Foreign Policy Blogs

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Weekly News Roundup

This week's news roundup covers EU initiatives to create a Common European Asylum System as well as France's possible new focus on immigration policy as well as highlighting opinion tools for Americans on their attitudes towards immigration after the failure of the Immigration Bill to be passed through the US Senate. Also stories on Aid […]

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Inaction and Amnesty: The Never-ending Story of Failed American Immigration Policy

Inaction and Amnesty: The Never-ending Story of Failed American Immigration Policy

The focus of President Bush's weekly radio address often takes to speaking about how support for the war in Iraq is necessary and how his immigration policy must be supported. While unfortunately there is no end to the War in Iraq in sight, the President's Immigration Reform might have had met it's final end this […]

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The Palestinians and Lebanon: An Overview

The Palestinians and Lebanon: An Overview

Last week was the 40th Anniversary of the Six Day War between Israel and its Arab neighbors in 1967. The attention on the Anniversary however was not given a glorious Battle of Britain style remembrance by much of the international media. Unlike many states who often take pride in remembering their victories in times of […]

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Weekly news roundup

Weekly news roundup

This week's news roundup covers the worrying situation of African migrants adrift at sea between the coasts of Libya and Malta and the failure of EU member states to act quickly and adequately to this human tragedy. We have also gathered the newest reports on the growing Iraqi refugee crisis and what European countries can […]

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Modern day slavery

German news magazine, Der Spiegel, has an in-depth look at the illegal immigrants that are the backbone of much of Europe's farming sector, ensuring that even Norway has the tomatoes, zucchini and strawberries throughout the winter. Most of the workers on the plantations are illegal immigrants, those that have risked life and limb travelling to […]

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Skilled Immigrants in the Americas: Canada and the United States

Skilled Immigrants in the Americas: Canada and the United States

In a report by the CBC.ca, a discussion of the wage gap between Canadian Immigrants since the 1960s and American Immigrants since the same period shows that there is a significant difference between the two groups of immigrants. The report states that in Canada there seems to be less of a wage gap, as 4 […]

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Is Bush Right on Immigration?

Is Bush Right on Immigration?

In her column on May 25th, Eleanor Clift of Newsweek discusses the benefits President Bush is gaining in the debate on new immigration policy. Her overview of the complex political views of Democrats who will most likely support Bush's initiative under the guidance of Ted Kennedy is an interesting dynamic since most Democrats have tried […]

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Skilled Immigrants and Work: What exactly is "Canadian Experience"?

Skilled Immigrants and Work: What exactly is "Canadian Experience"?

With current immigration reforms in the United States focusing on skilled immigrants and highly educated candidates in the new Senate Bill on Immigration, a comparison between another North American immigration system that deals with skilled labour and educated immigration candidates may shed some light on possible issues with future US immigration policy. In the neighbouring […]

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Spain and its Very Visible Refugee Problem

Spain and its Very Visible Refugee Problem

Spain has always held a unique position regarding immigration in Europe due to its proximity to Africa via the Straits of Gibraltar, its colonial possessions in North Africa, and the existence of the Canary Islands off the African coast. These Spanish Islands off the coast of Africa have made them a magnet for refugees from […]

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Deal or No Deal? Immigration Reform…

Deal or No Deal? Immigration Reform…

  In a continuation of last week's weekly update on the deal reached in the US Senate on Immigration Reform, approval and criticism of the bill has been voiced by both sides of the political right and political left. While perspectives on the right of the debate will likely claim the bill to be somewhat […]

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The guest-worker program lives

The first test to the fragile Senate compromise on immigration reform came in a  vote on Tuesday. Scrapping the guest worker provision would have rocked the boat too far and could have brought the fragile compromise to a collapse. Tuesday's vote, however, doesn't rule out the possibility to curtail the guest worker program to 200,000 […]

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Weighing in..

At the end of last week, senators announced their bipartisan compromise on immigration reform that combines border enforcement, a guest worker program, a path to legalization for illegal immigrants, tougher employer sanctions, and an education/skills-based point system for future immigrants. Rich Basas will comment on their proposal in the coming days. <>Already, the policy proposal […]

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Weekly news roundup

This week's news roundup takes a first look at France's new ministry of immigration and national identity, Switzerland's refusals to accept more Iraqi refugees and newest EU plans to curtail the number of illegal migrants employed throughout Europe: Nicolas Sarkozy is a man of his words. On May 18 he appointed Brice Hortefeux to lead […]

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Integration: more than a buzzword

Integration: more than a buzzword

The Migration Policy Group, a Brussels-based NGO and independent advisor to the European Union, has published the second edition of its ‘Handbook on Integration for Policy Makers and Practitioners.’ The handbook is the result of in-depth workshops with the National Contact Points on integration, which are a key element in the European Union's Hague Program. […]

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When statistics matter

When statistics matter

Conservative UK daily, the Telegraph, is reporting that official government immigration statistics are flawed and that UK councils are complaining: “The leaders of Slough, Westminster, Kensington and Chelsea, and Hammersmith and Fulham say a new method of calculating immigration, introduced last month, does not “remotely” represent the true picture. The new figures suggest London is […]

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