Daily Archives: May 27, 2020

2020-05-27: News Headlines

Alexia Ramirez (2020-05-27). ICE Records Confirm that Immigration Enforcement Agencies are Using Invasive Cell Phone Surveillance Devices. aclu.org For years, immigration enforcement agencies have been using invasive cell phone surveillance technology known as Stingrays in near-total secrecy. To find out more, the ACLU and New York Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit under the Freedom of Information Act, and now we've forced the agencies to turn over documents revealing new details about the agencies' practices. Today, we are publishing

WSWS (2020-05-27). Thomson Reuters actively helping Trump administration target immigrants. wsws.org The parent company of the Reuters news agency has been aiding Immigration and Customs Enforcement with the targeting of immigrants for arrest, detention and deportation.

news.un (2020-05-27). UN agencies welcome donor pledges for Venezuelan refugees and migrants. news.un.org The UN refugee and migration agencies have welcomed $2.79 billion pledged by donors at a solidarity conference aimed at supporting Venezuelans who fled the protracted crisis in their country for host communities across the region.

Amanda Priebe (2020-05-27). Towards a borderless world where we can all "just stay home" zcomm.org Now may be a strange time to call for border abolition, but as the pandemic has shown: we are collectively no safer than the least protected among us…

graham (2020-05-27). First to close — first to reopen: Denmark's gain from virus response. truepublica.org.uk Denmark was one of the first European countries to close down its public spaces to stem the spread of coronavirus, shutting its borders, schools and restaurants in mid-March. Its swift response seems to have paid off. As Covid-19 cases plummeted, Denmark last month became the first EU nation to reopen primary schools. Its restaurants, hairdressers, …

Paul Antonopoulos (2020-05-26). Washington Keeps Accusing China of Orchestrating Border Clashes with India. globalresearch.ca The US is supporting India towards a military confrontation with China on their land border and in the Indian Ocean. The Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs, who is about to retire from …

Kevin Zeese (2020-05-26). Tenants Buy Properties From Negligent Landlord Who Tried To Evict Them. popularresistance.org Thirty-eight families in south Minneapolis will gain ownership of their five apartment buildings after spending years battling with their landlord, Stephen Frenz, who had been trying to evict them. | "This is an amazing victory. I am so happy," Chloe Jackson said in a statement Monday. She is a resident of one of the properties and board president of the tenant's rights group Inquilinxs Unidxs Por Justicia (United Renters for Justice). Eviction seemed certain once the pandemic hit since the families — most of whom are immigrants and don't have health care or access to government benefits — had collect…

Michael Flynn, Katie Welsford (2020-05-26). COVID-19 Reveals the Inherent Vindictiveness of Migration Detention. commondreams.org Asylum seekers protest inside the Mantra Hotel in Preston, Melbourne, Australia. May 16, 2020. (Picture by Micheal Dodge/AAP/PA Images. All rights reserved) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/asylum.jpg

Sasha Abramsky (2020-05-26). Trump's Gutter Politics Just Keep Getting Nastier. thenation.com Trump's Gutter Politics Just Keep Getting Nastier…

Fight Back (2020-05-26). North Milwaukee COVID-19 testing site closure leaves Black community with few options. fightbacknews.org Milwaukee, WI – On May 7, Wisconsin governor Tony Evers declared a COVID-19 testing plan that would focus on reaching all Blacks, Latinos and indigenous people in Wisconsin. The sites would be administered by and staffed by members of the Wisconsin National Guard. The significance of these sites was that individuals would be able to receive testing regardless of symptoms, healthcare or appointment. | Beginning on May 11, the City of Milwaukee opened two testing centers: the Midtown Center site, located on the North Side, home to the vast majority of the city's Black residents; and a second one at the United Migra…

Staff (2020-05-27). "Horrifying Neglect": COVID-19 Deaths in ICE Custody Spark New Calls for Mass Release of Prisoners. democracynow.org Calls are growing for Immigration and Customs Enforcement to release people from detention during the pandemic, as two people have died from COVID-19 while in custody. We speak with The Intercept's Ryan Devereaux, who reported on how Carlos Ernesto Escobar Mejia, held at the Otay Mesa Detention Center, suffered horrifying neglect before he passed away. We are also joined by Erika Andiola with RAICES Action. "None of those folks — especially people who migrated seeking asylum — they did not do anything to deserve a life sentence in a detention center," Andiola notes.

Staff (2020-05-26). Headlines for May 26, 2020. democracynow.org U.S. Nears 100,000 Deaths from COVID-19 as Trump Shuns Face Masks, Goes After Democrats on Twitter, Trump Threatens to Pull RNC Out of North Carolina If Dem Governor Refuses to Allow Packed Crowds, Second Immigrant in ICE Jail Dies from COVID-19, U.S. to Deport Haitian Death Squad Leader and COVID-Positive Haitians Amid Pandemic, U.S. Restricts Travel from Brazil as It Becomes Second Most Infected Country, South American Nations Experience Mounting Cases as New Epicenter of the Pandemic, Boris Johnson Faces Pressure over Reopening Country and Lockdown-Flouting Adviser, WHO Suspends Tests of Hydroxychloroquine as…

RT (2020-05-27). Switzerland to reopen borders to all neighbors except Italy. rt.com The Swiss government unveiled plans on Wednesday to reopen borders with all neighboring countries except for Italy. Switzerland wants to restore free movement of people with other member countries of the Schengen Area by July 6. | Switzerland, which had previously closed its borders, reaffirmed plans with France, Germany and Austria to lift all travel restrictions among the four countries on June 15 due to the positive development of the pandemic, Reuters said. | The extraordinary situation that has been in place since March giving Bern heightened powers will be lifted on June 19. The government said that publ…

RT (2020-05-27). Belgrade blocks flights from 'coronavirus-free' Montenegro as Podgorica doesn't welcome Serbians. rt.com The Serbian government has banned inbound flights by Montenegro's flag carrier Montenegro Airlines after Podgorica refused to open its borders to people from Serbia, where coronavirus persists. Serbia's Directorate for Civilian Aviation said it decided to act as Montenegro's move affects reciprocity in air transportation. | Montenegro's Prime Minister Dusko Markovic declared his country free of coronavirus on Monday. The PM said Montenegro would open its borders to travelers from countries reporting no more than 25 cases of infection per 100,000 people. Serbia, where the infection rate is higher, was not on th…