In a few underreported incidents, last Thursday a migrant boat with 20 aboard disappeared in the Mediterranean Sea near Sicily on its way to Europe. Last Wednesday, 23 migrants were also picked up by Italian coastguards found clinging to a tuna cage near Sicily. Numerous other migrants were picked up as well last week from […]
The failure of Immigration reform in the US marked a special occasion in recent US political history where both parties have come to complete consensus over an issue, and have decided that NO ONE can agree on anything when it comes to reforming the unworkable immigration laws in the United States. The plan was finally […]
The US Senate's failure to move the compromise bill on immigration reform forward has dominated headlines over the past few days. Meanwhile, the election of the first black mayor in Ireland is being heralded as a success of that country's integration policies. As Portugal takes over the rotating EU Council Presidency from Germany for the […]
German news magazine, Der Spiegel, features the story of a 15-year unplanned migration of a different type. Navigating the treacherous waters of the Pacific in 1992, a container ship from Hong Kong bound for Tacoma, WA. lost some of its precious cargo: 29,000 rubber ducks, frogs and plastic turtles were dumped into the ocean. These […]
With the fate of many African migrants often being one of death from the failure of rickety boats used to move them towards the European coast, nervous smugglers ejecting their "clients" during the journey, or just a lack of action from receiving countries to save stranded migrants from drowning, there has been some recent progressive […]
On Tuesday, another attempt to bring the Senate Immigration Reform Bill into the crosshairs of American policymakers and bring the reform bill back to the Senate floor was created by President Bush and supporters of immigration reform in the United States. The general impression is that the bill will likely fail to be passed again, […]
The New York Times is reporting a wonderful story about a satirical column by Gustavo Arellano, which runs in the alternative Orange County, CA. newspaper. The friendly advice column Ask a Mexican! has dedicated itself to openly addressing stereotypes that often plague the relationship between the large Mexican immigrant population and the rest of the […]
Much happened in migration related matters across the globe this week. Following the conservative victory in the parliamentary elections, the French president moved ahead on realizing his new restrictive immigration policies, while at the same time creating the most inclusive government in the country's history. Elsewhere, US conservatives are stepping up the pressure to move […]
Today marks the sixth annual World Refugee Day. Back in 2000, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution in solidarity with Africa, which hosted the greatest number of internally displaced people in the world. The Assembly decided that the first World Refugee Day should coincide with the 50th anniversary of the Convention relating to the […]
Tomorrow is World Refugee Day and we will cover events commemorating the plight of refugees, the anguish, suffering and isolation they feel in abandoning their homelands, along with the efforts of the international community to ease their situations and raise awareness over the course of the day tomorrow. Our fellow FPA blogger, Cassandra Clifford, has […]
The predicted landslide didn't quite happen, but Nicolas Sarkozy is a happy man nonetheless. Despite his party's losses in the second round of the parliamentary elections in France, Sarkozy has enough backing to push through his presidential agenda and quickly at that. The International Herald Tribune provided an update on just how quickly Monsieur Le […]
German industrial associations are reporting a marked shortage of blue collar workers in certain sectors to keep up with rising demand. On June 8, Ludwig Gerhard Braun, President of the country's Chambers of Industry and Commerce, went on the record to demand the economy open itself to qualified migrants as a part of a comprehensive […]
This week's news roundup covers the aftermath of the failed reforms US Immigration policy initiative as well as covering further developments on the tragedy of the missing migrants and the EU response to this new scandal. Also a story on possible inequalities in the UK immigration system for skilled migrants is included: The Financial Times […]
In my personal experience as a legal advisor to refugee claimants in Canada there was a duty to follow the laws, respect the country I was living in and do the best for my clients. While many cases were falsified, and others were very legitimate, there was always one problem in the system that stood […]
The UK's immigration policy has always been viewed as one of the most open in Europe and possibly worldwide. Since 1997, the Labour government has adopted a relaxed immigration policy, swelling the immigrant population in the UK by 1.5 million people since the Labour government came into power in 97'. While the UK was praised […]