Daily Archives: April 19, 2020

2020-04-19: News Headlines

RT (2020-04-19). Malta flag carrier set to fire 80 PERCENT of pilots after talks fail amid coronavirus crisis. rt.com As the deadly coronavirus wreaks havoc on the aviation sector, Air Malta could leave 108 of its 134 pilots out of work after it failed to find common ground on salary compensations with the pilots' union. | The major Maltese airline had to ground its fleet in March just like most airlines in the world due to border closures amid the coronavirus outbreak. Struggling to keep up with the fallout of the crisis which could result in over €130 million (US$ 141 million) in damages for the company by the start of the summer season, Air Malta offered this month to grant pilots a minimum income of €1,200 ($1,3…

Fight Back (2020-04-19). Undocumented New Yorkers left out of COVID-19 relief. fightbacknews.org New York, NY – While many people across the country have received the first wave of federal stimulus checks meant to provide immediate relief related to COVID-19, the undocumented community continues to be left out in the cold. Not only are undocumented families excluded from the stimulus package, but now New York governor Andrew Cuomo is blocking efforts to provide even limited financial aid to the immigrant community. | One of the largest myths about undocumented workers in the United States is that they do not pay taxes. This falsehood is used to justify the fact that undocumented families have little or no ac…

teleSUR (2020-04-19). Time to Claim Food Sovereignty: Int. Day of Peasant Struggle. telesurenglish.net International peasants organization La Via Campesina (The Campesino Way) marked Friday the International Day of Peasant Struggle, a particularly important commemoration against the backdrop of the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic. | RELATED: | "This April 17 (the International Day of Peasant Struggle) was of vital importance because we put on the table the issue of the food situation in the context of a pandemic," Political Coor…

en.mehrnews (2020-04-19). Transit ban on Iran-Azerbaijan border 'extended' amid COVID-19. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Apr. 19 (MNA) — The transit ban on Iran-Azerbaijan Republic border was extended by May 4 amid the outbreak of coronavirus, also known as COVID-19.

en.mehrnews (2020-04-19). Iran's Navy cmdr. visits Pasabandar naval base. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Apr. 19 (MNA) — Iranian Army's Navy Commander Rear Admiral Hossein Khanzadi on Sun. visited different parts of Pasabandar Naval Base, 3rd District of the Navy, located in Iran-Pakistan zero border point.

sputniknews (2020-04-19). 'Physically, Psychologically Harmful': Indian Health Ministry Speaks Out Against Disinfectants. sputniknews.com New Delhi (Sputnik): Indian civic workers had previously sprayed bleach disinfectants on scores of migrant workers en route to their villages in Uttar Pradesh, triggering widespread criticism. With the number of COVID-19 cases increasing, some Indian states have also started spraying disinfectants on streets, even using drones.

WSWS (2020-04-18). Washington D.C. legislature endorses limited rent relief, bars assistance to undocumented immigrants. wsws.org The city's government left it up to representatives of the city's tourist industry to provide assistance to undocumented workers.

Fight Back (2020-04-18). Texas students fight for Dreamer Center. fightbacknews.org Arlington, TX — The Progressive Student Union commenced a call-in campaign April 13 to get the administration at the University of Texas at Arlington to formally establish a Dreamer Center on their campus. Dreamer Centers exist already on several campuses, including University of Utah, Mountain View College, as well as UTA's sister school the UT San Antonio. The latter has existed since 2018 due to student concerns that the undocumented students did not have adequate resources or protections due to the constant attacks on immigrants by the Trump administration. | This campaign was commenced as the universit…

Zero Hedge (2020-04-18). Watch: Failed Israeli Drone Strike On Top Hezbollah Official Caught In Rare Video. iranian.com Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) have once again ramped up operations along the southern Lebanese border at a moment Hezbollah leadership has declared it is "fully prepared for war with Israel". The latest escalation came Wednesday when an Israeli drone targeted a car full of Hezbollah operatives just inside Syria near the border with Lebanon. The Shia resistance organization said all …

teleSUR (2020-04-18). Colombia: Not Even the Pandemic Halts Killing of Social Leaders. telesurenglish.net Colombia's National Agrarian Coordinator (CNA) denounced that social leader Teodomiro Sotelo was assassinated on Friday while working on his farm in the El Tambo municipality. | RELATED: | "Armed individuals entered his property to murder him in front of his family and workers," local outlet El Colombiano reported and recalled that several farmers are migrating out of the area to avoid being new victims of violen…

teleSUR (2020-04-18). Brazil's Bolsonaro Wants Borders Reopened, Says Worth Risk. telesurenglish.net Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro called Friday for the reopening of the country's borders, as he pushes to restart South America's largest economy. Still, he conceded he might be blamed if the new coronavirus outbreak worsens as a result. | RELATED: | Bolsonaro fired his health minister on Thursday after clashing with him over lockdown measures, which the president argues are overly damaging to the economy and…

Sasha Abramsky (2020-04-17). 'The President Is Not a King': NY Attorney General Tish James. thenation.com 'The President Is Not a King': NY Attorney General Tish James…

Alan Macleod (2020-04-17). ICE is Deporting COVID-19 Positive Detainees from Private Immigration Prisons. mintpressnews.com By continuing deportations of quarantined detainees during a pandemic, ICE is greatly increasing the risk of spreading the deadly virus to other countries officials and activists warn,…

ACLU (2020-04-17). What it's Like in ICE Detention During a Pandemic. aclu.org As millions of people in the U.S. shelter in their homes, and millions more who aren't able to stay indoors practice social distancing or other measures to reduce the spread of COVID-19, a crisis is brewing in the facilities where immigrants are detained. Cramped conditions and inadequate access to hygiene or medical care have created what one medical expert called a "tinderbox" for the disease in a letter to Congress., , Many of those in detention are asylum seekers, who came to the U.S. to ask for protection after fleeing violence and persecution in their home countries. Many others were long-time U.S. resi…

Andrew Korybko (2020-04-17). Russia -China Relations: "Exchange of Criticisms" Regarding COVID-19 Crisis. globalresearch.ca The recent so-called "exchange of criticisms" between Russia and China over their respective border policies in response to World War C is more of a rare wrinkle in their relations caused by media reports than a growing rift that could …

splcenter (2020-04-16). La Iniciativa para la Liberación de Inmigrantes en el Sureste:Guía informativa de libertad condicional COVID-19 para patrocinadores. splcenter.org

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…

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…

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…

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.

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