French voters will take to the polls for the first round of presidential elections on April 22nd. Immigration and national identity have emerged as key topics in the debate between the four leading candidates: Nicolas Sarkozy of the conservative UMP, Ségolene Royal from the Socialist Party (PS), centrist candidate François Bayrou and Jean-Marie Le Pen, […]
The fate of boat people who seek a better life by taking to a voyage at sea to reach the shores of more prosperous countries are random at best. Three stories illustrate the conditions and result of such attempts to escape poverty around the world. In Senegal, with the results of poverty and recent civil […]
President Bush will take a ride near the US-Mexico Border today near Yuma, Arizona in a further attempt to create support for his "comprehensive immigration reform". With the upcoming presidential primaries, Bush is seeking support from the anti-immigration right of the Republican Party in order to produce one of his last significant policy initiatives before […]
In a special feature, the Financial Times offers a close look at two Zimbabweans trying to escape the economic hardship in their country for a better life in South Africa. (This application requires Macromedia Flash Player 7). The accompanying article can be read here. In the US, the New York Times features a number of […]
Canadians Abroad Part 3: Mohammed Al-Attar, a Canadian citizen and immigrant to Canada from Egypt was in court again on March 28th 2007. He was accused in addition with another three Israeli men for being intelligence officers for Israel who gave El-Attar orders to use money and sex to recruit Christian Egyptian-Canadians. The three others […]
On April 4th 2007, the continuing tensions surrounding US immigration reform and its effect on American industry was highlighted on a raid on the Cargill pork plant in Illinois. In the raid, 62 illegal immigrants were arrested and taken into custody. While they are part of an independent sanitation crew, the Cargill raid and make […]
The OECD is set to release a comprehensive report on migration today, showing that Australia, Canada and New Zealand – all countries which have skilled migrant schemes in place – have seen the fastest population growth over recent years. But the US and the UK remained the biggest destination countries, receiving nearly one million and […]
At the end of every week we will offer a regular look at the 'top stories’ on migration, integration, fundamental rights and the movement of people in general. In news from Europe, a riot at the Parisian Gare du Nord crystalizes the debate over immigration and national identity as a key issue in the French […]
Spring has sprung all across Europe. With the warming of the waters off the Spanish and Italian coasts, thousands of African migrants will again try to make their way to the promised land: Europe. Many, desperate for a better life, will become victims of human traffickers , will risk life and limb on open waters, […]
Canadians Abroad Part 2: The question of the rights of Canadian citizens abroad has recently come to light in the case of Mohamed El-Attar. El-Attar was put to trial on Feb 24th 2007 in Egypt for allegedly being a spy for the Israeli Mossad in Canada. He was picked up on January 1st on a […]
Canadians Abroad Part 1: The question of how immigrants should be treated, or considered equally among all social and cultural groups in a country was put to its greatest test in Canada in the summer of 2006. During the conflict between Israel and Lebanon last summer there was a flood of protests and criticisms against […]
Berlin played host to the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the signature of the Treaties of Rome, the cornerstone of the modern European Union over the weekend. Germany's presidency of the Council is a fortuitous coincidence, imbuing these celebrations with a particularly symbolic air. As one of the founding nations, a country divided until […]
Nearly 180,000 undocumented migrants in Germany will soon be able to live in the country legally – providing they have a job by 2009. This is one of the core provisions etched into the compromise solution hammered out between the members of the ruling coalition, the Social Democratic and Christian Democratic Parties last week. The […]
With approximately 12 million illegal immigrants from Mexico currently living in the United States, the focus of the last leg of Bush's Latin America Tour in Mexico was dominated by immigration issues. In the article “Mexico presses Bush over Immigration on Tour“, writer Steve Holland suggests that President Felipe Calderon of Mexico surprised many by placing […]
Elihu Root, a leading American International Lawyer argued in 1910 for the rights of Foreign Nationals. In states in which they were not citizens, there was an obligation under Customary International Law that national law must treat aliens as equal to that of their own citizens, as well, that there is an International Minimum Standard […]