Daily Archives: April 15, 2020

2020-04-15: News Headlines

RT (2020-04-15). California gov announces $125 million relief for illegal immigrants over Covid-19. rt.com California will be the first state in the US to provide financial relief to illegal immigrants amid the Covid-19 pandemic. | California Governor Gavin Newsom announced a series of new measures by his state to provide financial relief to citizens suffering because of Covid-19 lockdown measures. Among the measures is an eye-catching $125 million fund for illegal immigrants living within the state. | "California is the most diverse state in the nation. Our diversity makes us stronger and more resilient. Every Californian, including our undocumented neighbors and friends, should know that California is here to sup…

KOAT (2020-04-15). Philanthropists helping provide $500, $1,000 checks to undocumented migrants in California. koat.com California Gov. Gavin Newsom said $50 million is being put up by philanthropists.

Luke Butterly (2020-04-15). Locked Down and Cast Out: Europe's Migrants Navigate the Pandemic. thenation.com Locked Down and Cast Out: Europe's Migrants Navigate the Pandemic…

RT (2020-04-15). Greek authorities send 1st group of unaccompanied young refugees to EU countries. rt.com Greece transferred a dozen unaccompanied children from overcrowded migrant camps to Luxembourg on Wednesday. The group is the first of more than 1,000 relocations that are being expedited amid concerns over the impact of coronavirus on vulnerable groups. | Another group of 50 children is expected to fly from Athens to Germany on Saturday, and 20 more will head to Switzerland at a later date. Greece hopes to relocate some 1,600 unaccompanied minors in the coming months. | The children relocated on Wednesday were aged between 11 and 15. Ten were from Afghanistan and two from Syria. At least 5,200 migrant childre…

RT (2020-04-15). Russian city inside Arctic Circle to use ELECTRONIC TAGS to track coronavirus patients. rt.com Like many countries, Russia is finding it hard to convince everyone to stay at home during this pandemic. Now one northern city has come up with a drastic solution, one normally more associated with prisoners on temporary release. | In Murmansk, just 108km from Russia's border with Norway, local authorities have decided to spend 1,479,000 rubles ($20,000) on 120 electronic tracking bracelets to make sure infected patients don't leave their homes. The tags will facilitate "remote monitoring of patient compliance," enabling officials to see when the rules are being broken. The region's eponymous capital is the l…

RT (2020-04-15). WHO is 'one of the best investments': German FM blasts US after Trump cuts health organization's funding. rt.com Providing money to the "underfunded" World Health Organization is among the best ways to help develop a vaccine against Covid-19, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas has said after Trump halted the WHO's funding. | "Apportioning blame doesn't help. The virus knows no borders," Maas We have to work closely together against Covid-19. One of the best investments is to strengthen the UN, especially the under-funded WHO, for example for developing and distributing tests and vaccines.

RT (2020-04-15). Kremlin rejects criticism as China calls Russia its 'largest source of imported coronavirus cases'. rt.com The Kremlin has rejected criticism of Russia's handling of the coronavirus outbreak after China said its largest source of imported cases had come from transmissions in the far northeast, bordering Russia. "We hear that there is now an exchange of criticism over coronavirus between different countries, which is played like ping pong. We consider this to be a thankless exercise," spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Wednesday. | Beijing's Global Times newspaper said in an editorial on April 13: "The Chinese people have watched Russia become a severely affected country from one that did a great job. This sh…

KOB 4 (2020-04-15). Border militia leader sentenced to 21 months in federal prison. kob.com Larry Mitchell Hopkins was sentenced for illegal firearm possession.

Raging Grannies (2020-04-15). Thank You Farmworkers, Truckers, Delivery People and Those Oft Forgot. indybay.org Photos and Video to thank essential workers who put themselves on the line everyday. Undocumented farmworkers have no health care. Truckers, delivery people, grocery workers keep supplies coming to those who can afford them, risking their own safety. Janitors in hospitals are heroes too. Governor Newsom, heed our call for resources to these essential workers! Photos and 3: 47 video by Jack Owicki, Pro Bono Photo.

yenisafak (2020-04-15). Turkey 'neutralizes' 4 PKK terrorists in northern Iraq. yenisafak.com Turkish fighter jets "neutralized" four PKK terrorists as part of a counter-terrorism operation in northern Iraq, the country's National Defense Ministry said on Wednesday.The terrorists, who were detected by reconnaissance and surveillance activities, were "neutralized" in an air operation in northern Iraq's Qandil region, the ministry said on Twitter.Turkish authorities often use the word "neutralized" in statements to imply terrorists in question surrendered or were killed or captured.PKK terrorists often take shelter in northern Iraq to plan cross-border terrorist attacks in Turkey.The statement added that co…

yenisafak (2020-04-15). Germany criticizes Trump for halting WHO funds. yenisafak.com Germany on Wednesday criticized U.S. President Donald Trump for halting funding to the World Health Organization (WHO) in the middle of the worst pandemic in decades.Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said on Twitter that the accusations against the WHO were "not helpful" at a time the world needed closer international cooperation to combat the novel coronavirus."The virus knows no borders. We have to closely work together against #COVID19," he stressed, and called for steps to further strengthen the UN and the WHO.Germany's top diplomat said the WHO has already been suffering from underfunding, and suggested that one o…

Fight Back (2020-04-14). Week of action demands that all immigrants detained in Minnesota be released. fightbacknews.org Minneapolis, MN – In a press conference held by video on April 14, several immigrant rights organizations announced a week of action happening this week to demand that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and elected officials at the state and county level take action now to free all immigrants held in ICE detention in the state. | Immigration detainees are detained on civil charges and ICE has broad leeway to release people. In the current situation with the rapid spread of the deadly COVID-19 virus, the conditions in Minnesota jails are ripe for the infection and death to spread quickly. Speakers at the p…

Alina Das (2020-04-14). How the Deportation Machine Criminalizes Immigrants. thenation.com How the Deportation Machine Criminalizes Immigrants…

Nomaan Merchant (2020-04-14). Privately-run immigrant jails denying detainees masks, dodging responsibility. peoplesworld.org HOUSTON (AP)—Elsy was on the phone in an immigration detention center when guards showed up with face masks and forms to sign. The asylum-seeker from El Salvador and others had resorted to tearing their T-shirts into face coverings after a woman in their unit tested positive for COVID-19. But the guards would not give out …

Staff (2020-04-14). Hundreds of Workers in Meat and Poultry Plants Test Positive for COVID-19. truthout.org We look at the spike in coronavirus infections at meatpacking plants. In just one case, Smithfield Foods shut down a plant responsible for 5% of U.S. pork production after more than 350 workers at the facility tested positive for COVID-19. Meanwhile, deaths of slaughterhouse workers have been reported in Pennsylvania, Georgia and Colorado. Many meat processing facilities employ large numbers of immigrants, including undocumented workers. We speak with Wenonah Hauter, executive director and founder…

Staff (2020-04-14). "Terrified to Go to Work": Hundreds of Workers in Meat & Poultry Plants Test Positive for COVID-19. democracynow.org We look at the spike in coronavirus infections at meatpacking plants. In just one case, Smithfield Foods shut down a plant responsible for 5% of U.S. pork production after more than 350 workers at the facility tested positive for COVID-19. Meanwhile, deaths of slaughterhouse workers have been reported in Pennsylvania, Georgia and Colorado. Many meat processing facilities employ large numbers of immigrants, including undocumented workers. We speak with Wenonah Hauter, executive director and founder of Food & Water Watch, and with Magaly Licolli, executive director of Venceremos, an advocacy group for poultry plant…

teleSUR (2020-04-14). COVID-19 Worsens Struggle of Migrant Workers in Gulf States. telesurenglish.net Human rights organizations are searching for empty buildings in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain is transforming schools in shelters to place workers from crammed work camps, as the coronavirus is fast spreading across the Gulf region, Reuters reported Tuesday. | RELATED: | The struggle is not limited to overcrowded work camps, where one room with bunk beds can sleep about a dozen workers, the virus has a…

Staff (2020-04-14). Essential or Expendable? Farmworkers Condemn Lack of Protection and Economic Help During Pandemic. democracynow.org As the coronavirus sweeps through the United States, the country's 2.5 million farmworkers are continuing to go to work every day, often facing crowded and unsanitary conditions without personal protective equipment, for poverty wages. We speak with Gerardo Reyes Chávez, a farmworker leader with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers, who describes the conditions farmworkers in Florida are facing and how they are calling on Florida Governor Ron DeSantis to protect farmworkers during the COVID-19 crisis, and with Mónica Ramírez, president and founder of Justice for Migrant Women and co-founder of the National Farmwork…

The Canary (2020-04-14). China moves to block new coronavirus flare-up on Russian border. thecanary.co China is facing a new coronavirus flare-up along its remote northern border with Russia.The frontier has been sealed and emergency medical units rushed to the area to prevent travellers from bringing the virus back from overseas.The coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic began in China, which is now striving to keep the virus out while other countries struggle to bring their own outbreaks under control.The long, porous border of Heilongjiang province and neighbouring Inner Mongolia has much less travel than major cities like Beijing and Shanghai. But it is a popular alternative route into the country.Many Chinese live a…

Staff (2020-04-14). Headlines for April 14, 2020. democracynow.org New York Says Coronavirus Cases May Be Stabilizing But Hospitals Still Overwhelmed, 50 NYC Education Employees, Including At Least 21 School Teachers, Have Died of COVID-19, New Jersey Grapples with Surge in Cases as Deaths Mount in Veterans' and Nursing Homes, Deceased COVID-19 Patients Were Piled into Vacant Rooms as Detroit Hospital Overwhelmed with Cases, Virginia Pastor Who Held Packed Services, Defying Order to "Stay at Home," Dies of COVID-19, Sailor from Coronavirus-Stricken USS Theodore Roosevelt Dies of COVID-19, At Least 19 Immigrant Children Infected with COVID-19 at Chicago Facility, Demolition of Ch…

teleSUR (2020-04-14). The US Will Indefinitely Maintain Border Closure With Europe. telesurenglish.net RELATED: | "We want to do it [lift the shutdown] very quickly, but we want to make sure everything is fine. Right…

The Iranian (2020-04-13). Iranian American Organizations Urge ICE to Immediately Release Dr. Sirous Asgari. iranian.com Iranian American organizations PAAIA, NIAC, IABA have come together to campaign for the release of Dr. Sirous Asgari from Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody. Dr. Asgari is currently unjustly detained in a civil immigration detention center in Louisiana, which has put his health at serious risk amidst the likelihood of COVID-19 exposure. We, the undersigned …

Staff (2020-04-13). Headlines for April 13, 2020. democracynow.org U.S. Leads in Coronavirus Death Toll, as Trump Eyes Easing Restrictions in Weeks, Trump Moves to Slash Pay for Essential Migrant Farmworkers | , USPS Says It Will Become Insolvent Without Gov't Help, But Trump Refuses to Bail It Out | , 200+ Prisoners Released in Philadelphia After Weeks of Protest Calling for Decarceration, Protests Call Out Mounting COVID-19 Cases at Immigrant Prisons in Arizona, California | , Mounting COVID-19 Clusters Reported at Meat Processing Plants | , Almost 600 Sailors On Board USS Theodore Roosevelt Test Positive for COVID-19 | , Judge Blocks Alabama Coronavirus Abortion Ban; Texas Pr…

RT (2020-04-11). Magnitude 5.3 earthquake strikes California close to Nevada border. rt.com A 5.3 magnitude earthquake has struck near Yosemite National Park, along the California-Nevada border. | Occurring at a depth of six miles (10km), the quake hit shortly after 7: 30am on Saturday, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) reported. | Its epicenter was around 90 miles (144km) southeast of Lake Tahoe, just north of the sprawling Yosemite National Park. | Also on rt.com | | Yosemite draws upwards of four million visitors per year, b…

Ahmed Abdulkareem (2020-04-10). Saudi Arabia Violates its Own Ceasefire As Yemen Announces First Cases of Coronavirus. mintpressnews.com The Saudi regime has engaged in a number of questionable activities since the global outbreak of COVID-19, including moving masses of African refugees deported from areas with coronavirus to the Yemeni border.

Ashoka Mukpo (2020-04-08). "They Don't Care if You Die": Immigrants in ICE Detention Fear the Spread of COVID-19. aclu.org Mario Rodas, Sr. first found out there was a deadly virus spreading through the country while he was watching television at the Plymouth County Correctional Facility in Massachusetts. In early March, Rodas had been pulled over and arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents while driving to the supermarket with his wife, a legal resident and the mother of his three U.S. citizen children. Since then, he'd been in the custody of ICE, mostly at Plymouth. | The more Rodas heard about the disease, the more fearful the 59-year-old became. | "I was scared for my health," he told the ACLU. "I was worr…

splcenter (2020-04-08). Nativist Hate Groups Want to Keep People in ICE Detention Despite COVID-19 Threat. splcenter.org Anti-immigrant think tanks are pushing for the U.S. to detain immigrants and asylum seekers throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, even as prisoners stage hunger strikes and other protests in response to what they describe as deteriorating health conditions in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facilities.

Staff (2020-04-07). Deaths of Inequality: AOC on Black and Latinx Communities at Epicenter of Epicenter of the Pandemic. democracynow.org As COVID-19 deaths spike in African-American and immigrant communities, almost a third of New York City's infections are in Queens, one of the most diverse places in the world, and many in the hardest-hit neighborhoods are undocumented and working-class. We speak with Congressmember Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who represents the neighborhoods at the epicenter of the epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic, about how the Trump administration's response to the pandemic is causing "deaths of incompetence," "deaths of science denial" and "deaths of inequality."

splcenter (2020-04-03). Detained immigrants across Deep South feel like 'sitting ducks' as ICE ignores their safety amid global pandemic. splcenter.org COVID-19 began to infect the nation at rapid speed in March, reaching every corner of the country and taking the lives of more than 6,000 people by April 3. The United Nations has dubbed the coronavirus the "most challenging" crisis the globe has witnessed since World War II.

Katrina Huber (2020-04-02). Fighting for immigrant rights during a pandemic. splcenter.org As people across the country are confined to their homes during the COVID-19 pandemic, little attention has been given to a group of people whose health is in danger because they are locked away from the outside world — people in immigrant detention centers.

splcenter (2020-04-01). SPLC, partners seek temporary restraining order to prevent immigration courts from becoming public health hazard. splcenter.org

splcenter (2020-03-30). Southeast Immigrant Freedom Initiative: COVID-19 Parole Informational Guide for Sponsors. splcenter.org

splcenter (2020-03-27). Weekend Read: SPLC demands ICE act amid pandemic to save the lives of countless immigrants trapped in its crowded detention centers. splcenter.org