Daily Archives: February 29, 2020

2020-02-29: News Headlines

Vijay Prashad (2020-02-29). Witnessing the hell that a migrant can face. mronline.org Roughly 11,500 people got on boats at places like Obock and Bosasso, Somalia, to go into Yemen, and then overland to Saudi Arabia, where they hope to get employment. |

Alan MacLeod (2020-02-29). Supreme Court ruling hands U.S. Border Patrol a license to kill with impunity. mronline.org The Supreme Court set a dangerous precedent yesterday when it ruled in favor of the U.S. Border Patrol in the cross-border murder of a young teenage boy who was shot in the face by an overzealous agent. |

teleSUR (2020-02-29). US Court Blocks Trump Policy Forcing Migrants To Wait in Mexico. telesurenglish.net A U.S. federal appeals court in San Francisco on Friday blocked a Trump administration policy that has forced tens of thousands of migrants to wait in Mexico for months for hearings in U.S. immigration courts. | RELATED: | A 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals panel found the plaintiffs were likely to succeed in their argument that the program violated U.S. immigration law and international treaty obligations on the tr…

sputniknews (2020-02-29). Greek Police Use Tear Gas Against Refugees After Turkey Says It Cannot Stem Migrant Flow From Syria. sputniknews.com On Thursday, Turkey's ruling AK Party spokesman Omer Celik said that Ankara was no longer able to contain the flow of refugees from Syria toward the country's borders with Greece and Bulgaria.

sputniknews (2020-02-29). The 'Stolen Province': Why Turkey Was Given A Corner Of Syria By France 80 Years Ago. sputniknews.com Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is becoming more and more embroiled in a direct fight with Syria over Idlib Province. The fighting is directly across the border from Hatay, a province which was given to Turkey in 1939 after a disputed referendum.

yenisafak (2020-02-29). Migrant family crossing to Greece stranded on island. yenisafak.com A migrant family trying to cross to Greece from Edirne, a northwestern Turkish border province, has been stranded on an island in the middle of Meric River.Hundreds of irregular migrants hoping to cross to Europe from Turkey are trying sea vessels and land vehicles in order to make the trip.In one of the border villages on Friday, scores of irregular migrants swam or took boats in order to cross to Greece.One of these families' boat deflated in the middle of the river.The family of nine, including small children, climbed to an island, hoping to inflate the boat again.In the meantime, security forces in Greece fir…

yenisafak (2020-02-29). Turkish jets neutralize 6 PKK terrorists in N. Iraq. yenisafak.com Turkish jets neutralized at least six PKK terrorists in northern Iraq, Turkey's Defense Ministry said on Saturday.The terrorists plotting an attack were neutralized in an air-backed operation in Metina and Gara regions, the ministry said on Twitter. | It added that operations will continue undeterred. | Turkish authorities often use the term "neutralized" to imply the terrorists in question surrendered or were killed or captured.YPG/PKK terrorists often seek shelter in northern Iraq, just across the Turkish border, to plan terrorist attacks in Turkey.In its more than 30-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PK…

yenisafak (2020-02-29). Syria issue is never adventure for Turkey: Erdogan. yenisafak.com Turkey is not in Syria for an "adventure" or to expand its borders, the nation's president said on Saturday."Syria issue is never an adventure or effort to expand its borders for Turkey," Recep Tayyip Erdogan told a meeting with his ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party's Istanbul deputies.He said nearly four million refugees are recently moving towards Turkey's border with Syria due to the bloody attacks of Bashar al-Assad regime on civilians, while 1.5 million of them are already at the southern border."We have no interest in oil or the land there, we want to secure our borders with a safe zone," Erdogan sa…

Staff (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,…

Staff (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.

Staff (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.

Jacob Hornberger (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

teleSUR (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…

Staff (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…

Marielena Hincapié (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

commondreams (2020-02-28). ACLU Challenges New Border Wall Funds Transfer. commondreams.org ______________________________…

Signe M. Cold-Ravnkilde (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 …

news.un (2020-02-28). 'Mayhem' in Syria's Idlib amid ongoing violence, as Guterres urges immediate ceasefire. news.un.org Rapidly escalating conflict in northwest Syria has created healthcare "mayhem", amid reports of displaced people moving closer to the Turkish border in search of shelter, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday, as the UN Secretary-General appealed for all warring parties to "step back from the edge of further escalation."

Staff (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…

Staff (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…

RT (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…

Staff (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…

news.un (2020-02-27). Cross-border aid delivery in northwest Syria 'absolutely essential', Security Council hears. news.un.org Cross-border humanitarian deliveries from Turkey last month reached more people in northwest Syria than at any time since operations began more than five years ago, the UN's Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator told the Security Council on Thursday.

teleSUR (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…

Eva Lopez (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…

Leila Rafei (2020-02-26). Family Separation, Two Years After Ms. L. aclu.org When the ACLU filed

Staff (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…

Anjali Salvador (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

Ashoka Mukpo (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…

Tasnim News (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 …

Staff (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…

splcenter (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.

Hatewatch Staff (2020-01-31). Workers Organization Shares Staff, Cash With Anti-Immigrant Groups. splcenter.org U.S. Tech Workers, a project of the anti-immigrant group Progressives for Immigration Reform (PFIR), has ties to an anti-immigrant hate network and unprecedented access to the Trump administration.