(2020-01-24). 'Nowhere on the Border,' an engrossing play on our conscience. peoplesworld.org 
NORTH HOLLYWOOD, Calif.—The very fine Road Theatre Company is currently staging Carlos Lacámara's Nowhere on the Border (seen Jan. 18), a soul-wrenching, laser-beamed treatment of the emotional and economic issues around cross-border migration from Mexico into the U.S. Southwest. Gary (Chet Grissom), a border watch volunteer/vigilante from Pennsylvania with a son serving in Afghanistan, confronts …
(2020-01-24). Merkel's Turkish delights: Erdogan showers German chancellor with gifts as the two meet in Istanbul (PHOTOS). rt.com 
Hosting Angela Merkel in Istanbul, Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan launched a charm offensive of sorts, presenting her with a set of luxury antique gifts that she seemed visibly pleased to receive. | Merkel and Erdogan briefly met in Istanbul on Friday to discuss tough issues such as migration from the Middle East to Europe and Turkey's bid to join the EU. The pair took a short break from affairs of state later in the day to inaugurate a Turkish-German University (TAU) campus in Istanbul. | But the ceremony turned out to be far more eye-catching than similar events held elsewhere in the world as the Turkis…
(2020-01-24). Swedish police seek more 'diversity' to tackle migrant crime — but applicants with foreign backgrounds struggle to make the grade. rt.com 
An initiative launched by Sweden aimed at recruiting a more diverse police force has hit a roadblock, after half of all applicants with foreign backgrounds failed to pass their admissions tests, local media has reported. | Stockholm instructed the police to increase the number of women and minorities within their ranks, in order to "to boost competence and increase representation," as law enforcement struggles to deal with rising migrant crime. | Police commissioner Max Lutterman explained to Swedish Radio that Swedish cops need to have better "language and cultural competence" skills, which he believed person…
(2020-01-24). I've Seen Firsthand the Heartbreak of ICE Detention. This Must End. truthout.org Five hours into the dark, rainy drive, Ana Hernandez and Edwin Loredo laugh about how they've never seen the sun in Georgia. It's their third trip in as many months, and every time, it storms the whole way — nearly nine hours — from their home in Rocky Mount, North Carolina. | Ana's younger brother, Carlos Hernandez, was transferred to Stewart Detention Center in Georgia shortly after being detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on August 13, 2019, and although this is Ana's an…
(2020-01-24). Headlines for January 24, 2020. democracynow.org Impeachment Managers Continue Opening Arguments in Trump's Senate Trial, 33 Million on Lockdown in Chinese Cities as Coronavirus Outbreak Spreads, Hundreds of Thousands of Iraqis March to Demand U.S. Troop Withdrawal, Trump Invites Israeli Leaders to White House for "Peace Plan" Unveiling, Mexican Soldiers Attack Central American Migrant Caravan, Arresting 800, U.S. to Send Ambassador to Bolivia After Coup That Ousted Evo Morales, Puerto Rican Protesters Demand Ouster of Gov. Wanda Vázquez, SC Official Switches Presidential Endorsement from Biden to Sanders, National Archives Replaces Doctored Women's March Photo…
(2020-01-24). The terrifying fallout from the Australian fires that is about to hit the whole world. thecanary.co When it comes to the climate, our obsession with national borders is immaterial. The world has watched in horror as Australia has As the UK's…
(2020-01-23). "The New Colossus": In New Play, Tim Robbins Tackles Immigration & Xenophobia. democracynow.org 
President Trump said Wednesday that he would expand his highly controversial travel ban, which already bars citizens from seven countries, most of which have Muslim-majority populations — Libya, Iran, Somalia, Syria, Yemen, North Korea and Venezuela — from entering the United States. Politico reports that the expanded ban could implement immigration restrictions on seven more countries: Belarus, Burma, Eritrea, Kyrgyzstan, Nigeria, Sudan and Tanzania, according to two sources. We speak with acclaimed actor, director and activist Tim Robbins, whose recent work has focused on immigration to the United S…
(2020-01-23). Anchors aweigh: White House announces crackdown on 'birth tourism,' to jeers, cheers, and confusion. rt.com 
Mothers-to-be traveling to the US to give birth in order to obtain automatic American citizenship for their children may find themselves denied visas under controversial new rules aimed at curbing 'birth tourism.' | Pregnant women visiting the US in order to take advantage of its "birthright citizenship" law to give birth to an American baby will be refused tourist visas under new rules that take effect Friday, the State Department has announced. Instead, they will be processed as foreigners seeking medical treatment – meaning they must prove they can afford not just medical care, but also the cost of living i…
(2020-01-23). Tim Robbins: Bernie Sanders Is the Best Shot We Have to Defeat Donald Trump. democracynow.org 
We continue our conversation with Academy Award-winning actor and director Tim Robbins, whose recent projects include the new film "Dark Waters" and a play about immigration called "The New Colossus." He recently endorsed Vermont senator and Democratic candidate Bernie Sanders for president. "I believe he is the only one of them that can defeat Trump," Robbins says.
(2020-01-23). 'It's Like Living in Solitary Confinement, but Out in the World'. thenation.com 'It's Like Living in Solitary Confinement, but Out in the World'
(2020-01-23). New Migrant Group Sneaks Into Mexico by Crossing Suchiate River. telesurenglish.net Hundreds of Central American migrants Thursday managed to enter Mexican territory after crossing the Suchiate River, which is the natural border between Mexico and Guatemala. | RELATED: | A week ago,
(2020-01-23). Video: Globalize Hope: New Film on the History of La Via Campesina. globalresearch.ca La Via Campesina is an international movement that brings together millions of peasants, landless workers, indigenous peoples and migrants — comprising women, men, youth and diverse identities — from all over the world. The movement brings them together under its …
(2020-01-23). Today's US-Iran Crisis Is Rooted in the Decision to Invade Iraq. commondreams.org U.S. troops train some 25 miles from the Iraqi border, near Camp New York, on January 21, 2003, in Kuwait, Iraq. (Photo: Gilles Bassignac / Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/troops.jpeg …
(2020-01-23). Trump to Issue New Rule Restricting Visas for Pregnant Women in Latest Attack on Most Vulnerable. commondreams.org In the Trump administration's latest effort to strip migrants and travelers to the U.S. of their rights, the U.S. State Department is planning to issue new guidance to consular officers empowering them to refuse visas to pregnant travelers. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/gettyimages-5899892501.jpg …
(2020-01-21). CBP Deported an Iranian Student With Valid Visa, Defying Court Order. aclu.org Last night, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) deported an Iranian student with a valid visa, despite a federal court order prohibiting his removal. | Shahab Dehghani arrived at Boston Logan Airport on Sunday, January 19 to study at Northeastern University, where he was enrolled. Customs officials detained him and questioned him for hours, abruptly revoking his student visa, which the State Department granted after a year of intense vetting. | As CBP tried to put Shahab on the next available flight, supporters and friends gathered at night in the arrivals hall at Logan to demand that CBP stop deporting…
(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). 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…
(2020-01-16). Tomgram: William deBuys, Creating Steelhenge on the Border. tomdispatch.com A new Wild West has taken root not far from Tombstone, Arizona, known to many for its faux-historical reenactments of the old West…
(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.
(2020-01-10). 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.
(2019-11-21). Tomgram: Karen Greenberg, Making Alphabet Soup in Washington. tomdispatch.com These days, witnessing the administration's never-ending cruelty at the border, the shenanigans of a White House caught red-handed in attempted bribery in Ukraine, and the disarray of this country's foreign policy, I feel like I'm seeing a much-scarier remake of a familiar old movie…