(2020-02-28). Court Puts Breaks on Move to Make Asylum Seekers Wait in Mexico. truthdig.com 
While it may only be temporary, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruling is a major setback for Donald Trump's anti-immigration policy.
(2020-02-28). No Way Out: Report Finds Central American Asylum Seekers Trapped in Mexico in Dangerous Conditions. democracynow.org 
A new report by Médecins Sans Frontières — or Doctors Without Borders USA — shows how migration policies imposed by the United States and Mexico have trapped thousands of Central American migrants in dangerous conditions. Called "No Way Out," it is based on nearly 500 interviews with Central American migrants and asylum seekers, most of whom say they were victims of extreme violence prior to leaving their home country or along the migration route through Mexico. Because of the so-called Migrant Protection Protocols, which serve to deter immigration, asylum seekers are often forced to remain in Mexico,…
(2020-02-28). Immunity for Killings by Immigration Police. counterpunch.org 
The American immigration police state continues to grow more tyrannical with each passing day. The latest example involves the U.S. Supreme Court, which has just issued a ruling in a case that effectively gives the Border Patrol a license to kill Mexican citizens. And guess which two magic words the Court used to justify its
(2020-02-28). Syrian Refugees Rush Greece Border as Russia and Turkey Tangle. truthdig.com 
REYHANLI, Turkey — The presidents of Turkey and Russia spoke by phone Friday to try to defuse tensions that rose significantly in Syria after 33 Turkish troops were killed in a Syrian government airstrike, and a new wave of refugees and migrants headed for the Greek border by land and sea after Turkey said it would no longer hold them back. | The attack Thursday marked the deadliest day for the Turkish military since Ankara first entered the Syrian conflict in 2016 and also was the most serious escalation between Turkish and Russian-backed Syrian forces, raising the prospect of an all-out war with millions…
(2020-02-28). Greece tightens sea, land borders after Ankara's response to strike in Syria's Idlib. rt.com 
Athens has tightened sea and land borders with Turkey after developments overnight in the Syrian region of Idlib, Reuters reported on Friday, citing government sources. A senior Turkish official said his country would no longer stop Syrian refugees from reaching Europe, as Ankara responded on Friday to the killing of 33 Turkish soldiers in a reported airstrike by Syrian government forces in Idlib. | The Greek sources said Athens was also in contact with the European Union and NATO on the matter. Greece was the main gateway for hundreds of thousands of refugees streaming out of Turkey in a mass exodus in 2015 a…
(2020-02-28). WATCH asylum-seekers march towards Europe after Turkey declares it will no longer hold them back. rt.com 
Turkey has announced it will no longer hold back people who wish to go to Europe and seek asylum there amid an escalation in Syria. Some have been quick to rush towards coasts and borders before Ankara changes its mind. | Would-be irregular immigrants have started trickling closer to Europe after top Turkish officials said Ankara would deliver on its threat and open the floodgates of migrants on Europe. The hopefuls are gathering in the Edirne province, which borders Greece and Bulgaria, as well as on Turkey's Aegean coast close to the Greek island of Lesbos, AFP reported. | Anadolu Agency posted drone foot…
(2020-02-28). Turkey hopes opening frontier for migrants won't hurt ties with West — official. rt.com 
Ankara does not believe its decision to allow some of the millions of migrants it hosts to cross into Europe will have an impact on its ties with the West, Turkey's communications director said on Friday. | In response to the escalating conflict and the killing of 33 of its troops on Thursday in Syria's Idlib region, Ankara threw open its western land and sea borders to outgoing migrants. | Fahrettin Altun said that migrants were now Europe's and the world's problem too, Reuters reported. | The official also told reporters that Ankara had "no choice" but to ease border controls after not receiving enough suppo…
(2020-02-28). Doctors Without Borders: Cheap Coronavirus Diagnostic Kits Needed in War-Torn Areas & Refugee Camps. democracynow.org 
Across the U.S., officials report a severe shortage of test kits for coronavirus. New York officials say they're preparing their own kits, after kits distributed by the Centers for Disease Control failed validation tests. Meanwhile, new cases of coronavirus continue to spring up worldwide, with Nigeria reporting its first case and one of Iran's vice presidents testing positive. We discuss how MSF USA, or Doctors Without Borders USA, is responding to coronavirus, with the organization's executive director, Avril BenoàÆt.
(2020-02-28). Turkey & Syria on brink of WAR in Idlib: How did it come to this? rt.com 
Alarming developments in Syria's Idlib saw dozens of Turkish soldiers killed in a Syrian airstrike and Ankara responding with own fire and fury. But anyone following the conflict would know the escalation didn't start overnight. | The Idlib governorate, located in the northwestern part of Syria on the border with Turkey, is the last major stronghold of armed groups that have been fighting to topple the government of Syrian President Bashar Assad for the past several years. The region was spared a Syrian Army offensive in 2018 on a request from Turkey, which said it didn't want to face a new influx of refugees…
(2020-02-28). Russia on red alert: almost SURROUNDED by Coronavirus cases – braces for epidemic. rt.com 
As the world's biggest country, bordering 16 states, Russia is something of a sitting duck for COVID-19. With eight of those now reporting infections, its reappearance inside Russian borders is perhaps only a matter of time. | Already, two Chinese citizens were diagnosed with the new coronavirus in Siberia's Tyumen and Transbaikalia but they recovered and have been discharged. There has so far been no recorded infection of a Russian national on home soil. | As of Friday, Azerbaijan, Belarus, China, Estonia, Finland, Georgia, Lithuania and Norway all have live cases. Other neighboring countries, such as Ukraine…
(2020-02-28). Civil Rights Advocates Reject Trump's Denaturalization Office. telesurenglish.net The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC)and other NGOs defending the rights of migrants criticized the creation of a special office responsible for withdrawing citizenship because President Donald Trump administration could use it as a tool for his "xenophobic and racist" agenda. | RELATED: | "The Trump Administration creates an office to try to abuse, frighten, and intimidate Latinos and all immigrants or refugees…
(2020-02-28). Headlines for February 28, 2020. democracynow.org California Monitoring 8,400 People for Coronavirus as Fears of Pandemic Grow, Syrian Airstrike Kills 33 Turkish Soldiers in Idlib, Escalating Tensions, New Justice Department Task Force Seeks to Strip Naturalized Immigrants of Citizenship, Joe Biden's Campaign Walks Back False Claims of Arrest in 1970s South Africa, Democratic Superdelegates Overwhelmingly Oppose Bernie Sanders Campaign, Mike Bloomberg Refuses to Apologize for Spying on Muslims, As NYC Mayor, Mike Bloomberg Called for Cuts to Social Security "Ponzi Scheme", ProPublica: Mike Bloomberg Advised Billionaire Sackler Family on Opioid Crisis, Emails Sho…
(2020-02-28). Witnessing the hell that a migrant can face. mronline.org The Saudi-UAE war on Yemen has been going on for five years. Despite recent peace talks leading to an improvement in aid distribution, the violence has escalated in certain key districts of Yemen over the past two weeks. Since January, 35,000 Yemenis have been displaced from their homes, an indicator of the dangerous situation in […] |
(2020-02-28). Trump's New "Public Charge" Is a Radical and Grotesque Attack on Immigrant Communities and US Democracy. commondreams.org As the legal battle continues over the Trump administration's new "public charge" policy, "we must all fight this cruel regulation and the Trump administration's broader anti-immigrant agenda and see it for what it truly is: a power struggle between those of us who believe we can become an inclusive and equitable society and those who are threatened by our diversity." (Photo: John Moore/Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/gettyimages-1629309491.jpg …
(2020-02-28). Providing Security in the Sahel: A 'Traffic Jam' of Military Interventions, and Al Qaeda Terrorists. globalresearch.ca Despite the presence of multiple military actors in West Africa's Sahel region, a steady growth in jihadi activity seems to thrive in the presence of foreign military operations. With their focus on fighting cross-border terrorism and reconstructing 'failed states', while …
(2020-02-28). Mohawks urge Tohono O'odham to blockade border wall and offer help. indybay.org Mark Maracle of the Mohawk Warrior Society said Tohono O'odham should shut down construction of the border wall. Maracle said Mohawks stand ready to help them and fear should not control their minds.
(2020-02-28). ACLU Challenges New Border Wall Funds Transfer. commondreams.org ______________________________…
(2020-02-27). "Dead Bodies Everywhere": Hindu Nationalist Violence Rocks Delhi as Trump Visits Modi in India. democracynow.org 
In India, the death toll from anti-Muslim violence in Delhi has risen to at least 34, with police accused of turning a blind eye to assaults on Muslims committed by Hindu nationalist mobs. The violence began Sunday, when groups of Hindus attacked peaceful sit-ins of Muslims protesting against Hindu nationalist Prime Minister Narendra Modi's new citizenship law, which widely restricts Muslim immigration to India. Modi said nothing as the violence continued for days, instead hosting President Donald Trump on a two-day state visit in which Trump heaped praise on the Indian prime minister. We speak with Neha Dixit, i…
(2020-02-27). WATCH protesters hurl stones at police during second night of riots against migrant camps in Lesbos. rt.com 
Scores of angry Greeks clashed with police on Wednesday night as violent protests continued over plans to build a new detention center for irregular migrants on the island of Lesbos, with dozens reported injured. | The Greek government plans to build new camps for refugees in response to overcrowding on Lesbos and four neighboring islands, Samos, Chios, Leros and Kos. Local residents were enraged with the news and used stones, sticks and fire to express their anger. The Greek police used tear gas and rubber bullets against the demonstrators on Wednesday night as rioting entered its third consecutive night. | T…
(2020-02-27). How the Climate Crisis Is Making the Spread of Infectious Diseases Like Coronavirus More Common. democracynow.org 
Sonia Shah is an investigative science journalist and author of "Pandemic: Tracking Contagions, from Cholera to Ebola and Beyond." Her new book is titled "The Next Great Migration: The Beauty and Terror of Life on the Move" and will be published in June. She says the climate crisis is making outbreaks of infectious diseases more common, with the destruction of natural animal habitats and the changes in migration bringing humans and animals into ever-closer contact and making new pathogens more likely. Her latest article, published in The Nation, is titled "Think Exotic Animals Are to Blame for the Coronavirus? Th…
(2020-02-27). Greek islanders strike for 2nd day over new migrant camps as govt sees 'no alternative'. rt.com 
Residents of Greek islands went on strike for a second day on Thursday, stepping up protests against government plans for new migrant camps on five islands after violent clashes with police, Reuters said. | The Eastern Aegean Islands served as the gateway to the EU for more than one million people fleeing war in 2015-2016. Despite a sharp drop in arrivals since then, five islands are still struggling with overcrowded migrant centers. | Protesters planned rallies at central points on Lesbos, Chios and Samos, before a meeting between the government and local mayors. | PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis was expected to meet…
(2020-02-27). 'Defund racist border wall!' Warren's 'solution' to coronavirus crisis causes mass eye-rolling on Twitter. rt.com 
Senator Elizabeth Warren announced a bill that would use funding for President Donald Trump's "racist border wall" to combat the coronavirus outbreak — a plan that is earning plenty of eye rolls on social media. | Warren is not letting the coronavirus crisis go to waste. The Massachusetts senator tweeted on Thursday a bill that would move funding from construction of the southern border wall in the US to the Department of Health and Human Services and US Aid to fight the disease. | The senator warned that the virus poses a "serious health, diplomatic and economic threat." Her bill would remove "all fundi…
(2020-02-27). Hindu Nationalist Violence Rocks Delhi as Trump Visits Modi in India. truthout.org In India, the death toll from anti-Muslim violence in Delhi has risen to at least 34, with police accused of turning a blind eye to assaults on Muslims committed by Hindu nationalist mobs. The violence began Sunday, when groups of Hindus attacked peaceful sit-ins of Muslims protesting against Hindu nationalist Prime Minister Narendra Modi's new citizenship law, which widely restricts Muslim immigration to India. Modi said nothing as the violence continued for days, instead hosting President Donald Trump…
(2020-02-27). Headlines for February 27, 2020. democracynow.org Fears of Coronavirus Pandemic Grow as U.S. Cites First "Community Spread" of Pathogen, Trump Blames "Caronavirus" Fears on Democrats and Fake News Reporting, Trump Taps VP Mike Pence, Who's Blamed for Indiana HIV Outbreak, to Lead Coronavirus Response, Gunman Kills 5 at Molson Coors Brewery in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Physicians Group Calls U.S. Migrant Family Separations "Torture", U.S. Drops Charge Against Scott Warren, Who Aided Migrants Crossing Desert, House Approves Emmett Till Act to Make Lynching a Federal Hate Crime, Feds Arrest Five Neo-Nazis for Threatening Journalists and Activists, ABC Suspends David Wr…
(2020-02-27). Federal appeals court backs Trump's attack on sanctuary cities. wsws.org A federal appeals court overturned previous lower court rulings and upheld the Trump administration's plan to deny federal funding to sanctuary cities.
(2020-02-27). Climate Crisis Is Increasing the Spread of Infectious Diseases Like Coronavirus. truthout.org Sonia Shah is an investigative science journalist and author of Pandemic: Tracking Contagions, from Cholera to Ebola and Beyond. Her new book is titled The Next Great Migration: The Beauty and Terror of Life on the Move and will be published in June. She says the climate crisis is making outbreaks of infectious diseases more common, with the destruction of natural animal habitats and the changes in migration bringing humans and animals into ever-closer contact and making new pathogens more li…
(2020-02-27). Countries Take Harsh Steps as They Struggle to Contain Virus. truthdig.com Saudi Arabia cuts travel to Mecca, South Korea closes markets and other restrictions increase as concern borders on panic in some areas.
(2020-02-27). Airstrike in Syria's Idlib Kills 33 Turkish Soldiers. telesurenglish.net An air strike – allegedly by Syrian government forces – in Syria's northwestern Idlib region killed 33 Turkish soldiers, the local governor in the southeastern province of Hatay said early on Friday. | RELATED: | Rahmi Dogan, the governor of Hatay, the Turkish province bordering Syria's Idlib region, said the soldiers were killed Thursday. | In the meantime, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan chaired an emergency security meeting late on Thu…
(2020-02-27). Best Friends Forever: Two Donkeys Melt Twitter Users' Hearts With Their Cute Gimmicks. sputniknews.com The two animals reside at the Donkey Sanctuary located in the town of Sidmouth, in Devon, South West England. The organisation is an international charity that, as stated in the description on the official website, "has made a profound difference to the lives of donkeys and people all over the world".
(2020-02-27). UN dispatches humanitarian aid to war-stricken Syria. yenisafak.com The UN on Thursday dispatched 26 truckloads of humanitarian aid to the embattled northwestern Syrian province of Idlib.The trucks passed through the Cilvegozu border gate in Turkey's southern Hatay province.The aid will be distributed among residents in urban areas of Idlib, as well as the surrounding countryside, which have been subject to years of devastating attacks by the Assad regime and its allies, triggering a wave of some 1 million refugees.Syria has been locked in a vicious civil war since early 2011, when the Bashar al-Assad regime cracked down on pro-democracy protests.Since then, hundreds of thousands…
(2020-02-27). Pakistan celebrates day it countered Indian airstrike. yenisafak.com Pakistan on Thursday celebrated "Surprise Day" to honor its air force which countered Indian strikes last year.On Wednesday, ahead of the celebrations, a group of Pakistan-based local and foreign media journalists for the first time visited the area in Pakistan administered Kashmir where the air force downed an Indian aircraft last year near the Line of Control (LoC), the de facto border dividing the disputed Kashmir valley.The Pakistani army, which organized the trip, allowed journalists to talk to locals and its personnel in Barho, Samahni sector, a border village in Pakistan-administered Kashmir, located aroun…
(2020-02-27). No EU country plans border checks now over coronavirus. yenisafak.com No European Union country currently has plans to reinstate border controls within the bloc's zone of free travel over the coronavirus outbreak, the executive European Commission said on Thursday.
(2020-02-27). Defending Immigrants' Rights and Reproductive Freedom in the U.S. Supreme Court. aclu.org The U.S. Supreme Court will hear a number of cases this term that will have a crucial impact on civil rights and civil liberties — from LGBTQ equality to reproductive freedom and immigrants' rights. Earlier in the term, the ACLU had two cases asking whether workers can be fired for being LGBTQ. On March 2, we will be arguing a case on immigrants' rights, and we have filed or will file friend-of-the-court briefs in major cases involving reproductive freedom, contraceptive access, and religious freedom. | We sat down with David | Cole, the ACLU's national legal director, to discuss what's in store for the…
(2020-02-27). UN Human Rights Chief Slams Trump for Attacks on Environment, Refugees, and Children. commondreams.org Michelle Bachelet, the top human rights official for the United Nations, condemned the Trump administration for the rights violations caused by President Donald Trump's anti-immigration and anti-climate science policies, including the U.S. in an accounting of major human rights threats around the world. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/49583619342_35701c26c8_o1.jpg …
(2020-02-27). 'This Is a Nightmare': Trump Accused of Weaponizing DOJ With New Task Force Focused on Stripping US Citizenship. commondreams.org "Trump is weaponizing the DOJ to make naturalized immigrants look like second-class citizens." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/gettyimages-635148734_0.jpg …
(2020-02-26). Supreme Court Ruling Hands US Border Patrol a Licence to Kill With Impunity. mintpressnews.com 
The Supreme Court set a dangerous precedent yesterday when it ruled in favor of the US Border Patrol in the cross-border murder of a young teenage boy who was shot in the face by an overzealous agent.
(2020-02-26). Court Sides With Trump in 'Sanctuary Cities' Grant Fight. telesurenglish.net The Trump administration can withhold millions of dollars in law enforcement grants to force states called 'Sanctuaries' to cooperate with U.S. immigration enforcement. | RELATED: | The decision by the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan, on Wednesday, overturned a lower court's ruling ordering the administration to release funding to New York City and seven states – New York, Connecticut, New Jersey, Wa…
(2020-02-26). Immigrant Rights Groups Sue ICE for Immediate Release of Information Concerning the Continuing Retaliation Against Immigrants in Sanctuary. commondreams.org ______________________________…
(2020-02-26). Family Separation, Two Years After Ms. L. aclu.org When the ACLU filed
(2020-02-26). Headlines for February 26, 2020. democracynow.org CDC Warns of "Severe" Disruption to Daily Life in U.S. as Coronavirus Spreads, DHS Secretary Grilled over Coronavirus Preparedness as Trump Downplays Risks, Two Billionaires Join Democratic Debate in SC as Rivals Target Bernie Sanders, At Least 24 Killed in India After Hindu Nationalists Attack Muslim Demonstrators, President Trump Wraps India Trip with Praise for $3.5 Billion Weapons Deal, 20 Civilians Killed in Syria's Idlib as the Red Cross Pleads for a Ceasefire, Airwars Reports U.S.-Led Strikes Killed Up to 139 Somali Civilians Since 2007, Supreme Court Rules Border Patrol Agents Who Shoot into Mexico Can't…
(2020-02-26). Stopping the Anti-Abortion Ordinances of East Texas. aclu.org Waskom. | Naples. Joaquin. Tenaha. Rusk. Gary. Wells. These names might sound unfamiliar | now, but you'll be hearing more about them soon enough. | They | are seven cities in East Texas that, within the last several months, each | passed so-called "sanctuary city for the unborn" ordinances — moves that are | blatantly unconstitutional. | Waskom, Texas was the
(2020-02-26). Whatever Happened to the Greater Yellowstone Coalition? counterpunch.org Recently the Greater Yellowstone Coalition announced they were working to reduce the wildlife impacts of fences. Not by removing the fences but by changing the wire on them to facilitate easier wildlife passage. Fences, as the Coalition noted, hinder wildlife migrations, and in particular, are a barrier to pronghorn, which are reluctant to jump a
(2020-02-25). How Medical Negligence at the US Border Killed an Immigrant Father. thenation.com 
Nebane Abienwi fled a civil conflict in Cameroon. Once in the US, it was shoddy medical care that killed him.
(2020-02-24). From Being Tortured in Sri Lanka to the U.S. Supreme Court. aclu.org 
On a frigid day in early February, Vijayakumar Thuraissigiam | stands under an awning on a street corner in lower Manhattan along with one of | his attorneys, Celso Perez of the ACLU. Both are bundled in heavy winter | jackets. Perez is holding his phone up and squinting as he concentrates on the | tinny voice of a translator emanating from its speaker. | "I want them to be aware that you're traveling," Perez says | into the phone. | The voice on the other line translates what Perez said into | Tamil, the native language of Sri Lanka's largest ethnic minority. Thuraissigiam, | heavyset in his late 40s with a…
(2020-02-24). Iran-Iraq Border Crossing Reopens. iranian.com Spokesperson for the Iranian Customs Administration said the Mehran border crossing on the common border with Iraq reopened on Monday morning. According to Ruhollah Latifi, the Mehran border crossing in western Iran reopened at 10: 45 am local time on Monday. Meanwhile, director of the Iranian Customs Administration in Bilesavar in the northwestern province of Ardabil …
(2020-02-22). Ten new migratory species protected under global wildlife agreement. news.un.org Asian elephants, jaguars and great Indian bustards were among 10 new species added to a global wildlife agreement on Saturday.
(2020-02-21). Headlines for February 21, 2020. democracynow.org Roger Stone Sentenced to 40-Month Prison Term, Trump Lashed at Intel Chief over Warning of Russian Meddling in 2020 Election, Germany Mourns Victims of Right-Wing Terror Attacks, Suspect Arrested in Stabbing at London Mosque, U.K. to Close Borders to "Unskilled" and Non-English-Speaking Immigrants, Protests Erupt as Acting ICE Director Challenges New York Pro-Immigrant Laws, Mexican Radio Journalist Murdered in Ciudad Juárez, February Flowers Bloom in Moscow Amid Record-High Winter Temperatures, 28 Arrested in Seattle Protesting Chase Bank Fossil Fuel Ties, Rail Blockades Continue as Protests Grow Against Coastal…
(2020-02-20). Headlines for February 20, 2020. democracynow.org Democratic Contenders Take Aim at Billionaire Michael Bloomberg in Nevada Debate, Protesters Interrupt Nevada Debate to Demand Immigration Discussion, Michael Bloomberg Made Transphobic Remarks in 2019, Bloomberg Campaign NDAs Could Prevent Reporting of Abuses, U.N. Warns of Unfolding Humanitarian Catastrophe in Syria's Idlib, German Far-Right Gunman Kills 10 in Frankfurt Suburb, China Expels Wall Street Journal Reporters over "Racist" Op-Ed, Trump Taps Ally Richard Grenell as Director of National Intelligence, As Roger Stone Faces Sentencing in Federal Court, Trump Hints at Pardon, Julian Assange's Lawyers: Trum…
(2020-02-20). The Supreme Court Will Decide Whether Asylum Seekers Receive Their Day in Court. aclu.org In March, we will be in front of the U.S. Supreme Court to defend the right to a day in court for asylum seekers and other vulnerable noncitizens. That decision w…
(2020-02-11). Desperate asylum seekers 'starving for justice' in immigrant prison hunger strikes across Louisiana. splcenter.org Guards shackled Sai Mahad to a chair, placed a mask over his mouth and snaked a long tube through one of his nostrils.