First off: We are back – after a long hiatus barred behind firewalls and various projects! In its October 29th issue, German news magazine, DER SPIEGEL (article is in English), reports on inhumane expulsion practices by Greek officials dealing with refugees along the country's shores. German refugee rights organization ProAsyl and the Greek Group of Lawyers […]
Like many Brazilians, 27-year-old Jean Charles de Menezes moved to London for a change of environment, work opportunities and to benefit from the ever overvalued British Pound Sterling. The fate of this young man was not one of a typical South American migrant, being chased down by the London police and shot point blank during […]
The European Commission has moved ahead and voted on its plans for an EU-wide Blue Card, to mirror the US Green Card. Administrators hope this new procedure will allow Europe to attract and retain highly-skilled workers from around the globe. In comparison to traditional migration countries, such as the US, Canada and Australia, Europe is […]
In this week's roundup – a look at Finland, as it tries to become a destination country for immigrants. Two personal stories that are causing politicians to critically reexamine Austria's immigration legislation and a new report from UCSD that argues in favor of continued Mexican migration to the US to stem the adverse effects of […]
Thank you, Roger Cohen, thank you. We here on this humble little blog have underlined time and time again, how the Iraqi refugee issue is getting out of hand, and how the United States as leading military force in the country is failing to live up to its commitments in sharing the burden to secure […]
In a place like Toronto, Canada an interesting situation which rarely exists in many cities in the world is common place in the streets of Canada's largest city. Immigration is seen as a staple of Canadian society and economy, with over 50% of Toronto being foreign born, but at the same time the divisiveness of […]
It's official: the French Senate has voted in favor of a controversial new law that would introduce genetic testing for would-be migrants that want to be reunited with their families in France. The test would be applied only in cases where authorities were unsure of an existing blood relation. The government had introduced the proposal […]
This week's news roundup is truly a mixed basket of stories, including a look at the new US citizenship test, a new set of statistics on immigration, which raise a few questions for the Home Secretary in the UK and a story on how a new musical phenomenon is visualizing just how much Italian society […]
After the painful debate in the US about immigration this past year, none of the future Presidential candidates came out as a hero for the Hispanic voter in the intense conflict between individual Democrats and Republicans as well as within the parties themselves on how to change the US Immigration fiasco for the better. While […]
For all the outrage it caused, particularly among German commentators, you would assume that EU Commission Vice-President, Franco Frattini, had proposed throwing open the doors and letting in half of the African sub-continent. Naturally, as has continually been the case since the idea of a common European immigration policy first emerged as a top policy priority at […]
Immigration was the hot-button topic across Europe for much of this week (see our separate article on the Blue Card proposal). Following EU Commissioner Franco Frattini's announcement to introduce a Europe-wide measure to facilitate the immigration of highly-skilled workers to combat existing labor shortages, Member State governments fell all over themselves to criticize the measure, […]
In Canada in the large and economically significant Province of Ontario there is an election coming next month to decide who will run Canada's largest economy, yet the focus is not on recessions and profits, but on who has the right to demand funding for religious schooling in the Province of Ontario. Since the formation […]
This week's news roundup features a closer look at Prime Minister Gordon Brown's agenda on immigration, as well as a number of personal stories on asylum and Mexican-American relations: UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown has decided it is time to talk tough on immigration to outflank the Tories, as they try to garner that political […]
Anyone who has passed into Britain from Europe were surprised to see one if not several border checks entering the UK from the Eurostar and numerous Ferries passing through Britain and the Continent. Much of the fuss came from the realization that many of the UK's migrants came from other developed countries in Europe, most […]
Many in Africa and Eastern countries know Athens and Greece as the unofficial gateway to Europe. Many of the migrants coming from the Middle East, Asia, Africa and Eastern Europe often make their way to Greece to gain funds and documentation to start a life in Europe through making their living in the crowded and […]