(2020-03-26). Moscow bans all regular, charter flights starting March 27, except those bringing Russians home. rt.com 
The Russian government is banning all regular and charter international flights starting Friday, except those bringing citizens home, as part of measures to stop the spread of the coronavirus. | . | Russia's aerial borders will go on lockdown starting Friday, so far without a resumption date. | The cabinet also requested that the Foreign Ministry assist Russian citizens abroad until their return home. Russian embassies around the world will receive additional funds to provide support. | So far, 652 Covid-19 cases have been registered in Russia, with more than half of those infected in Moscow. | The ban on flig…
(2020-03-26). First immigrant in ICE custody tests positive for coronavirus in New Jersey. wsws.org This development highlights the criminal lack of basic sanitation that the Trump administration maintains in immigrant detention centers, as well as the ruling class' callous disregard for public health.
(2020-03-26). The Corona Virus & Immigration. zcomm.org How Austerity and Anti-immigrant Politics Left Italy Exposed…
(2020-03-26). Helping migrant shipwreck survivors to deal with trauma. news.un.org Every year, migrants embarking on sea-crossings see their journey end in tragedy: those who survive and return home can struggle to cope with daily life, and need support. To help migrant returnees, the UN has a range of programs aimed at tackling the mental health side-effects of trauma.
(2020-03-26). The Shit Has Hit the Fan: Shut the Country Down to Save Lives. counterpunch.org All my life fear is all I've heard. Fear the immigrant, Muslims, foreignness, black people protesting, black athletes kneeling during the Anthem, germs, foreign travel to non-Western countries, terrorism, etc., etc. Before 9/11, as a teen in the late 1990s, it was fear of marijuana, public welfare abuse and, as always, inclement weather. There is
(2020-03-26). Black Rock Profits in a Time of Crisis. counterpunch.org With little government support and corporate accountability, humanitarian aid workers are scrambling to address the refugee crisis in the wake of the global pandemic, COVID-19 (coronavirus). The outbreak of the coronavirus comes at a time when there is a great influx of war and economic refugees migrating to Europe. Despite Turkey's efforts to host millions
(2020-03-26). How Austerity and Anti-Immigrant Politics Left Italy Exposed. counterpunch.org Italy has the fourth largest economy in the European Union, and in terms of health care, it is certainly in a better place than the US. Per capita, Italy has more hospital beds—so-called "surge capacity"—more doctors and more ventilators. Italians have a longer life expectancy than Americans, not to mention British, French, Germans, Swedes and Finns. The virus has had an especially fatal impact on northern Italy, the country's richest region. There are a number of reasons why Italy has been so hard-hit, but a major one can be placed at the feet of former Interior Minister Matteo Salvini of the xenopho…
(2020-03-26). Scientists at Glasgow University discover deep-sea fish seasonal migration for the first time. thecanary.co Scientists have documented seasonal migrations of deep-sea fish across the seabed for what is said to be the first time. | Researchers analysed more than seven years of deep-sea photographic data from two observatory platforms, 1,400m (4,593ft) deep, off the coast of Angola in west Africa for the project. | They based their analysis on all the seafloor fish they saw in the photographs, which included species from 11 different families, including eels, grenadier fishes and sharks. | They linked seasonal patterns in primary productivity — the amount of energy produced by phytoplankton in the surface ocean abo…
(2020-03-26). 'Disaster Waiting to Happen:' Doctor Says Africa Cannot Afford Most Anti-Coronavirus Tips. sputniknews.com MOSCOW (Sputnik) – The coronavirus outbreak threatens to become a perfect storm for Africa as key COVID-19 precautionary measures such as remote work, social distancing, border closures and aggressive testing look simply infeasible to a majority of countries on the continent.
(2020-03-26). Have No Money to Send Back Home: Migrant Labourers Without Income During COVID19 Lockdown in India. sputniknews.com New Delhi (Sputnik): India has recorded more than 600 cases of COVID19 and 13 deaths due to the virus. The government has announced a 21-day lockdown and the suspension of most railways and flights.
(2020-03-26). UN sends humanitarian aid to Idlib, NW Syria. yenisafak.com The UN on Thursday dispatched a total of 51 truckloads of humanitarian aid to Idlib, a northwestern Syrian city where millions of people are in desperate need of assistance.Trucks entered the city through the Cilvegozu border gate in southern Hatay province of Turkey bordering Idlib.The humanitarian aid items are going to be distributed to the needy people struggling to live in Idlib and nearby rural areas.Syria has been locked in a vicious civil war since early 2011, when the Bashar al-Assad regime cracked down on pro-democracy protests.Hundreds of thousands of people have since been killed and more than 10 mil…
(2020-03-26). Official warns of virus' impact on global community. yenisafak.com Coronavirus outbreak across the world should not be allowed to impede cooperation and transform countries into isolated structures, the communications director of Turkey said on Thursday.Fahrettin Altun on Twitter commented on the possible effects of coronavirus on the international community and what sort of steps should be taken into consideration in a bid to minimize its damage."We must not allow this virus to push countries to erect new borders that would impede global cooperation. We must not allow it to turn nations into isolated societies," Altun said."President [Recep Tayyip] Erdogan has been working very…
(2020-03-26). OPINION: Just one virus to question them all. yenisafak.com If somebody had predicted a number of months ago that border controls would be tightened, most of the international flights would be cancelled, schools would be closed and streets of cities with millions of people would be empty in the first quarter of 2020, they would have been called "crazy". It is mostly because, even though established institutions, countries, and current economic and social systems had their own chronic problems, many things seemed on track on the surface, with people increasing their earnings, countries increasing their GDPs and, of course, globalization being in full force connecting more…
(2020-03-25). 'Imperative to take proactive steps' to ensure farm worker safety. peoplesworld.org 
After carefully monitoring developments over coronavirus COVID-19, the United Farm Workers has sent an open letter to all agricultural employers and organizations urging them to take "proactive steps to ensure the safety of farm workers, protect buyers and safeguard consumers." Those steps include extending "state-required sick pay to 40 hours or more," removing "caps on …
(2020-03-25). SPLC and allies seek federal court injunction in system-wide suit to protect people detained by ICE from contracting COVID-19. splcenter.org The SPLC and its allies asked a federal court today to issue a preliminary injunction requiring that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) take immediate steps to protect people in its custody, particularly those who have medical conditions making them more susceptible to serious illness and death from COVID-19.
(2020-03-25). UN rights chief urges quick action by governments to prevent devastating impact of COVID-19 in places of detention. news.un.org COVID-19 has begun to strike in prisons, jails and immigration detention centres, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet warned on Wednesday, as she urged Governments "not to forget hose behind bars" and to protect those working in closed facilities in their overall efforts to contain the pandemic…
(2020-03-25). Headlines for March 25, 2020. democracynow.org Senate and White House Reach Agreement on $2 Trillion Coronavirus Relief Bill, NY Governor Blasts Trump's Coronavirus Response, Asking "Where Are the Ventilators?", Two Georgia Medical Workers Die of COVID-19 Amid Critical Shortage of Protective Gear, California Seeks to Add 50,000 Hospital Beds Ahead of COVID-19 Peak, Washington to Inspect Nursing Homes After 37 Die of Coronavirus at Life Care Center, Minnesota Lt. Gov.'s Brother Dies of COVID-19; Sen. Klobuchar's Husband Hospitalized, Defying Medical Advice, Trump Calls for Return to Normal and "Packed Churches" on Easter Sunday, U.S. Immigration Agencies Quara…
(2020-03-25). Russia Suspends Constitutional Referendum to Fight Covid-19. telesurenglish.net Russia's President Vladimir Putin Wednesday postponed the referendum on the amendments to the constitution and called on the people to stay home to quickly curb the Covid-19 pandemic. | RELATED: | "It is now extremely important to abort the threat of a rapid spread of the disease," Putin said in a televised message to the nation. | Although Russia closed its border with China in late January, the coronavirus has managed to sne…
(2020-03-25). Another Migrant Domestic Worker Found Dead in Lebanon. telesurenglish.net The lifeless body of Faustina Tay, 23, a domestic worker from Ghana was found on March 14 in a car park under the fourth-story home of her employers in Beirut, Lebanon, according to a report by Al Jazeera. | RELATED: | Some hours before her death, Tay had sent a last hopeless message to
(2020-03-25). Arrest the virus, free the prisoners! mronline.org 
We cannot allow the capitalist ruling class to turn a blind eye to the plight of the incarcerated population — not in general, nor in the particular circumstance of the global pandemic of Covid-19. In the U.S., there are 2.3 million human beings in state, federal, and county jails and more than 52,000 in immigrant …
(2020-03-24). Exclusive: ICE Detainees Are Being Quarantined. thenation.com Exclusive: ICE Detainees Are Being Quarantined…
(2020-03-24). Legalization for All Statement: Covid19 and DACA. fightbacknews.org Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from the Legalization for All Network. | The Legalization for All (L4A) Network is a coalition of various individuals and organizations from around the U.S. who fight to win legalization for all undocumented and Temporary-status peoples in the U.S. The need for full equality has never been clearer than in the face of a global pandemic, like Covid-19. Trump and the ruling-class have nothing stopping them from making changes that could devastate the undocumented, as the majority of people are preoccupied with the very real danger of Coronavirus. | Putti…
(2020-03-23). Former ICE Director: Release Immigrants from Detention or COVID-19 Will Spread Like Wildfire Inside. democracynow.org 
Alarm is growing about the safety of more than 37,000 people held in immigrant detention centers and private jails that contract with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, where it is nearly impossible for them to avoid close contact to stop the spread of the coronavirus. Nearly half of those detained by ICE are accused of no crime other than civil immigration violations. Immigrants at three jails in New Jersey are now on hunger strikes over unsanitary conditions that put them at high risk during the pandemic.‚Ä®‚Ä® We hear from a detained person on hunger strike and speak wit…
(2020-03-23). UN expert raises alarm over migrant, asylum seeker 'pushbacks' at Turkey-Greece border. news.un.org Greece must take immediate action to end the violence against migrants and asylum seekers at the border between Turkey and Greece, an independent UN human rights expert said on Monday, expressing alarm at reports of violence at the hands of some Greek security officers and unidentified armed men.
(2020-03-23). Car protest at Gov. Walz's mansion demands immediate release of immigrants in Minnesota jails. fightbacknews.org Saint Paul, MN – In one of the first known protests organized since the widespread implementation of 'social distancing' and 'shelter-in-place' with the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus, a car caravan lined Summit Avenue outside Governor Tim Walz's mansion in Saint Paul to demand immediate release of all immigrant detainees in Minnesota jails. | The protest participants stayed in their cars to avoid social spread of coronavirus. Cars were painted and adorned with posters with slogans like "Governor Walz: Free them all." People in some cars led chants with megaphones. Periodically, all the cars would honk at the…
(2020-03-20). How the ACLU Organized to end Racial Profiling on Greyhound Buses. aclu.org Two years ago, the ACLU set a clear goal: push Greyhound to refuse Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers access to their buses to conduct warrantless searches. As part of the Trump administration's immigration crackdown, CBP officers were targeting bus passengers around the country, boarding their buses to racially profile, harass, and too often, detain people who they suspected of being undocumented. Of course, you can't tell someone's immigration status by how they look or sound — this practice is unconstitutional and blatantly racist. By pushing aggressively with the help of our membership and…
(2020-03-20). COVID-19 Updates: SPLC continues fight against injustice. splcenter.org We are only beginning to feel the impacts of the coronavirus, but we know that the communities we serve — including low-income people, immigrants and people of color — are already among the most affected.
(2020-03-20). As White House Contemplates Coronavirus Asylum Ban, Hate Groups Urge Trump to Seize the Moment. splcenter.org The Trump administration took steps to block asylum seekers from entering the U.S.-Mexico border amid the COVID-19 pandemic. This nativist policy course has been pushed by anti-immigrant pundits and hate groups from the time the crisis started to unfold.
(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.
(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
(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…
(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