2021-02-04: News Headlines

Katherine Hearst (2021-02-04). How the Covid-19 pandemic impacted migration through the Mediterranean. middleeasteye.net How the Covid-19 pandemic impacted migration through the Mediterranean | While the European Union boasts of low numbers attempting the treacherous journey in 2020, migrants and rescue organisations paint a different picture | Thu, 02/04/2021 – 11: 21 | People rescued at sea sit on the deck of the Ocean Viking rescue ship, operated by French NGO, SOS Mediterranee, in the Mediterranean Sea o…

Staff (2021-02-04). "Viruses Know No Borders": In Push for Global Vaccine Equity, U.S. AIDS Program Offers Blueprint. democracynow.org As the U.S. COVID death toll tops 450,000, the Biden administration is attempting to ramp up its vaccination campaign to slow the spread of new coronavirus variants. Meanwhile, health experts warn any vaccination progress in the United States will be threatened without global vaccine equity. "We need to, as quickly as possible, expand access to the vaccines, both in this country, in the United States, as well as around the world," says Dr. Wafaa El-Sadr, director of the ICAP at Columbia University and professor of epidemiology and medicine at the Columbia Mailman School of Public Health. She argues that the U.S.

Teresa Gutierrez (2021-02-04). Immigrant/refugee rights: It's now or never, Joe. workers.org Since the beginning of the most recent war on immigrants — which took shape starting in 2006 with the hypercriminalization of undocumented workers — the U.S. Congress has repeatedly talked of passing legislation labeled "Comprehensive Immigration Reform" to right some of those wrongs. We are long past "reforms," however. Conditions . . . |

Inforum at Commonwealth Club (2021-02-04). Thursday 2/11: Islam, Immigration & Women's Rights: Ending Marginalization and Assault of Immigrant Women. indybay.org Online event…

_____ (2021-02-04). Migrant Deportations Continue Despite Biden's Policies. popularresistance.org The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) continues to deport migrants despite president Joe Biden's 100-day moratorium on deporting most people in the U.S. without authorization. This decision was barred by a federal judge in Texas last week. | During the first days of Biden's administration, ICE has deported hundreds of immigrants, including 269 people, to Guatemala and Honduras last Friday. The agency has been accused of violating human rights as a coalition of immigrant groups denounced that Cameroonian asylum seekers were tortured to be forced to approve their deportations.

Arjae Red (2021-02-04). Manifestantes apoyan a los huelguistas en Batavia, N.Y. workers.org Manifestantes se reúnen frente a la valla de alambre de púas de la detención del ICE en Batavia, Nueva York, el 19 de enero. En noviembre de 2020, los inmigrantes encarcelados en la cárcel del condado de Bergen, en Nueva Jersey, iniciaron una huelga de hambre para protestar por las . . . |

_____ (2021-02-04). 111 NGOs Call On Biden To Close Guantánamo. popularresistance.org On February 2, more than a hundred non-governmental organizations joined a letter led by the Center for Constitutional Rights and the Center for Victims of Torture, urging President Joe Biden to close the prison at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba and end indefinite military detention. The letter is signed by organizations ranging from those working to end anti-Muslim discrimination and torture to immigrant rights organizations and organizations working broadly on civil rights, civil liberties, and racial justice at the national and local level. It emphasizes the devastating and ongoing consequences of the prison, including…

Joe Bernick (2021-02-04). Anita Torrez, Southwestern labor leader and Communist activist, dies at 94. peoplesworld.org The American working class suffered a great loss on Jan. 31 with the passing of Anita Torrez. Torrez, who celebrated her 94th birthday last fall, spent almost her entire adult life in the struggles for economic justice and against racist and sexist discrimination. Born and raised by farmworkers in the small farming village of Gila, in Southwestern New …

yenisafak (2021-02-04). At least 24 irregular migrants held in Turkey. yenisafak.com At least 24 irregular migrants were held in different parts of Turkey on Thursday, sources said.Nine Iranian nationals were held in the Beyazkoy district of the northwestern Tekirdag province, close to the border with Greece.They were found on a bus stopped for a check by gendarmerie personnel, said the sources, asking not to be named due to restrictions on speaking to the media.The vehicle's driver, a Turkish national identified by the initials I.O., was arrested.In the central Nigde province, 15 Syrian nationals were held after police teams stopped and searched a bus on a highway connecting southeast Turkey to…

yenisafak (2021-02-04). Turkey 'neutralizes' 5 YPG/PKK terrorists in N.Syria. yenisafak.com Turkish security forces "neutralized" five YPG/PKK terrorists in a protected area across Turkey's southern border with Syria, the National Defense Ministry announced Thursday.The terrorists were trying to infiltrate the area of Turkey's cross-border anti-terror operations — Peace Spring and Euphrates Shield — to disrupt peace and security in the region, the ministry said on Twitter, adding that they had also opened harassing fire.Turkish authorities use the word "neutralized" to imply the terrorists in question surrendered or were killed or captured.Since 2016, Turkey has launched a trio of successful anti-ter…

_____ (2021-02-04). Groups In The South Are Working To Fix A Broken Farm Labor System. popularresistance.org For years, legal organizations and farmworker advocacy groups have sounded the alarm about the H-2A visa program — the most common legal route to hiring foreign agricultural workers. Faced with massive worker shortages, farmers in the South have increasingly turned to foreign laborers, who come to work on temporary employer-sponsored visas. | The program, which ties employees and their visas to the employer, is rife with abuse. Wage theft is rampant, forced labor is common, and the contracts employers sign, which guarantee certain hours and living conditions, are rarely honored. On top of that the U.S. Depa…

Gregory Wilpert (2021-02-03). The Mixed Record of Mexico's AMLO, Two Years In. theanalysis.news Laura Carlsen talks to guest host Greg Wilpert about Andrés Manuel Lopez Obrador's first two years in office, including his mixed record on the pandemic, corruption, social justice, and immigration.

MEE and agencies (2021-02-03). Hezbollah fires missiles at Israeli drone over southern Lebanon. middleeasteye.net Hezbollah fires missiles at Israeli drone over southern Lebanon | Lebanese security sources say the anti-aircraft missiles failed to hit target, which returned to Israel | Wed, 02/03/2021 – 14: 35 | Naqura, south of the Lebanese city of Tyre, which is controlled by the United Nations peacekeeping force (Unifil), on the border with Israel (AFP) | Anti-aircraft missiles were fired at an Isra…

Lola Loustaunan (2021-02-03). Fighting the "Immigrant Threat" indybay.org Milkman shows how the flux of low-wage immigrants into the U.S. workforce in recent decades is "not the cause either of the massive economic restructuring that began in the 1970s or the accompanying growth of economic inequality and labor degradation," but precisely a consequence of these developments.

Staff (2021-02-03). Immigration Advocates Welcome New "Tone" But Urge Biden Admin for More Concrete Change. democracynow.org Hundreds have been deported in the last week, even as President Biden signed several executive orders Tuesday to undo the Trump administration's hard-line anti-immigration policies. The orders include a push to reunify families torn apart under Trump's "zero tolerance" policy and a review of the Trump policy known as "Remain in Mexico" that requires non-Mexican asylum seekers to wait in Mexico as their immigration cases wind through court, leaving tens of thousands waiting in dangerous conditions along the border. Reporter Aura Bogado says that despite the Biden administration's new "tone," continued deportations…

commondreams (2021-02-03). Lawsuit Filed Over Migrant Deaths at U.S.-Mexico Border. commondreams.org ______________________________…

RT (2021-02-03). Supreme Court pauses Trump immigration cases, as Biden plans to overturn Trump policies & orders a review of 'kids in cages'. rt.com The US Supreme Court has canceled arguments on two Trump-era immigration and border security cases, as President Joe Biden eases Donald Trump's "zero tolerance" policies. However, the controversial detention of minors continues. | The cases related to Trump's use of military funding to build his long-promised wall on the US-Mexico border, and his "remain in Mexico" asylum policy that required Central American migrants to wait in Mexico while their US asylum claims were processed. Both cases had been challenged by lower courts, and the Supreme Court was preparing to hear oral arguments in their favor until the…

Staff (2021-02-03). Immigration Advocates Urge Biden Administration for More Concrete Change. truthout.org Hundreds have been deported in the last week, even as President Biden signed several executive orders Tuesday to undo the Trump administration's hard-line anti-immigration policies. The orders include a push to reunify families torn apart under Trump's "zero tolerance" policy and a review of the Trump policy known as "Remain in Mexico" that requires non-Mexican asylum seekers to wait in Mexico as their immigration cases wind through court, leaving tens of thousands waiting in dangerous conditions al…

Online News Editor (2021-02-03). Biden begins to dismantle Trump's anti-immigrant measures. laprensalatina.com Washington, Feb 2 (efe-epa).- US President Joe Biden acted Tuesday on his promise to dismantle the immigration policies of his predecessor, Donald Trump, by announcing a set of orders aimed to reunite separated families, restore the asylum system and address the causes of migration with regional partners. Biden signed the measures hours after the Senate …

Ralph Nader (2021-02-03). The Struggle Inside Senator Mitch McConnell's Brain. commondreams.org Allowing the Trumpian half of his brain to overpower his judgment and vote to acquit Dangerous Donald would spell disaster for the Republican Party (assuming the Democratic Party doesn't go to sleep as it did after Obama's win in 2008). | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/mcconnell_biden_0.jpg

Rebekah Entralgo (2021-02-03). Tackling Prison Profiteers Will Take More Than Banning Private Prisons. zcomm.org To fully address profit-driven punishment, the Biden administration will need to take aim at every tendril of the private prison industry — including immigration detention centers…

Rebekah Entralgo (2021-02-03). Biden's Private Prison Reform Must Include Immigration Detention Centers. commondreams.org To fully address profit-driven punishment, the Biden administration will need to take aim at every tendril of the private prison industry. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/privateprisons.jpg

Amy Goodman (2021-02-03). Immigration advocates welcome new 'tone' but urge Biden admin for more concrete change. nationofchange.org Despite the Biden administration's new "tone," continued deportations of vulnerable people demonstrate "a continuation of the same practices that happened under President Trump and previously under Obama."

The Xerces Society (2021-02-03). Western Monarch Population Closer to Extinction; Still no Federal or State Protection in Sight. indybay.org Population that winters along the California coast hit a low of less than 2,000 butterflies—a 99.9% decline since the 1980s. We must take action now to save the western monarch migration.

RT (2021-02-02). Brexit grace periods must be extended to ensure supplies reach Northern Irish supermarkets, says UK's Gove. rt.com Grace periods for new Brexit rules should be extended to give businesses more time to adapt, UK Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove said on Tuesday, following delays on goods entering Northern Ireland due to border checks. | "We do need to make sure grace periods are extended so that supermarkets can continue to provide consumers with goods they need," Gove told MPs, adding that he would not call the disruption to imports "teething problems," as Prime Minister Boris Johnson had. | Gove's comments come amid ongoing delays in many fresh goods from the UK mainland reaching supermarket shelves in Northern Ireland…

Mark Gruenberg (2021-02-02). Catholic panel wrestles with gap between Biden, bishops on sexuality issues. peoplesworld.org WASHINGTON—When it comes to comprehensive immigration reform, combatting climate change, tackling endemic racism, and closing the yawning gap between the rich and the rest of us, the nation's Catholic bishops, its president who is a practicing Catholic, Joe Biden, and Pope Francis I are all on the same page. So are Biden, the bishops, and …

Staff (2021-02-02). Headlines for February 2, 2021. democracynow.org U.S. Tops 26 Million COVID-19 Vaccine Shots, Surpassing Confirmed Coronavirus Cases , Biden Takes Executive Action to Reverse Trump Immigration Policies as Deportations Continue, Senate Republicans Meet at White House to Press Far Smaller Coronavirus Relief Bill, South Africa Receives First COVID-19 Vaccines; New Variant Linked to Reinfections in Brazil, WHO Team Probes Virus Origins in Wuhan; Australia Puts Perth on Lockdown After Single COVID-19 Case, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Reveals She Is a Sexual Assault Survivor in Video Recalling Jan. 6 Capitol Attack, Trump Hires New Lawyers. One Declined to Prosecute Bil…

Staff (2021-02-02). Alexei Navalny Faces "Kafkaesque" Charges in Russia for Breaking Parole While in Poison-Induced Coma. democracynow.org Russian authorities have arrested thousands of people during anti-government protests in support of jailed opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who has been held in jail since returning to Russia on January 17 after recovering in Germany from an attempt on his life in August using the nerve agent Novichok. Navalny has accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of being behind the poisoning that nearly killed him. While Navalny has emerged as Russia's leading opposition figure and anti-corruption campaigner, his political roots have links to right-wing nationalist and anti-immigrant causes. Joshua Yaffa, Moscow corresp…

Staff (2021-02-02). Biden Plans Task Force to Reunite Migrant Families Separated by Trump. truthout.org President Joe Biden is planning to sign three executive orders on Tuesday, meant to dismantle a number of actions from the previous administration that will, according to one official, make the process of migration to the U.S. more humane and fair. | Perhaps the most notable of these three orders will be Biden's call for the creation of a task force to reunite children who were separated from their families under a Trump administration policy that was called "zero tolerance." Ostensibly put into pla…

Cronkite News Arizona PBS (2021-02-02). Dreamers in Arizona Enthusiastically welcome Biden's immigration plan, but older Immigrants say it doesn't go far enough. juancole.com By Emma VandenEinde and Tyler Manion | — ( Cronkite News ) — PHOENIX — On his first day in office, President Joe Biden sent to Congress his plan to reform the U.S. immigration system. The bill includes preserving the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or DACA, and outlines a path to permanent residence …

Zoya Teirstein (2021-02-02). Latest Trump EPA rule to get tossed? The 'secret science' ban. peoplesworld.org Former President Donald Trump will forever leave his mark on the federal government, but some of his administration's rules aren't standing the test of time. President Biden wants to reconsider and possibly scrap more than 100 anti-environmental actions his predecessor took during his term, including Trump's efforts to weaken protections for migratory birds and gray wolves and …

Claire Mullen (2021-02-02). The Body, the State, the Border: On Cristina Rivera Garza. thenation.com The Body, the State, the Border: On Cristina Rivera Garza…

Laura Flanders (2021-02-02). Latinx Farmworkers Are Purchasing Failing Farms From White Owners. zcomm.org Latinx farm owners stand at the intersection of racial justice and food justice and offer new hope in the future of sustainable farming in the U.S.

sputniknews (2021-02-02). 'Hitting the Brakes Isn't Enough': Rights Groups Push for Biden to Tear Down Trump's Border Wall. sputniknews.com The Trump administration waved 28 different federal laws concerning environmental health, endangered species, water safety, and Native American sovereignty in order to build former US President Donald Trump's border wall pet project on the US-Mexico border.

Rafael Figueroa (2021-02-02). Guatemalan Native Graduates Early From Tupelo High, Earns Permanent U.S. Residence. laprensalatina.com TUPELO (Daily Journal) — In the summer of 2016, 14-year-old Guatemalan native Dionicio Recinos crossed the United States border alone. In May, five years after he crossed the U.S. border, he'll cross the stage at Tupelo High School to receive his diploma. Recinos was raised in the town of Concepción Huista in the department of …

Ren R, Zhang Y, Li Q, et al. (2021-02-02). Asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 Infections Among Persons Entering China From April 16 to October 12, 2020. jamanetwork.com This population epidemiology study characterizes trends in the prevalence of asymptomatic severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection among international entrants testing positive for SARS-CoV-2 at Chinese border checkpoints between mid-April and mid-October 2020.

Dan Beeton (2021-02-02). Will Biden Get Serious about Addressing Root Causes of Displacement and Migration? cepr.net President Biden is signing new executive orders today to enact reforms to US immigration policy. One that is sure to be a focus of much media discussion, and which has already emerged as a symbol of the differences between Biden's and former president Trump's respective approaches to migration from Latin America and elsewhere, is the …

Online News Editor (2021-02-01). Mexican immigration agents to be probed for potential role in massacre. laprensalatina.com Mexico City, Feb 1 (efe-epa).- Mexico's government said Monday that immigration agents will be investigated for their alleged involvement in a massacre in a rural area of the country's northeast. News of the probe comes 10 days after the charred remains of 19 people — among them Guatemalan citizens — were discovered in the state …