Daily Archives: April 16, 2020

2020-04-16: News Headlines

WSWS (2020-04-16). Working-class immigrants terrorized by Trump administration avoid COVID-19 testing, treatment. wsws.org Reports from doctors, immigration lawyers and community organizations reveal that a significant number of immigrants, despite showing symptoms associated with COVID-19, have avoided getting tested.

yenisafak (2020-04-16). UN sends humanitarian aid to Idlib, Syria. yenisafak.com The United Nations on Thursday sent 63 truckloads of humanitarian aid to Idlib, the northwestern Syrian province where millions remain in desperate need of assistance.The aid trucks entered Syria through the Cilvegozu border in Turkey's southern Hatay province, which borders Idlib.The supplies will be distributed to people in Idlib city and nearby rural areas.Syria has been ravaged by a civil war since early 2011 when the Assad regime cracked down on pro-democracy protesters.Hundreds of thousands of people have been killed and more than 10 million remain displaced, according to UN estimates.Idlib falls within a d…

teleSUR (2020-04-16). Bachelet: Countries Must Allow Safe Return of Its Citizens. telesurenglish.net Latin American governments must allow the return of their countries' citizens despite the COVID-19, urged the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, on Thursday. | RELATED: | Even though the borders of many nations in the world and Latin America are closing, to stop the advance of COVID-19, "everyone has the right to refresh their country of origin," Bachelet said. | Bachelet's statements c…

South Front (2020-04-16). Video: Syria and Iraq Launch Operations Against ISIS in Border Area. globalresearch.ca Members of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and the Turkistan Islamic Party have four times shelled positions of the Syrian Army in the provinces of Lattakia and Hama over the past 24 hours, the Russian Reconciliation Center for Syria reported. At the …

RT (2020-04-16). Drop in China's imported coronavirus cases but local infections rise. rt.com China reported fewer new coronavirus cases on Thursday that involved travelers arriving from abroad. It said, however, that locally transmitted infections had risen, with the capital Beijing seeing new cases for the first time in more than three weeks. | New imported cases dropped to 34 on Wednesday from 36 a day earlier, the National Health Commission said, down for the third straight day. The numbers come amid stringent border checks, reduced international flights, and a ban on entry by foreigners. | Beijing has asked border provinces to make targeted plans for coronavirus prevention and control, the state c…

Al Neal (2020-04-16). "Let them play ball," says Manfred—Maybe not yet, fans and players respond. peoplesworld.org Another fine, sunny day without baseball. It breaks your heart. Even more so, as Jackie Robinson Day, April 15, passed by without the usual fanfare in ballparks nationwide. But we can tamp down our impatience, often bordering on irritation, knowing that we are doing the right thing by staying home, and Major League Baseball likewise …

RT (2020-04-16). Australia to retain coronavirus curbs for 'at least 4 more weeks' — PM Morrison. rt.com Australia will retain curbs on public movement for at least another four weeks, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Thursday. The statement has dashed speculation that sustained low growth in new cases could spur a quicker return to normal, Reuters said. | Australia has avoided the high numbers of coronavirus casualties reported in other countries after closing its borders and imposing strict "social distancing" measures for the past month. Restaurants, bars and other "non-essential" businesses have closed and public gatherings of more than two people have been banned. The measures are expected to double the…

teleSUR (2020-04-16). Trump Orders Deportation of Migrant Children Due to Coronavirus. telesurenglish.net About 400 migrant children were intercepted in the US/Mexican border and deported as a preventive measure to restrain COVID-19 from spreading. After this measure, the U.S. administration left minors unprotected from human traffic and prevents their legal guardians from caring for them. | RELATED: | Before the migration policy, unaided children received shelter and resources from the Department of Health and Human…

teleSUR (2020-04-16). Cuba Calls for International Cooperation to Combat COVID-19. telesurenglish.net The impact of COVID19 can already be measured and will be assessed in the future by the striking numbers of people infected, the unacceptable numbers of deaths, the unquestionable damages to the world economy, production, trade, employment and personal income of millions of people. | It is a crisis that goes well beyond the scope of health. The pandemic has emerged and spread amidst a scenario previously marked by overwhelming economic and social inequalities within and among nations. With unprecedented migratory and refugee flows, xenophobia and racial discrimination have reemerged. The remarkable advances of…

Raging Grannies (2020-04-16). Thank You Farmworkers, Truckers, Delivery People and Those Oft Forgotten. 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 (2020-04-16). Earthquake of magnitude 5.9 strikes Myanmar-India border region. yenisafak.com An earthquake with a magnitude of 5.9 struck Myanmar-India border region on Thursday, the European Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) said.The quake's epicentre was 35 km south east of Myanmar and 168 km south east of Aizawl in India, and was 10 km below the earth's surface, EMSC said.

sputniknews (2020-04-16). UK Government Must Prevent Chinese Firms From Buying Western Technologies, Former MI6 Chief Claims. sputniknews.com Sawer suggested Whitehall should investigate every possible avenue to prevent Imagination Technology's migration, including seeking a Western buyer. It produces GPUs and microprocessor core designs, and provides other hardware and software components for cloud computing and networking.

sputniknews (2020-04-16). 5.8 Magnitude Earthquake Strikes at India-Myanmar Border – EMSC. sputniknews.com The region is situated on the earthquake-prone convergence of the Indian and Burmese tectonic plates. In 2004, the boundaries between the two plates slipped, causing a 9.1- 9.3 magnitude Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami.

teleSUR (2020-04-15). Ocasio-Cortez To Back Biden If He Changes on Healthcare. telesurenglish.net U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, one of Congress's leading progressives, told Politico on Wednesday she wanted to see former Vice President Joe Biden refine his stances on issues including healthcare and immigration before endorsing him. | RELATED: | Ocasio-Cortez, who had earlier backed fellow progressive U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders' bid for the Democratic nomination, said she expected to ultimately support Bid…

teleSUR (2020-04-15). Migrants Workers Demand Indian Govt Trains to Go Back Home. telesurenglish.net Thousands of migrant workers came out Tuesday to the streets of India's financial hub Mumbai, demanding food and transport, hours after Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended the nationwide lockdown until May 3 to curb the coronavirus outbreak. | RELATED: | Migrants started gathering near Bandra railway station in Mumbai, the capital of the western state of Maharashtra and demanded food supplies and train services to return…

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…

news.un (2020-04-15). Migrants among most vulnerable, as IOM ramps up coronavirus response worldwide. news.un.org The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has expanded the scope of its Global Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan (SPRP),‚ÄØto include far-reaching interventions that aim to mitigate the dire health and socio-economic impacts of the pandemic, the agency said on Wednesday.

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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.

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.

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 (2020-04-03). 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