Daily Archives: December 25, 2019

2019-12-25: News Headlines

Osher Marin JCC (2019-12-25). Facing Immigrants, Facing Ourselves. indybay.org Osher Marin JCC | 200 N. San Pedro Road | San Rafael, CA 94903…

Staff (2019-12-24). Biden's New Endorsement Reflects Battle for Latino Support. truthdig.com Joe Biden's presidential bid got a boost Monday from one of the leading Latinos in Congress, with the chairman of the Hispanic Caucus' political arm endorsing the former vice president as Democrats' best hope to defeat President Donald Trump. | "People realize it's a matter of life and death for certain communities," Rep. Tony Cárdenas, D-Calif., told The Associated Press in an interview, explaining the necessity of halting Trump's populist nationalism, hard-line immigration policies and xenophobic rhetoric that the California congressman called cruel. | Cárdenas' is the chairman of Bold PAC, the political arm of…

WSWS (2019-12-24). Trump boasts of Democrats' backing for his assault on immigrants. wsws.org With bipartisan support, conditions on the US-Mexico border and in detention centers for immigrants have become increasingly hellish.

teleSUR (2019-12-24). US Congress Committee to Investigate Death of Detained Migrants. telesurenglish.net The House Committee on Oversight and Reform Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney and the Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Civil Liberties Chairman Jamie Raskin announced Monday that they will investigate the deaths of migrant children and adults who were held in U.S. detention centers. | RELATED: | US Awards Migration Detention Contracts Ahead of California Ban | Given that a recent report warned of the existence of a "pattern of negligence and abuse that caused serious damage and the d…

teleSUR (2019-12-24). Turkish Congress Readying Bill To Allow Sending Troops to Libya. telesurenglish.net Turkey may need to draft a bill to allow for troop deployment to Libya and its parliament is working on the issue, Presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin said Tuesday after Ankara signed a military cooperation agreement with Tripoli last month. | RELATED: | Erdogan Says Turkey Cannot Handle New Wave of Syrian Migrants | "There might be a need for authorization…

Peoples Dispatch (2019-12-24). Immigration detention centers "rife with abuse," investigation reveals. peoplesdispatch.org An investigation into the detention centers maintained under the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), by USA Today, revealed rampant physical and sexual abuse of migrant detainees. The investigation, published on December 23, analyzed inspection reports since 2015, and identified more than 16,000 reports of violence, apart from hundreds of documents and records of inspections, lawsuits, finance reports and contracts. The investigation also documented 35 first hand accounts from current and former detainees, about the conditions inside the centers. | This is the largest and the most extensive i…

Juan Cole (2019-12-24). Would Refugee Baby Jesus Have Been Torn From Mary's Arms by Trump? commondreams.org A Nativity scene in the southern Califiornia city of Claremont depicting the Holy Family as a separated family held in cages at the U.S. border is sparking controversy and conversations over President Donald Trump's immigration policies. (Photo: Rev. Karen Clark Ristine/Facebook) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/nativity.jpg

Peoples Dispatch (2019-12-24). Five activists arrested in police raid in Swaziland have been released. peoplesdispatch.org Five pro-democracy leaders who were arrested by the Swaziland police on Friday December 20 have been released. The arrests took place following the raids conducted on the early morning of December 20. The police, allegedly on the order of the King Mswati III — the last absolute monarch in Africa reigning above the law — raided the homes of a number of activists. | Documents, laptops, organizational banners and T-shirts were allegedly confiscated by the police. The first to be arrested was the national chairperson of Communist Party of Swaziland (CPS), Dumisani Fakudze. | "The police confiscated from our…

Staff (2019-12-24). Headlines for December 24, 2019. democracynow.org House Could Bring Additional Articles of Impeachment Against Trump, Boeing Fires CEO Dennis Muilenburg over 737 MAX Jet Controversy, NYT: Pentagon May Withdraw U.S. Troops from West Africa, Syria: Up to 100,000 Civilians Forced to Flee Intensification of Fighting in Idlib, Asian Leaders Urge U.S. & North Korea to Move Toward Peace, Report: Canadian Police Were Prepared to Use Lethal Force Against Indigenous Land Defenders, Trump Met with Accused War Criminal Eddie Gallagher, Nigerian Man Dies in ICE Custody in Maryland, Colorado Governor Pardons Woman Who Took Sanctuary to Fight Her Deportation, Former Black Pant…

Thomas Knapp (2019-12-24). The Christmas Truce of 1914: Proof that Peace is Possible. counterpunch.org As 1914 drew to a close, Europe had been at war for months. On the Western Front, opposing armies faced each other across a stalemated front line running from the North Sea to the Swiss border. On December 24, 100,000 soldiers from both sides of that line decided to create some peace on Earth. They More

teleSUR (2019-12-24). Haitian Women Raped by UN Chilean Peacekeepers Seek Justice. telesurenglish.net The Chilean Human Rights Commission (CCHDH) and about a dozen Haitian, women's rights and pro-immigrant organizations said on Monday that they were seeking justice for the women who were sexually abused by Chilean soldiers participating in UN peacekeeping operations in the Caribbean nation. | RELATED: | Hundreds of Haitian Children Fathered, Abandoned by UN Staff | A recent report published on the academic website The Conversation and cited by The New York Times said that Ha…

Jeff Abbott (2019-12-24). The Other Americans: Asylum Seekers Routed to Guatemala. commondreams.org People seeking asylum pictured in front of a migrant refugee center in Jalisco, Mexico in 2018. (Photo: Daniel Arauz) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/refugee_sanctuary_jalisco.jpg

teleSUR (2019-12-24). Israel Issues Few Christmas Travel Permits for Gaza Christians. telesurenglish.net Members of Gaza's Christian community and Palestinian officials said Tuesday that fewer than half of Christians, who are waiting for Israeli permits to visit holy cities such as Bethlehem and Jerusalem at Christmas, have so far received their permits. | RELATED: | Israeli Minister Calls for Elimination of Palestinian Authority | Palestinian border officials said that 316 permits had been issued, while church leaders had requested 800. | On Sunday, Israel's Coordinator of Gov…

Staff (2019-12-24). Where Is the Outrage Over Boris Johnson? truthdig.com Marc Steiner: Welcome to The Real News. I'm Marc Steiner. Great to have you with us. So imagine you heard someone say or write about Jews as people who control the media, being shady business people, greedy, who exploited immigrant labor, and hurdled around the red-light district looking for "a bit of black." Who also, let me quote from this, "Some kind of fiddling of the figures in an election by oligarchs of Jewish origin." | Sounds a little antisemitic, or maybe a lot of antisemitic. And imagine hearing that same person talk about mixed race people as half-caste, coffee- colored, without "Too many Negroid feat…

Ahmed Abdulkareem (2019-12-23). The Valley of Death: the Saudi Coalition is Creating a Living Nightmare for African Migrants in Yemen. mintpressnews.com Ahmed AbdulKareem recounts the story of Heramala and thousands of African migrants like him who make the harrowing journey across wartorn Yemen in hopes of a better life in Saudi Arabia.

Jeff Abbott (2019-12-23). The Other Americans: Asylum Seekers Routed to Guatemala. progressive.org A proposed amendment to immigration policy endangers asylum seekers, advocates warn.

Staff (2019-12-23). Headlines for December 23, 2019. democracynow.org White House Halted Ukraine Aid 91 Minutes After Trump & Zelensky Phone Call, U.S. Considering Plan to Deport Mexican Asylum Seekers to Guatemala, WaPo: White House Pushes to Use Migrant Children to Ensnare Parents, Saudi Arabia Sentences 5 People to Death for Khashoggi's Murder, ICC Takes Step to Investigating Israel for War Crimes, India: Protests Continue as Modi Defends "Anti-Muslim" Citizenship Law, Iraq: Thousands Demand Appointment of Independent Prime Minister, Reuters: Up to 1,500 Dead in Iran's Bloody Crackdown Against Nov. Protests, Pentagon: U.S. Soldier Killed in Afghanistan, French Unions Continue St…

Peoples Dispatch (2019-12-23). Venezuela denounces attack on a military base in the south of the country. peoplesdispatch.org During the early hours of Sunday morning, December 22, a Venezuelan military base in Gran Sabana municipality in the south of the country, bordering Brazil, was attacked by a group of terrorists. | The armed men killed a soldier and managed to steal 122 AK-103 rifles, 120 grenades, 3 anti-missile rocket launchers, 3 machine guns, 10 bazookas, 10 AK-103 ammunition boxes and 2 trucks from the base. | Immediately after the attack, military and police officials were deployed in the area to capture the perpetrators. The officials managed to capture six of the attackers and recovered all the stolen weapons and trucks,…

teleSUR (2019-12-23). Venezuela Urges Brazil to Arrest Attackers of Military Base. telesurenglish.net Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro urged Monday for the government of Brazil to not support "terrorist actions" against the South American country and required its authorities to arrest those involved in Sunday's attack to a military border outpost. | RELATED: | 'There Is No Virtual Congress' Venezuela's Supreme Justice Says | "I ask the Brazilian gover…

Joe Rodriguez (2019-12-22). Quad-Cities community members condemn hate after anti-immigrant event. liberationnews.org Outraged protesters displayed signs condemning racism and the capitalist system which allows bigotry to flourish.

Fight Back (2019-12-22). India and the anti-Muslim Citizenship Amendment bill. fightbacknews.org On December 9, Asauddin Owaisi, President of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen, tore up a copy of the malicious Citizenship Amendment bill, which is exclusionary and seeks to stop Muslims from becoming citizens of India. | An amendment to the bill, which is not yet in force, gives a path to Indian citizenship to migrants who are Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan and who entered India on or before December 31, 2014. It completely excludes the largest religious minority, Muslims. | After the partition of India, and specifically the partition o…

news.un (2019-12-21). After 20 years of misery as refugees, a one-way ticket to the 'miracle' of resettlement. news.un.org Although they spent 20 years living in a refugee camp in Uganda, Jean-Pierre Ntegyeye and Isaiah Bahati never gave up hope of leaving for a better life. Today, with help from the UN migration agency, IOM, their dream has come true, but they haven't forgotten the plight of those left behind. Their story is told in a new movie, One Way Ticket, screened as part of the Global Migration Film Festival (GMFF).

Dan Corjescu (2019-12-21). Fearing Kantian Globalization, Democracy, and Migration. dissidentvoice.org Globalization, Democracy, and Migration are themes which continually ignite both scholarly and non-scholarly debate. Not so surprisingly, none of this is new. In his own inimitable way, the German Enlightenment philosopher, Immanuel Kant, touched upon all these current hot topics and more. Kant's political writings have only relatively recently been appreciated by the likes of …

Staff (2019-12-20). Activists Demand a Migrant Justice Platform as Democratic Candidates Discuss Immigration in Debate. democracynow.org Protesters for immigrant rights demonstrated outside the Democratic debate Thursday in Los Angeles, displaying a banner that read "Migrant Justice on Day One" and demanding a moratorium on deportations and immigrant worker protections. We look at how the candidates responded, with Erika Andiola, chief advocacy officer for RAICES, the Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services. "I'm really happy that immigration came up this time around," she notes. "In the past few debates, the issue didn't even come up."

Staff (2019-12-20). The Tohono O'Odham Nation's Fight for Sacred Lands. therealnews.com The U.S. government wants to put a border wall through land that belongs to the Tohono O'Odham Nation. Oscar Leon reports.

The Canary (2019-12-19). Queen's Speech takes 'wrecking ball' to Scotland's foundations, SNP claims. thecanary.co The SNP has accused Boris Johnson and the UK Government of "taking a wrecking ball" to Scotland with its plans in the Queen's Speech. | SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford spoke out after a speech that did not mention Scotland by name — although the queen said the "integrity and prosperity" of the United Kingdom was of "the utmost importance" to the UK Government. | Blackford argued the Withdrawal Agreement Bill that ministers will bring forward will hurt Scotland's economy and cost thousands of jobs north of the border. | He was also critical of plans on immigration and said the UK Government was failing…

Staff (2019-12-18). Activists Cheer Approval of Driver's Licenses for Undocumented Immigrants in New York, New Jersey. democracynow.org People in New York and New Jersey are celebrating two victories for immigrants' rights. In New York, thousands of undocumented people waited in line for hours at Departments of Motor Vehicles on Monday to apply for a driver's license, as the "Green Light Law" went into effect six months after New York Governor Andrew Cuomo signed it. The law allows undocumented people to apply for a driver's license using alternative forms of identification instead of providing a Social Security Number. Meanwhile, in the neighboring state of New Jersey, state lawmakers also passed a bill Monday to allow undocumented people to app…

Tarek Ismail (2019-12-18). A Secret CBP Team is Targeting and Detaining Innocent Travelers. We're Suing. aclu.org U.S. Customs and Border Protection is deploying secret teams that target, detain, and interrogate innocent travelers. We're suing to expose their activities. | In November 2018, three CBP officers detained Andreas | Gal, a former chief | technology officer at Mozilla Corporation and current Apple employee, at San | Francisco International Airport after he landed from a business trip to Sweden. | Andr…

Staff (2019-12-17). "Police Brutality All Over": India Cracks Down on Protests Against Anti-Muslim Citizenship Law. democracynow.org Protests continue to erupt across India against a new anti-Muslim law that gives immigrants from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan a path to citizenship — unless they are Muslim. Police have responded with violence, leaving at least six dead. This comes amid a broader crackdown on India's Muslims. We get an on-the-ground update from New Delhi from Neha Dixit, an independent reporter who just received the 2019 International Press Freedom Award from the Committee to Protect Journalists.

Joe Emersberger (2019-12-15). 123 Reuters articles on Bolivia since October 20, 2019 election with no mention of expert criticism of OAS audit UPDATED. zcomm.org 'I'll be back' within a year, ousted Bolivian leader Morales vows Mexico says surveillance of embassy in Bolivia has eased after spat Mexico accuses Bolivia of intimidating its diplomats in La Paz Bolivia announces entry into Lima Group to resolve Venezuelan crisis Bolivia's ex-president Morales plans party rally on Argentina border Bolivian lawmakers appoint tribunal Read more…

Robert Penner (2019-12-11). Milwaukee delays vote to protect immigrants after cops caught collaborating with ICE. liberationnews.org End ICE terror and MPD collaboration.

James Goodman (2019-12-06). goodman climate refugees teaser. progressive.org Climate change, pollution, and violence drive people to the U.S. border, even with no promise of a path to citizenship.

splcenter (2019-11-21). Emails Confirm Miller's Twin Obsessions: Immigrants and Crime. splcenter.org Stephen Miller linked immigration to violence in emails to Breitbart News — writing of crimes committed by nonwhites that "each one [is] more disturbing than the next."

Bernie Sanders (2019-10-15). We Will Make History. zcomm.org Sanders rededicates himself to the struggle to the struggle to guarantee health care for all, make public colleges and universities, tuition free cancel student debt, and deal with climate change, criminal justice reform and immigration reform…