2020-06-01: News Headlines

Jim McMahan (2020-06-01). Striking packinghouse workers win signed agreements for safety. workers.org Seattle Immigrant workers, on strike against Washington state fruit packinghouses since May 7, won another victory on May 28. The workers' negotiating committee came out from Allan Brothers with a signed agreement and their fists held high. Striking Washington state fruit packers. The Latinx workers in Yakima have won three . . . |

Leonid Savin (2020-06-01). Will There Be A New War In Asia? thealtworld.com A major military conflict is brewing at the heart of Asia. It could come to nothing, or it could affect four countries. It all depends on how valid the actions of those involved are going to be and whether other countries are going to undertake peacekeeping efforts. | On 23 May,

Ahmed Abdulkareem (2020-06-01). US Considers New Weapons for Saudi Arabia as Kingdom Renews Yemen Border Bombings. mintpressnews.com YEMEN-SAUDI BORDER — At seven years old, Radhiah Issa's wide-eyed screams of panic and fear were understandable. Even an adult would be forgiven for waking up in a heated panic after discovering much of their body wrapped in blood-soaked bandages and laying in an unfamiliar room. Radhiah was in the family home of a Yemeni doctor who had scraped together whatever medical supplies he could in a heroic effort to render first aid and perform emergency surgery on Radhiah, who was seriously injured last Wednesday by a Saudi artillery shell while she stood amid her family's grazing sheep near her home in the Shada…

Ken Klippenstein (2020-06-01). The Border Patrol Praises Stonewall While Deploying Officers to Suppress Protests. thenation.com The Border Patrol Praises Stonewall While Deploying Officers to Suppress Protests…

James Goodman (2020-05-29). Immigrants in Limbo Speak Out. progressive.org DACA and Temporary Protected Status holders seek road to citizenship.

Alexia Ramirez (2020-05-27). ICE Records Confirm that Immigration Enforcement Agencies are Using Invasive Cell Phone Surveillance Devices. aclu.org For years, immigration enforcement agencies have been using invasive cell phone surveillance technology known as Stingrays in near-total secrecy. To find out more, the ACLU and New York Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit under the Freedom of Information Act, and now we've forced the agencies to turn over documents revealing new details about the agencies' practices. Today, we are publishing

Paul Dobson (2020-05-18). Venezuela Sees COVID-19 Surge as Returning Migrants Surpass 40,000. venezuelanalysis.com Authorities say that 75 percent of recent cases have been "imported."

Danica Jorden (2020-05-13). ICE Eases Threat but "Essential" Immigrant Farmworkers Struggle to Feed Themselves During Coronavirus. zcomm.org Immigrant farm workers have long been essential to the U.S. But they have never been recognized, respected or properly rewarded for their labor…

Neeraj Bhala, Gwenetta Curry, Adrian R Martineau, Charles Agyemang, Raj Bhopal (2020-05-08). [Comment] Sharpening the global focus on ethnicity and race in the time of COVID-19. thelancet.com Tackling injustices, including those that result from prejudice and racism globally, is essential in the response to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Here, we focus on UK South Asian and Black and African-American populations, using internationally recognised terminology and definitions,1 and consider the UK and the USA as globally relevant examples. We recognise other minorities also need consideration in the COVID-19 response, and we hope our principles apply broadly. Given their settled status either after migration or by birth in the country, ethnic/racial minority populations should experien…

Lawrence Wittner (2020-04-23). If Farmworkers Are "Essential," Why Are They Treated So Badly? zcomm.org On March 19, 2020, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, spurred to action by the coronavirus pandemic, issued a memorandum that identified the nation's 2.5 million farmworkers as "essential" workers. Soon thereafter, agribusinesses began distributing formal letters to their farm laborers, also declaring that that they were "essential." Of course, it shouldn't have required a

Sally Hargreaves, Dominik Zenner, Kolitha Wickramage, Anna Deal, Sally E Hayward (2020-04-21). [Comment] Targeting COVID-19 interventions towards migrants in humanitarian settings. thelancet.com Millions of refugees and migrants reside in countries devastated by protracted conflicts with weakened health systems, and in countries where they are forced to live in substandard conditions in camps and compounds, and high-density slum settings.1 Although many such settings have yet to feel the full impact of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the pandemic is now having an unprecedented impact on mobility, in terms of border and migration management, as well as on the health, social, and economic situation of migrant populations globally.

Jaimie P Meyer, Carlos Franco-Paredes, Parveen Parmar, Faiza Yasin, Matthew Gartland (2020-04-15). [Comment] COVID-19 and the coming epidemic in US immigration detention centres. thelancet.com Individuals in US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention are at risk from serious consequences resulting from the rapid spread of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection and inadequate access to appropriate medical care. This situation represents a moral and public health imperative for rapid action by the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to mitigate the human toll of the pandemic.

The Canary (2020-06-01). Brexit transition uncertainty 'poses threat to stability in Northern Ireland'. thecanary.co Uncertainty and lack of time before the end of Brexit transition poses a "potent threat" to prosperity and stability in the north of Ireland, a report has warned.Businesses in Great Britain could decide it is economically unviable to continue operations across the Irish Sea unless flexibility is shown in the EU negotiations, a House of Lords committee warned.The country will have to follow EU rules on agriculture and manufactured goods, ensuring access to its single market and keeping the border with the Republic of Ireland free-flowing in a key concession maintaining a decades-old peace.The group of peers said:…

Staff (2020-05-28). Headlines for May 28, 2020. democracynow.org U.S. Coronavirus Death Toll Tops 100,000, Minneapolis Erupts in Flames as Protesters Rage Against Police Killing of George Floyd, China Tightens Grip on Hong Kong with New National Security Law, House of Representatives Holds First-Ever Remote Vote Amid Coronavirus Pandemic, Protesters Surround Sing Sing Prison Demanding Release of Prisoners at Risk of COVID-19, Researchers: 6 Feet of Social Distancing Might Not Be Enough to Stop Coronavirus Spread, Doctors Without Borders Warns of Spike in Coronavirus Cases Among Florida Farmworkers, Brazilian Police Raid Fake News Network Linked to Son of Far-Right President, A…

Staff (2020-05-27). "Horrifying Neglect": COVID-19 Deaths in ICE Custody Spark New Calls for Mass Release of Prisoners. democracynow.org Calls are growing for Immigration and Customs Enforcement to release people from detention during the pandemic, as two people have died from COVID-19 while in custody. We speak with The Intercept's Ryan Devereaux, who reported on how Carlos Ernesto Escobar Mejia, held at the Otay Mesa Detention Center, suffered horrifying neglect before he passed away. We are also joined by Erika Andiola with RAICES Action. "None of those folks — especially people who migrated seeking asylum — they did not do anything to deserve a life sentence in a detention center," Andiola notes.

Staff (2020-05-26). Headlines for May 26, 2020. democracynow.org U.S. Nears 100,000 Deaths from COVID-19 as Trump Shuns Face Masks, Goes After Democrats on Twitter, Trump Threatens to Pull RNC Out of North Carolina If Dem Governor Refuses to Allow Packed Crowds, Second Immigrant in ICE Jail Dies from COVID-19, U.S. to Deport Haitian Death Squad Leader and COVID-Positive Haitians Amid Pandemic, U.S. Restricts Travel from Brazil as It Becomes Second Most Infected Country, South American Nations Experience Mounting Cases as New Epicenter of the Pandemic, Boris Johnson Faces Pressure over Reopening Country and Lockdown-Flouting Adviser, WHO Suspends Tests of Hydroxychloroquine as…

Staff (2020-05-22). "Diarrhea, Dehydration, Hunger, Exhaustion": India's Rural Poor Suffer Most Under Lockdown. democracynow.org India just saw its biggest spike in coronavirus cases in 24 hours with 6,000 new reported infections, as an estimated 3 million seek shelter from a powerful cyclone and tens of thousands have no work or food. We go to Mumbai for an update from renowned journalist P. Sainath, founder of the People's Archive of Rural India.

Andrey Areshev (2020-05-31). Silicon Valley Has Effectively Banned the Freedom of Speech. It's Time We Take It Back. strategic-culture.org Somewhere along the road of America's development, corporations were blessed with not only 'personhood,' but with the power to sanction what sort of messages were permissible to enter the public realm. Let's be clear: This sort of corporate control, which borders on pure fascism, has no place in a democracy. | There is no need to ask. There is no need to be polite. There is no need to debate. It is only necessary to point to the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution for this fundamental human right, inscribed into law over 200 years ago, to be returned to the American people. | "Congress shall make no law resp…

Brenda Norrell (2020-06-01). Sacred Tohono O'odham mountain desecration underway for U.S. Israeli border spy towers. indybay.org The destruction of sacred land is underway in Ali Jegk community on the Tohono Oodham Nation, as the land and plants are being destroyed for the integrated fixed towers, spy towers, that were authorized to be built by the Israeli defense contractor Elbit Systems. The destruction and Elbit's human rights abuses in Palestine are opposed by traditional O'odham.

sputniknews (2020-06-01). Indian Professor Explains How Locust Menace Can Be Used to Mint Money. sputniknews.com New Delhi (Sputnik): India is witnessing its worst locust attack in decades. The swarm of the migratory pests has inflicted massive damage to the Indian agricultural states that border Pakistan. A heavy use of chemicals in dealing with the unprecedented swarms has left organic farmers worried.

yenisafak (2020-06-01). Uganda: 2 MPs detained for leading COVID-19 protest. yenisafak.com Ugandan police on Monday arrested two lawmakers for allegedly mobilizing protesters in order to demand the closure of a border town with South Sudan amid a rise in coronavirus cases, local media reported.The two MPs from Kilak county, Gilbert Olanya and Samuel Odonga Otto, were arrested near Cerellenu, a suburb of Gulu town.The demonstrators said Ugandans were getting infected by truckers who arrive in the country through the Elegu border point with South Sudan, according to the Daily Monitor news website.A police spokesman said the politicians were arrested because they did not seek permission from the police.An…

yenisafak (2020-06-01). UN sends over 100 truckloads of aid to Idlib, Syria. yenisafak.com The trucks carrying supplies entered Idlib, Syria through the Cilvegozu border gate in Turkey's southern Hatay province.The aid will be distributed to residents of Idlib and nearby rural areas.Syria has been ravaged by a civil war since early 2011, when the Assad regime cracked down on pro-democracy protesters.Hundreds of thousands of people have been killed and more than 10 million displaced, according to UN estimates.Idlib falls within a de-escalation zone forged under an agreement between Turkey and Russia. The area has been the subject of multiple cease-fire understandings, which have frequently been violated…

yenisafak (2020-06-01). Unaccompanied children in Greece in fear, misery. yenisafak.com Hundreds of people have tweeted to Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis for unaccompanied migrant and refugee children to be freed from detention in Greece, as a watchdog's campaign continued since last April.In April, the Human Rights Watch initiated a campaign with the #FreeTheKids hashtag on social media, calling for Greek authorities to release the hundreds of unaccompanied children seeking asylum in Greece and are now being locked up in police cells.While 17-year-old Kamrul from Bangladesh was detained by the Greek police for more than six weeks, 14-year-old Ibrahim from Somalia for almost three months.L…