(2020-01-17). Interpretation Crisis at the Border Leads to Deportation of Mayan-Language Speakers Seeking Refuge. democracynow.org 
As the U.S. continues to use hostile policies to stop people from seeking refuge and asylum in the United States, we look at a key problem that is preventing migrants from getting due process, and in many cases getting them deported: inadequate interpretation for indigenous asylum seekers who speak Mayan languages. Guatemala has a population of 15 million people, and at least 40% of them are indigenous. In the past year, a quarter of a million Guatemalan migrants have been apprehended at the U.S.-Mexico border. At least half of them are Mayan. Many speak little or no Spanish. This is the focus of a new report in…
(2020-01-17). Migrant entries from Turkey to Europe on the rise, Frontex chief says. rt.com 
The number of migrants entering Europe from Turkey rose significantly last year as people fleeing Syria and Afghanistan flooded into the country and then set out for Greece, the head of the EU's border agency said on Friday. | More than 82,000 migrants tried to enter Europe without authorization in 2019, an increase of 46 percent over the previous year, Frontex Executive Director Fabrice Leggeri said in Brussels. | "This was mainly due to the situation in Syria, but also instability in Afghanistan, and changing policies towards Afghan nationals by Iranian and Pakistani authorities," Leggeri said. He refused to…
(2020-01-17). The climate-migration-industrial complex. mronline.org 
Thirty years ago there were fifteen border walls around the world. Now there are seventy walls and over one billion national and international migrants. International migrants alone may even double in the next forty years due to global warming. | Source
(2020-01-17). At US Border, Inaccurate Mayan-Language Interpretation Can Lead to Deportation. truthout.org As the U.S. continues to use hostile policies to stop people from seeking refuge and asylum in the United States, we look at a key problem that is preventing migrants from getting due process, and in many cases getting them deported: inadequate interpretation for indigenous asylum seekers who speak Mayan languages. Guatemala has a population of 15 million people, and at least 40% of them are indigenous. In the past year, a quarter of a million Guatemalan migrants have been apprehended at the U.
(2020-01-17). Mexico's President Offers 4,000 Jobs in Attempt to Stop Caravan. telesurenglish.net Mexico's President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (AMLO) Friday reported that his government will not grant transit visas to migrants from the caravan trying to reach the United States but that there are about 4.000 jobs available. | RELATED: | 'Mexico Won't Let the Caravan Pass' Guatemala's President Says | "Between 2,500 and 3,000 Honduran and Salvadora…
(2020-01-17). Headlines for January 17, 2020. democracynow.org Senate Impeachment Trial Opens as Accountability Office Says Trump Broke Law by Withholding Aid, Pentagon Contradicts Trump and Says 11 U.S. Troops Injured in Iranian Strikes, Senate Votes to Approve USMCA, Report: Six Banks Reaped $18 Billion Last Year from Trump Tax Cuts, Guatemalan Protesters Demand Outgoing President Be Arrested for Corruption, Deported Immigrant Rights Leader Jean Montrevil Sues U.S. Government, FBI Arrests 3 Suspected Neo-Nazis Ahead of Pro-Gun Rally in Richmond, Virginia, Florida Supreme Court Upholds Law Limiting Voting Rights for People with Felony Convictions, Harvard Law Students Prote…
(2020-01-17). The Battle With Trump Over Refugee Resettlement Is Not Over Yet. truthout.org Refugee resettlement groups throughout the country are, thankfully, back to their usual work of finding new homes for refugees following this week's ruling by a federal judge in Maryland temporarily barring the implementation of Trump's executive order 13888, signed this past September. That order, part of a much broader package of anti-immigrant, anti-refugee and ant…
(2020-01-17). 'Little Difference If You Die Here or There'. zcomm.org Hundreds of Hondurans Set Out for US Border…
(2020-01-17). Mexico Takes Action on Coup in Bolivia and on CELAC. counterpunch.org Mexico's government intervened recently in two difficult situations beyond its borders. One is turmoil in Bolivia following a U.S. — assisted coup. The other is about renewing the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC). At issue there is regional integration and independence. Bolivian President Evo Morales was forced out of office on November More
(2020-01-17). Trump's Border Wall Is an Environmental Disaster. thenation.com Trump's Border Wall Is an Environmental Disaster…
(2020-01-17). Trump administration to illegally divert an additional $7.2 billion to border wall construction. wsws.org For the second year in a row, the Trump administration is diverting congressional appropriated funds in violation of the Constitution.
(2020-01-17). Pentagon gets request to build roughly 270 miles of Trump border wall. yenisafak.com The Pentagon has received a request from within the Trump administration to build roughly 270 miles (435 km) of wall on the border with Mexico and is evaluating its cost and viability, a senior Defense Department official said on Thursday.The disclosure of the request by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) sets up another showdown with Democrats in Congress, who oppose President Donald Trump's past diversion of billions of dollars in military spending to bolster security on the border.The senior U.S. official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, declined to speculate on the costs of the project but noted i…
(2020-01-16). 'Mexico Won't Let the Caravan Pass' Guatemala's President Says. telesurenglish.net Guatemala's President Alejandro Giammattei Wednesday revealed that Mexico's Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard told him that the Honduran migrants' caravan heading towards the United States would not be allowed to enter into Mexican territory. | RELATED: | Honduran Migrant Caravan Repressed On Guatemala Border Crossing | "The Mexican government told us…
(2020-01-16). The Trump Administration Weakens Standards for ICE Detention Facilities. commondreams.org Under the new rules, immigrant detainees will face even greater hurdles in accessing lawyers and legal materials. (Photo: Shutterstock) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/ice-standards_blog-image-2-600×400.jpg …
(2020-01-16). Red Flag Nation: Anti-Gun Laws, Sanctuary Cities and the Second Amendment. globalresearch.ca "A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed." — The Second Amendment to the US Constitution | We never learn. | In the …
(2020-01-16). Germany criticizes Egypt over raid on Anadolu Agency. yenisafak.com Germany on Thursday criticized Egypt over the arrest of Anadolu Agency employees in a raid on their office in Cairo."The German Foreign Office is concerned over the search of Turkish news agency Anadolu's Cairo office and the arrest of four employees," a foreign ministry spokesperson told Anadolu Agency."We have often expressed our worries about the situation of press freedom in Egypt. We believe that a free and diverse press is extremely important for a functioning social system. It enables dialogue and exchanges, and thereby contributes to stability and development," the spokesperson said.Egyptian police raided…
(2020-01-15). In First All-White Democratic Debate, CNN Didn't Ask a Single Question About Immigration. democracynow.org 
As the federal government plans to divert an additional $7.2 billion from the military budget for the construction of President Trump's promised border wall, and tens of thousands of asylum seekers from Central America, the Caribbean and other regions are stranded throughout the U.S.-Mexico border, CNN moderators failed to question Democratic presidential candidates on border and immigration issues. We speak to Julio Ricardo Varela, co-host of the Latinx political podcast "In the Thick" and founder of Latino Rebels. "Anyone who thinks that a wall is going to protect us, the statistics aren't there. … But that i…
(2020-01-15). Honduran Migrant Caravan Repressed On Guatemala Border Crossing. telesurenglish.net Hundreds of Honduran migrants that joined the caravan heading to the United States were repressed Wednesday by security forces in the town of Corinto while managing to cross the border with Guatemala. | RELATED: | Honduras: Hundreds Join Caravan Heading to the United States | According to teleSUR's correspondent Gilda Silvestrucci, thousands of Hondurans make up this first caravan since April 2019, which includes…
(2020-01-15). British activist among those arrested for attempting to cut Gaza border fence. thecanary.co An international group of activists from Gaza 2020: Breaking the Siege were arrested in southern Israel on 13 January after they attempted to cut the military fence separating Israel from the Gaza Strip. | British citizen Julia Lister, 25, was one of those arrested. | Two activists were also arrested on 9 January at the Gaza fence. | "Time has already run out": | According to a press release received by The Canary: | In both cases the activists had intended to cut the fortified border fence and enter Gaza in a forceful but symbolic action to demand an im…
(2020-01-14). "Floaters": Martín Espada Pays Tribute to Salvadoran Father & Daughter Who Drowned at U.S. Border. democracynow.org 
Acclaimed poet Martín Espada pays tribute to àìscar Alberto Martínez Ramírez and his 23-month old daughter Angie Valeria, who drowned in the Rio Grande river in June 2019 trying to cross into the United States. A photo of the drowned Salvadoran father and daughter caused widespread outrage at the humanitarian crisis at the U.S. southern border and also raised questions about the ethics of exploiting such images in the press. Espada's poem "Floaters" meditates on their passing and its aftermath.
(2020-01-14). Headlines for January 14, 2020. democracynow.org "It Doesn't Really Matter": Trump Changes Story on Soleimani Killing, Six Democratic Candidates Will Take Stage for Debate in Iowa Tonight, Sanders Refutes Warren's Charge That He Said a Woman Couldn't Win in 2020, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Launching New PAC to Support Progressive Democrats, Trump Plans to Divert Additional $7.2 Billion from Military Budget to Border Wall, Turkey and Russia Broker Ceasefire for Idlib, Syria, France to Send More Troops to West Africa Amid Rising Violence in Sahel, 55 Die in Avalanches in Pakistan, Study: 2019 Was Hottest Year for World's Oceans on Record, AG Barr and Apple Face Off…
(2020-01-13). Miller Dismisses DACA in Emails, Mirroring Anti-Immigrant Extremists' Views. splcenter.org White House senior policy adviser Stephen Miller went against many Republicans when siding with white nationalists and other extremists on the issue of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, more commonly known as DACA, emails show.
(2020-01-11). FROM THE FIELD: West Africa's wishful gold prospectors. news.un.org The mining of gold in unregulated and often hand-dug pits in West Africa, can be a deadly occupation, but one which many impoverished people in the region are pushed into by necessity, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
(2020-01-10). Weekend Read: SPLC sues Trump administration over family separation policy. splcenter.org The SPLC and its allies have filed a lawsuit challenging the Trump administration policy that has separated and traumatized thousands of migrant families.
(2020-01-10). Security Council beats midnight deadline, renews Syria cross-border aid in contentious vote. news.un.org The Security Council on Friday evening renewed a UN operation delivering humanitarian aid across the Syrian border to millions of civilians, but some of the body's members expressed disappointment that the "watered down" measure cut in half the number of crossing points and duration of the authorization.
(2020-01-08). Iranian Americans Have Rights, Too — No Matter What's Happening Abroad. aclu.org Like most Iranian Americans, my family immigrated to the United States in the aftermath of the 1979 revolution in Iran, hoping to find safety and acceptance in a country that prides itself on diversity and freedom of expression. We learned and embraced the principles of the Constitution, including freedom of speech and religion, due process, and equal protection — protections that apply to every person, citizen and non-citizen alike. But what happened at the U.S. border this past weekend was a painful reminder that sometimes, we are still considered outsiders. | In the state of Washington this weekend,…
(2020-01-07). Greasing the Gears of the Armageddon Engine – Reporting on 'Wexit' shows how not to cover extremist movements. fair.org 
by Frank Black | Remember how most reporters covered that Canadian Islamic separatist movement? | You know the one: It wanted to seize control of the entire provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan, along with their oil fields, and create a republic with its own national borders, constitution, laws, and military. Its two main leaders accused Justin Trudeau's Liberal government of promoting pedophilia and trying to eliminate the Muslim population of Canada; one was a "journalist" with few if any searchable publications, and the other was a former RCMP officer convicted of threatening his wife, and who ran a lobby gro…
(2020-01-05). Students learn in the streets: struggle wins release of Connecticut teen from ICE custody. liberationnews.org 
The struggle for Mario's freedom is not over, and neither is the fight for immigrant rights overall.