released a joint report, titled ‘How Immigrants Contribute to Developing Countries’ Economies’. An ILO announcement of the report noted that “the perception that immigrants cost more than they yield is widespread but rarely relies on empirical evidence,” adding…

Rohingya repatriation to Myanmar is delayed

24-Jan-2018

Abul Kalam, Bangladesh’s refugee relief and rehabilitation commissioner told Reuters that the repatriation of Rohingya refugees, currently in camps in Bangladesh, would have to be delayed, since there are tasks yet to be completed, including compiling and verifying the list of those to be sent back, and establishing transit camps. The repatriation was scheduled to begin on…

UNHCR responds on plan to repatriate Rohingya refugees

20-Jan-2018

Andrej Mahecic, spokesperson for the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR), said at press briefing that UNHCR had noted the meeting between Bangladesh and Myanmar, which involved discussing the implementation of the bilateral agreement for the repatriation of Rohingya refugees who have taken shelter in Bangladesh. “To ensure that the refugees are heard and their protection guaranteed in…

1,400 migrants saved from boats: Italian Coastguard

20-Jan-2018

Reuters reported that around 1,400 migrants were saved from “overcrowded boats” near the coast of Libya, according to the Italian coastguard, which said that two bodies were also recovered. A statement said that Italy’s coastguard and finance police, the European Union’s anti-smuggling scheme Operation Sophia, and humanitarian bodies participated in 11 rescue operations, Reuters said. Thus far…

Immigration authorities reportedly planning massive raid in Northern California

20-Jan-2018

SFGate, citing an unnamed source, reported that immigration authorities in the United States have started readying for a large-scale sweep in San Francisco and other cities in Northern California, with the aim to arrest more than 1,500 undocumented immigrants. The source indicated that this is anticipated to be the largest move of its kind under…

Bangladesh agrees to complete Rohingya repatriation in two years

19-Jan-2018

Reuters reported that after meeting with Myanmar, Bangladesh said that it would complete the repatriation of Rohingya refugees in two years. Bangladesh’s foreign ministry released a statement indicating that Myanmar would house those returning in temporary shelters before constructing homes for them. “Myanmar has reiterated its commitment to stop (the) outflow of Myanmar residents to Bangladesh,” it said,…

UNICEF: Cyclone, monsoon threaten half a million Rohingya refugee children in Bangladesh

16-Jan-2018

A UNICEF press release said the agency has cautioned that more than 520,000 Rohingya refugee children housed in “overcrowded camps” in Bangladesh are at risk as the cyclone and monsoon seasons approach. Hundreds of thousands of children are already living in horrific conditions, and they will face an even greater risk of disease, flooding, landslides and further…

Condition of Syrian refugees in Lebanon deteriorated in 2017: UNHCR study

15-Jan-2018

William Spindler, spokesperson for the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) said at a Geneva press briefing this week that Syrian refugees in Lebanon “are more vulnerable than ever, with more than half now living in extreme poverty and over three quarters living below the poverty line according to the findings of a new survey by UNHCR, UNICEF…

UNHCR study: Condition of Syrian refugees in Lebanon deteriorated in 2017

13-Jan-2018

UN Secretary General calls on nations to take positive approach to migration

13-Jan-2018

The Guardian reported that United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres is calling on member nations to create more avenues for migration, and promote and protect foreign workers. According to the Guardian, Guterres is “calling for a collective shift to celebrate the international benefits of migration as part of an ambitious plan to create a more humane global…

US judge blocks Trump administration’s move to end ‘Dreamers’ program

11-Jan-2018

The Guardian reported that a judge barred United States President Donald Trump to from ending a programme authorised by former President Barack Obama that protected from deportation those who were brought to the country illegally as children. US district judge William Alsup ruled that the Trump administration must “maintain the Daca program on a nationwide basis” while…

60,000 children stranded, forgotten in camps in Rakhine, Myanmar

10-Jan-2018

UNICEF spokesperson Marixie Mercado addressed the press at a briefing in Geneva after spending nearly a month in Myanmar, particularly its Rakhine state that is home the Rohingya minority, hundreds of thousands of whom have fled to Bangladesh following a military crackdown in late August 2017. Mercado said she travelled to central Rakhine, “where over 120,000 Rohngya…

UNHCR appeals to Israel to stop forced relocations

10-Jan-2018

At a Geneva press briefing, William Spindler, spokesperson for the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) expressed concern over Israel’s recently announced plan “to forcibly relocate Eritreans and Sudanese to countries in Africa or have them face indefinite detention,” and said that UNHCR was “again appealing to Israel to halt its policy of relocating Eritreans and Sudanese to…