(2020-04-21). Death Trap Jail: Pepper-Sprayed, Otay Mesa Detainees Demand Release as COVID-19 Spreads Inside. democracynow.org 
We look at the mounting number of COVID-19 cases inside immigration jails across the country and one of the largest outbreaks at the Otay Mesa Detention Center near San Diego, run by private prison company CoreCivic. Prisoners were told to sign contracts, written only in English, in exchange for receiving face masks. When some refused to sign, guards pepper-sprayed them. This comes as activists say hundreds imprisoned in detention centers in California are on hunger strike. We get an update from Ruth Mendez, community activist and volunteer with Otay Mesa Detention Resistance.
(2020-04-21). Pepper-Sprayed, Otay Mesa Detainees Demand Release as COVID-19 Spreads Inside. truthout.org Image Credit: AFSC — San Diego | We look at the mounting number of COVID-19 cases inside immigration jails across the country and one of the largest outbreaks at the Otay Mesa Detention Center near San Diego, run by private prison company CoreCivic. Prisoners were told to sign contracts, written only in English, in exchange for receiving face masks. When some refused to sign, guards pepper-sprayed them. This comes as activists say hundreds imprisoned in detention centers in California are o…
(2020-04-21). Trump to Suspend Immigration to the U.S. Due to COVID-19. telesurenglish.net The RELATED: | "In light of the attack from the invisi…
(2020-04-21). American dream suspended: Trump says he's signing order to halt immigration into US 'in light of attack' from coronavirus. rt.com 
US President Donald Trump said he will sign an executive order suspending all immigration into the United States, citing the need to protect American jobs amid the ongoing Covid-19 crisis. | "In light of the attack from the Invisible Enemy, as well as the need to protect the jobs of our GREAT American Citizens, I will be signing an Executive Order to temporarily suspend immigration into the United States!" Trump said in a tweet on Monday night. | In light of the attack from the Invisible Enemy, as well as the need to protect the jobs of our GREAT American Citizens, I will be signing an Executive Order to tempo…
(2020-04-21). Trump announces 60-day immigration ban to shield American workers from competition. rt.com 
US President Donald Trump has ordered a two-month pause in issuing most work visas, so that more than 22 million Americans made unemployed by coronavirus lockdowns will not face as much competition. | The 60-day moratorium will apply only to immigrants seeking permanent residence permits, also known as "green cards," Trump said on Tuesday at the daily White House press conference about the US coronavirus response. | "By pausing immigration we'll help put unemployed Americans first in line for jobs as America reopens," the president said. "It would be wrong and unjust for Americans laid off by the virus to be r…
(2020-04-21). Trump Tweets Plan to Suspend All Immigration to US. truthout.org President Donald Trump "In light of the attack from the Invisible Enemy, as well as the need to protect the jobs of our GREAT Ameri…
(2020-04-21). Thailand announces second automatic 3-month visa extension for foreigners. rt.com 
The Thai government approved a second automatic visa extension for foreigners for three more months on Tuesday. The move could prevent long queues at immigration centers and stem the spread of the coronavirus. | Foreigners whose visas had expired since March 26 will be permitted to stay until July 30 without having to apply for an extension, said Narumon Pinyosinwat, spokeswoman for Thailand's cabinet. | A similar extension was granted until April 30. Thailand has since late March banned entry to foreigners, except diplomats and work-permit holders, to combat the Covid-19 outbreak. | Earlier on Tuesday, the So…
(2020-04-21). Headlines for April 21, 2020. democracynow.org Trump Says He Will Shut Down All Immigration to the U.S. Amid Coronavirus Pandemic, Southern States to Reopen Businesses Despite Mounting COVID-19 Cases | , Coronavirus Cases Surging in Massachusetts , NY Nurses Sue over Lack of Protection Against Coronavirus, MTA Moves Ahead with Increase in Police Force Despite Financial Hardship and Drop in Riders | , Federal Judge Orders ICE to Consider Releasing Immigrants Vulnerable to COVID-19, SCOTUS to Consider Crucial Role of DACA First Responders, Airline Industry Receives $3 Billion in Gov't Funds as Flight Attendants Denounce Working Conditions, Disney to Stop Paying…
(2020-04-21). COVID-19 lockdown leaves Gulf states' migrant workers penniless in unsanitary conditions. wsws.org Unable to return home because of travel restrictions or their countries' refusal to accept them, migrants are left to fester in lockdown, confined to overcrowded, unsanitary dormitories without access to either health care or help.
(2020-04-21). Millions in US Won't Get Stimulus Aid for Marrying Migrants. telesurenglish.net Millions of United States (U.S.) citizens are being excluded from the US$2 trillion coronavirus relief package because they are married to a migrant, local media including the Dallas Morning News and the Los Angeles Times have reported. | RELATED: | The large group of those who won't get help is made of citizens who file taxes jointly with a spouse using an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN), an identification…
(2020-04-21). Anti-Immigrant Movement Has History of Politicizing Disease. splcenter.org COVID-19, also known as the coronavirus, is the latest disease the nativist movement has politicized to demonize immigrants.
(2020-04-21). NYC Immigrant Communities Fight Hunger, Exploitation & Invisibility Through Mutual Aid. democracynow.org 
We look at how the coronavirus pandemic is impacting undocumented people here in New York City, where the coronavirus has hit immigrant communities the hardest, even as the numbers of daily deaths statewide has declined in recent days. As reports of widespread poverty and hunger continue in the immigrant communities, people are also organizing and helping each other through mutual aid despite extraordinarily difficult circumstances. We are joined by Juan Carlos Ruiz, Lutheran pastor at Good Shepherd Church in Brooklyn and co-founder of the national New Sanctuary Movement and the New Sanctuary Coalition here in Ne…
(2020-04-21). Mass COVID-19 infection among migrant workers in Singapore. wsws.org The number of COVID-19 infections is exploding in the Singapore workers' camps.
(2020-04-21). Singapore extends partial lockdown until June 1. rt.com 
Singapore has extended by four weeks until June 1 a partial lockdown to curb the spread of coronavirus infections, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said on Tuesday. The measures, which include the closures of most workplaces and schools, were initially set to run from April 7 until May 4. | The city-state on Tuesday confirmed 1,111 new coronavirus cases, taking the total infections to 9,125, Reuters said. | Most of the cases were migrant workers living in dormitories — a group that accounts for more than three-quarters of Singapore's total infections, according to its health ministry. | The World Health Org…
(2020-04-21). 1,800 refugee minors unaccounted for in Germany — report. rt.com 
Almost 1,800 refugee children and teenagers have disappeared without a trace in Germany, according to reports circulated by German news agency Funke Mediengruppe, raising concerns over human trafficking. | Europe has seen a significant influx of refugees in recent years — just over 100,000 people had arrived at EU borders by mid-November 2019, according to a recent report A significant proportion of refugees consists of those under the age of 18, and many of thes…
(2020-04-21). Australian journalist still faces prosecution despite illegal police raid. wsws.org The High Court ruled the raid's search warrant "invalid" but allowed the federal police to keep the seized material for use to lay criminal charges.
(2020-04-21). LCLAA Demand Full Staffing Of Cal/OSHA To Protect Farmworkers & Essential Workers. indybay.org Labor Council For Latin American Advancement has called on Governor Newsom to protect farmworkers, their families and all essential workers. They want the hiring of 1,000 inspectors and 500 educators…
(2020-04-20). US Deports COVID-19 Positive Migrant, Infects 14 in Mexico. telesurenglish.net At least 15 migrants from several countries tested positive for coronavirus at a shelter in northern Mexico, Tamaulipas state authorities said Monday, adding a man carrying the virus and deported from Houston, Texas had infected most of the others. | RELATED: | A Mexican man deported at the McAllen-Reynosa border has also tested positive, the Tamaulipas state health department said in a statement. | Guatemala…
(2020-04-20). Headlines for April 20, 2020. democracynow.org U.S. Fatalities Top 40,000; Nursing Homes Hit Hard as Death Tolls Soar | , Trump and Governors at Odds over Coronavirus Testing as Uneven Reopening of States Commences, Right-Wing Groups Organize Anti-Lockdown Protests Around the Country | , New Deal on Relief for Small Businesses Could Be Imminent But May Lack Key Democratic Provisions, Immigrant Prisoners at Otay Mesa Launch Hunger Strike, Denounce Inhumane Treatment | , Michael Cohen to Be Released from Federal Detention as Prisoners Nationwide Face Mounting Coronavirus Risk, Italy Records Lowest Daily Death Toll in a Week; Spain & France Also Show Signs of Pr…
(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…
(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…
(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.
(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…
(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…
(2020-04-16). La Iniciativa para la Liberación de Inmigrantes en el Sureste:Guía informativa de libertad condicional COVID-19 para patrocinadores. splcenter.org …
(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.
(2020-04-21). Turkey, Russia hold fifth joint patrol in Idlib, Syria. yenisafak.com Turkish and Russian military forces have carried out another joint patrol along a key highway in northwestern Syria, said Turkey's Defense Ministry on Tuesday."Fifth combined Turkish-Russian land patrol was conducted today by air and ground vehicles on M4 motorway in Syria's Idlib province, as part of the earlier TR-RF agreement," the ministry said on Twitter.The M4 highway, also known as the Aleppo-Al Hasakah road, is about 30 kilometers (19 miles) from Turkey's southern border.Last month, Ankara and Moscow agreed on a protocol urging parties to "cease all military actions along the line of contact in the Idlib…
(2020-04-21). Trump Temporarily Suspends All Immigration Into The United States. iranian.com In a stunning turn of events, late on Monday, President Trump tweeted that "In light of the attack from the Invisible Enemy, as well as the need to protect the jobs of our GREAT American Citizens, I will be signing an Executive Order to temporarily suspend immigration into the United States!" twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1252418369170501639 Trump did not …
(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 …
(2020-04-21). Car caravan protesters demand release of immigrant detainees in Arizona. peoplesworld.org 
TUCSON, Ariz. — Over 200 cars carrying protesters rallied outside the Eloy and La Palma immigrant detention centers in central Arizona on Friday, April 10, demanding the release of all immigration detainees. The rally was organized by the Puente Human Rights Movement, No More Deaths and Trans Queer Pueblo. All detainees are at high risk …
(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…
(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…
(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…
(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…
(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.
(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.
(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.
(2020-04-01). SPLC, partners seek temporary restraining order to prevent immigration courts from becoming public health hazard. splcenter.org …
(2020-03-30). Southeast Immigrant Freedom Initiative: COVID-19 Parole Informational Guide for Sponsors. splcenter.org …