Daily Archives: March 28, 2020

2020-03-28: News Headlines

Joe Parkin Daniels (2020-03-28). [World Report] Venezuelan migrants "struggling to survive" amid COVID-19. thelancet.com Humanitarian organisations are concerned that border closures and health-care shortages are amplifying the challenges posed by COVID-19. Joe Parkin Daniels reports from Bogotá.

WSWS (2020-03-28). Fears grow that coronavirus is taking hold among immigrants in US custody as three children test positive. wsws.org Adult and child detainees living in cramped quarters, herded into cafeterias and denied basic sanitation are facing the very real possibility of an escalated rate of contagion.

sputniknews (2020-03-28). Scientists Stuck on Research Ship in Arctic as Borders Closed Amid COVID-19 Pandemic. sputniknews.com The Multidisciplinary drifting Observatory for the Study of the Arctic Climate or MOSAiC project involves more than 60 institutions from 19 countries and amid the coronavirus pandemic and worldwide closure of borders, it seems unlikely that scientists will cross international borders just to reach a common embarkation point.

sputniknews (2020-03-28). Indian Gov't Extends Relief to Migrant Labourers on 'Longest March' Amid Coronavirus Lockdown. sputniknews.com New Delhi (Sputnik): Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared a three-week lockdown in the country earlier this week in a bid to contain the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. The federal government has also rolled out a $22.36 billion economic relief package for the poorer sections of the population.

yenisafak (2020-03-28). Azerbaijan tightens measures against COVID-19. yenisafak.com As the number of confirmed cases of the coronavirus in Azerbaijan has been increasing, the country decided to take more strict measures to stem the spread of COVID-19.The total number of confirmed cases in the country has reached 165. The death toll stands at three while 15 people have recovered from COVID-19 so far, according to the latest data compiled by the U.S.-based Johns Hopkins University.As part of its measures to curb the spread of the virus, Baku shut its southern border with Iran

RT (2020-03-27). US quietly seeks out foreign doctors to fight Covid-19 pandemic. rt.com As the entire world has become the frontline of the fight against the Covid-19 coronavirus, the US State Department is headhunting foreign doctors to assist the US, promising they can skip to the front of the immigration queue. | In a message posted on its website on Thursday night, Foggy Bottom encouraged medical professionals who have already applied for US visas — "particularly those working to treat or mitigate the effects of Covid-19" — to contact their nearest US embassy or consulate for an appointment. Those already in the US have been offered visa extensions. | We encourage medical profession…

Conn Hallinan (2020-03-27). How austerity and anti-immigrant politics left Italy exposed to viral blitzkrieg. peoplesworld.org As the viral blitzkrieg rolls across one European border after another, it seems to have a particular enmity for Italy. The country's death toll has far surpassed China's, and scenes from its hospitals look like something out of Dante's imagination. Why? Italy has the fourth-largest economy in the European Union, and in terms of health …

news.un (2020-03-27). Migrants in Hawaii care for the elderly, the aloha way. news.un.org Migrants are playing an increasingly important role in the provision of health care around the world. The number of doctors, nurses and other medical professionals who move from developing countries to take up posts in developed countries is expected to rise as the global population of older persons and children continues to grow.

teleSUR (2020-03-27). Migrants in California Are Unprotected Against Covid-19 Effects. telesurenglish.net The Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA) Friday denounced that migrants in California are at greater risk of contracting Covid-19 because they lack legal protections. | RELATED: | A survey of 1,222 Latin Americans, which this NGO carried out between March 12 and 14, revealed that the Covid-19 has worsened the situation of immigrants. | For this reason, CHIRLA asked the Californian authorities to include immigran…

Staff (2020-03-27). Headlines for March 27, 2020. democracynow.org U.S. Leads World in Reported COVID-19 Cases as Hospitalizations Surge, Trump Doubts New York City's Need for 30,000 Life-Saving Ventilators, Politico: President Trump Failed to Follow Pandemic Playbook, Squandering Precious Time, Detroit and Chicago Join New Orleans as U.S. Coronavirus Hot Spots, House to Vote on Record-Shattering $2.2 Trillion Coronavirus Relief Package, Three Unaccompanied Migrant Children Test Positive for COVID-19, Jailed Asylum Seekers Stage Hunger Strike, Demanding Release During Pandemic, Activists Demand Release of Aging Prisoners as Coronavirus Spreads, Hospitals in Spain and Italy on th…

teleSUR (2020-03-27). Three Unaccompanied Migrant Children Test Positive for COVID-19. telesurenglish.net Three unaccompanied migrant children have tested positive for COVID-19 as they remain in the custody of the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) in New York. | RELATED: | Five staff members and one staff contractor at three separate facilities in New York also recently tested positive. Still, the agency says it will continue to hold separated children in its custody until quarantines at ORR facilities are lifted. | This come…

Pat Buchanan (2020-03-27). Foreign Policy: Can This Pandemic Usher In A New Era? iranian.com To fight the coronavirus at home, France is removing all military forces from Iraq. When NATO scaled back its war games in Europe because of the pandemic, Russia reciprocated. Moscow announced it would cancel its war games along NATO's border. Nations seem to be recognizing and responding to the grim new geostrategic reality of March …

Ashoka Mukpo (2020-03-26). Asylum Seekers Stranded in Mexico Face a New Danger: COVID-19. aclu.org Since the Trump administration first unrolled its policy of

Ken Klippenstein (2020-03-26). The Coronavirus Is Trump's Latest Excuse to Militarize the Border. thenation.com The Coronavirus Is Trump's Latest Excuse to Militarize the Border…

news.un (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.

teleSUR (2020-03-26). Canada Slams Trump's Plan to Send More Troops at Shared Border. telesurenglish.net After some media, including the Wall Street Journal, reported Thursday a United States (U.S.) proposal to deploy troops along its northern border to fight the spread of the coronavirus, Canada slammed the idea as "unnecessary" and said it would "damage relations" between both countries. | RELATED: | "Canada is strongly opposed to this U.S. proposal and we have made that opposition very, very clear … this is an entirely unnecessa…

The Canary (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…

splcenter (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.

Staff (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…

news.un (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…

Staff (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…

Andrea Flores (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…

splcenter (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.

Michael Edison Hayden and Hannah Gais (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.

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.

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

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