Daily Archives: March 20, 2020

2020-03-20: News Headlines

Ramzy Baroud (2020-03-20). Death at the Greek Border: Syrian Refugees Should Not Be Used as Political Pawns. counterpunch.org In a surprising move, Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, announced on February 29 that he will be re-opening his country's border to Europe, thus allowing tens of thousands of mostly Syrian refugees into Greece and other European countries. Expectedly, over 100,000 people rushed to the Ipsala border point in the Edirne province separating Turkey from

Nick Turse (2020-03-20). America's Commandos Deployed to 141 Countries and "Criminal Misconduct" Followed. counterpunch.org Last October, a group of eight Apache attack and CH-47 Chinook helicopters carrying U.S. commandos roared out of an airfield in Iraq. They raced through Turkish airspace and across the Syrian border, coming in low as they approached a village just north of Idlib Province where Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, his bodyguards, and

RT (2020-03-20). US to close border with Mexico for 'non-essential' travel in effort to stem coronavirus spread. rt.com Starting Saturday, the US-Mexico border will be closed to nonessential travel in order to help slow the spread of the novel coronavirus, US President Donald Trump announced Friday. | The closure is open-ended and "will last as long as necessary," Secretary of State Mike Pompeo added. | Trade is exempt from the restriction, which will focus on curbing tourism and recreational activities. President Trump said that Mexico is also suspending air travel from Europe. The Mexican government, however, has not yet announced a European travel ban. | "As we did with Canada, we're also working with Mexico to implement new…

RT (2020-03-20). US suspends routine visa services worldwide amid Covid-19 crisis. rt.com The US State Department has temporarily suspended all "routine visa services" at its embassies and consulates around the world as part of its efforts to tackle the spread of the Covid-19 virus. | Embassies and consulates will cancel "all routine immigrant and nonimmigrant visa appointments as of March 20, 2020," a note on the department's website said on Friday. | The department said that it will continue to provide "urgent and emergency" visa services "as resources will allow." | It said routine services will resume "as soon as possible" but that it was "unable to provide a specific date" at this time. | Serv…

IWOC Oakland (2020-03-20). Santa Rita Jail Solidarity During the Coronavirus Pandemic. indybay.org As businesses, schools, and institutions close to reduce the transmission of COVID-19, many people are wondering how to support people in jails, prisons, and immigration detention centers.

teleSUR (2020-03-20). South Africa to Build 40-Km Fence at Border to Halt Migration. telesurenglish.net The South African government will erect a 40-km barrier on the border with Zimbabwe to prevent migrants from entering the country without documentation. | RELATED: | "The fence will also stop the spread of the new coronavirus in the country," Public Works Minister Patricia de Lille said, even though no Covid-19 cases have been detected in Zimbabwe. | The fence will be erected at Beitbridge, a border town in Mata…

WSWS (2020-03-20). Immigrants in US detention facilities plead for help as coronavirus pandemic spreads. wsws.org The lack of medical care and the extremely close quarters in America's detention camps create excellent conditions for the coronavirus to spread rapidly if even a single person catches the disease.

WSWS (2020-03-20). Immigrants in US detention facilities plea for help as coronavirus pandemic spreads. wsws.org The lack of medical care and the extremely close quarters in America's detention camps create excellent conditions for the coronavirus to spread rapidly if even a single person catches the disease.

Sasha Abramsky (2020-03-20). What Does Trump Do, in the Midst of a Pandemic? Beat Up On Immigrants. Again. thenation.com What Does Trump Do, in the Midst of a Pandemic? Beat Up On Immigrants. Again.

yenisafak (2020-03-20). Turkey 'neutralizes' senior PKK terrorist in N. Iraq. yenisafak.com Turkey earlier this month neutralized a senior PKK terrorist operating in the Qandil region of northern Iraq, security sources said on Friday. | Halide Tari was neutralized in a joint operation conducted by Turkish intelligence (MIT) and armed forces (TSK) on March 9, the sources said, requesting anonymity because they are not allowed to speak to the media. | PKK terrorists often use northern Iraq as a base to plan cross-border terrorist attacks on Turkey. | Turkish authorities use the word "neutralized" in statements to imply the terrorists in question surrendered or were killed or captured. | In its more than 3…

yenisafak (2020-03-20). Turkish army equipped with protective gear against coronavirus. yenisafak.com Turkey on Friday distributed protective clothing, rubber gloves, and face masks among its border units to protect them from the coronavirus pandemic, the Defense Ministry said on Friday.In a statement, Turkey's Ministry of National Defense said soldiers were briefed on ways to remain protected from the virus, including the measures to be taken during contact with individuals crossing the border illegally.The ministry also posted photographs showing soldiers, donned in protective gear, patrolling and getting their temperature checked.Turkey has so far reported four deaths from COVID-19 with 359 positive cases, acc…

sputniknews (2020-03-20). NATO Boosted Aerial Surveillance Near Russian Borders by 20 Percent in 2019 – Shoigu. sputniknews.com Sergei Shoigu has pointed out that "a number of countries use any pretext to build up a military presence near Russia's borders".

Staff (2020-03-19). Trump's Deportation Machine Is Still Churning Despite Coronavirus Outbreak. truthout.org This story has been updated. | Federal deportation proceedings for incarcerated migrants and immigration defendants continue nationwide despite pleas from defense attorneys, human rights groups and some judges who fear that in-person court hearings and conditions of confinement inside immigration jails could facilitate the rapid spread of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19. | The Trump administration's decision to continue pursuing deportation orders and immigration charges against jailed immi…

Eladio Bobadilla (2020-03-19). COVID-19 and Trump's Racist Rhetoric. commondreams.org It is no coincidence that as Trump insists on calling this pandemic the "Chinese virus," immigration raids have also been ramped up in some American cities, including one of the larges, Los Angeles. (Photo: Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/trump_23_0.jpg

Hatewatch Staff (2020-03-19). California Anti-Immigrant Activist Robin Hvidston Seeking State Assembly Seat. splcenter.org Robin Hvidston, a longtime anti-immigrant activist, is running as a Republican for a California Assembly seat in District 41.

South Front (2020-03-19). Video: US Forces Withdraw from Key Base Near Syrian Border. More Rocket Attacks on US Targets in Iraq. globalresearch.ca Late on March 17, at least three rockets struck the area near the US embassy in Baghdad's fortified Green Zone. This was the fourth such attack in the span of a week. A day earlier, a pair of rockets struck …

Ramzy Baroud (2020-03-19). Death at the Border: Syrian Refugees Should Not Be Used as Political Pawns. mintpressnews.com Turkey's use of Syrian refugees as political pawns was one of the most tragic, heart-rendering episodes of the Syrian war and subsequent refugee crisis saga.

teleSUR (2020-03-19). The U.S. and Canada to Close Their Common Border Next Weekend. telesurenglish.net Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau Thursday announced that the U.S.-Canadian border is likely to remain closed for non-essential travel beginning Friday night or Saturday morning. | RELATED: | This announcement was made despite the fact that both countries are still negotiating the details of the implementation of this measure that was initially raised this Wednesday. | Canada's medical director Theresa Tam not…

Ramzy Baroud (2020-03-18). Death at the Greek Border. dissidentvoice.org In a surprising move, Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, announced on February 29 that he will be re-opening his country's border to Europe, thus allowing tens of thousands of mostly Syrian refugees into Greece and other European countries. Expectedly, over 100,000 people rushed to the Ipsala border point in the Edirne province separating Turkey from …

Shaw Drake (2020-03-18). The Military Should not be Searching Cars or Checking Documents at the Border. aclu.org There's an old saying that goes, "When all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail." This adage is especially applicable to the Trump administration's approach toward border policy, which is ever more militarized. On March 6th, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials

news.un (2020-03-18). Treat migrants with dignity and respect during pandemic: UN migration agency. news.un.org The importance of treating migrants with dignity and respect has not changed, UN migration agency (IOM), spokesperson Joel Millman has told UN News, adding that the impact the COVID-19 pandemic is having on migrants, highly represented in the food industry, which is now seeing widespread shutdowns, is 'a huge concern' to the agency.

Staff (2020-03-18). Headlines for March 18, 2020. democracynow.org Global COVID-19 Cases Top 200,000 Worldwide with Over 8,000 Dead, Researchers: Left Unchecked, Coronavirus Could Kill 2.2 Million in U.S. , New Yorkers Prepare to Shelter in Place as Hospitals Face Severe Shortages, Coronavirus Fears Grow for Prisoners and Migrants in ICE Jails, Trump Admin Pushes Economic Stimulus Package Worth Over $1 Trillion, WHO Considers Airborne Precautions for Medical Workers After Coronavirus Found in Aerosols, Rewriting History, Trump Says "I've Always Known" About Pandemic, Internet Providers Drop Data Caps as Calls for Net Neutrality Grow, Biden Wins 3 States as Coronavirus Fears Caus…

Staff (2020-03-16). Headlines for March 16, 2020. democracynow.org Coronavirus Pandemic Death Toll Tops 6,500 Worldwide, About 170,000 Confirmed Cases, U.S. Coronavirus Cases Reach 3,600 as True Number of Infections Continues to be Unknown, Trump Tests Negative for Coronavirus After Being in Contact with Brazilian Official Infected with COVID-19, States Across U.S. Ramp Up Measures to Control Spread of Coronavirus, Including Massive School, Business Closures, Federal Judge Blocks Trump Rule That Would Have Thrown 700,000 People Off Food Stamps, AOC Confronts ICE Agent at LaGuardia Airport as 6 Migrant Children Detained in Texas Were Relocated to New York, Sanders, Biden Faced Of…

Staff (2020-03-13). Headlines for March 13, 2020. democracynow.org Coronavirus Infections Around the Globe Reach 135,000 People, Nearly 5,000 Dead, U.S. Coronavirus Infections Rise to 1,650 as Actual Number Believed to Be Higher | , Dow Jones Plummets 10% in Biggest Drop Since 1987 | , Trump Administration Faces Backlash for Handling of Coronavirus Outbreak, Testing | , Brazilian President Bolsonaro's Aide Tests Positive for COVID-19 Days After Meeting with Trump, Philippines President Duterte Orders Lockdown in Manila Amid Coronavirus Pandemic | , Advocates Afraid of Deadly Coronavirus Outbreak in Immigration Jails Plagued by Medical Neglect, Democratic Presidential Debate Relo…

Ashley Gorski (2020-03-12). The Government Has a Secret Plan to Track Everyone's Faces at Airports. We're Suing. aclu.org U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Transportation Security Administration are putting us on an extraordinarily dangerous path toward the normalization of face surveillance. But because key facts about this surveillance are still secret, the public lacks the information it needs to hold these agencies to account. We're

Staff (2020-03-10). Immigrants in WA Detention Center Demand Protection from Coronavirus, Not Posters in English. democracynow.org As the world responds to the COVID-19 outbreak, we look at how the Trump administration's immigration policies may put everyone at risk. We go to Seattle, Washington, not far from the Life Care Center in the suburb of Kirkland, which was the epicenter of the U.S. coronavirus outbreak. In nearby Tacoma, Washington, our guest says she saw posters in English only when she went to visit immigrants held in the Northwest Detention Center, which is run by private prison company GEO Group. We speak with Maru Mora-Villalpando, an activist and undocumented immigrant with the groups La Resistencia and Mijente, who issued a…

Chelsey Birgisdóttir (2020-03-10). San Diego Police Stop Black People at a Rate 219 Percent Higher Than White People. aclu.org "They did what human beings looking for | freedom, throughout history, have often done. They left." | These | are the words of Pulitzer Prize-winning author Isabel Wilkerson in her book, "The | Warmth of Other Suns." The book | follows the story of three Black Southerners and their journey escaping racial | violence — a sharecropper's wife who | left Mississippi in the 1930s for Chicago, an agricultural | worker who left Florida for New York City in the 1940s, and a doctor who left Louisiana in the early 1950s. | Their | journey was part of the Great Migration that occurred between 1916 and 1970,…

splcenter (2020-03-03). Deportation is a death sentence, and our government's hands are bloody. splcenter.org Deadly violence is inescapable for hundreds of returned Salvadoran migrants. This small, Central American country is the murder capital of the world.