Tag: ASYLUM

Biden unveils sweeping Mexico border curbs as election looms

By Danny KEMP WASHINGTON, June 5, 2024 (AFP) – The United States will temporarily close its Mexico border to asylum seekers from Wednesday, as President Joe Biden tries to neutralize his political weakness on migration ahead of November’s election battle with Donald Trump. The 81-year-old Democrat signed a long-awaited executive order taking effect at midnight to “gain control” of the southern frontier with Mexico, after record numbers of illegal border crossings sparked concerns among voters. […]

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Malaysian killer freed from Australian immigration detention: lawyer

SYDNEY, Nov 13, 2023 (AFP) – A Malaysian former bodyguard convicted in the 2006 murder of a Mongolian translator has been released after eight years in Australian immigration detention, his lawyer said Monday. Sirul Azhar Umar fled Malaysia after being sentenced to hang for the gruesome slaying of Altantuya Shaariibuu, who worked as an interpreter on a $2 billion French submarine deal that was mired in allegations of corruption. Sirul has long insisted the killing […]

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New York to limit migrant families’ stays

NEW YORK, Oct 16, 2023 (AFP) – New York will start limiting the length of time that asylum-seeking families can stay in city shelters, the mayor announced Monday. Mayor Eric Adams said the largest US city is “full” and cannot continue to accept the rate of migrant arrivals it has seen in recent months. “For over a year, New York City has led the response to this national crisis, but significant additional resources, coordination, and […]

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British archives show Thatcher approved Cory Aquino’s asylum request during height of 1986 People Power

LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — British prime minister Margaret Thatcher granted Corazon Aquino’s request for asylum at the height of the uprising that swept her to power in the Philippines, according to newly declassified files released on Tuesday. Aquino headed the four-day 1986 People Power Revolution that ended the 21-year rule of president Ferdinand Marcos. He had declared victory in a snap election tainted by fraud allegations. During the turmoil, Aquino sought sanctuary in the […]

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Palace hits US judge grant of asylum to Filipino couple who claimed political persecution in PHL

(Eagle News) — The Palace on Tuesday, Dec. 10, hit a United States judge grant of asylum to a Filipino couple who claimed they might suffer political persecution if they are sent back to the Philippines because they were Duterte critics. The asylum to Rene Flores and his wife joy, who had been staying in the US since 2000, was granted by a San Francisco immigration judge last week. “The Palace finds it amusing that […]

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Iranian beauty queen barred from entering PHL

(Eagle News)–An Iranian beauty queen was prevented from entering the country. Justice spokesperson Markk Perete said Bahare Zare Bahari was barred from entering the Philippines because of an interpol red notice issued against her, according to information from the Bureau of Immigration. Perete said the red notice was based on a criminal case for assault filed against her in Iran by a fellow Iranian. The assault allegedly happened here in the Philippines, he said. “While […]

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Top US court allows Trump asylum restrictions to take effect

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The US Supreme Court on Wednesday allowed asylum restrictions by President Donald Trump’s administration to take effect, preventing most Central American migrants from applying at the US border. The top court stayed a decision by a lower court two days earlier that had blocked the restrictions, which require migrants seeking asylum in the United States to make their request in a country along their route. Justice Sonia Sotomayor, dissenting from […]

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Mexico rejects new US asylum restrictions

  MEXICO CITY (AFP) — Mexico on Monday rejected new asylum restrictions sought by US President Donald Trump to stem the flow of undocumented migrants trying to cross the neighbors’ shared border. Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard said Mexico would not become a dumping ground for asylum seekers rejected by the US, adding that his country would at the same time respect its obligation not to return refugees to danger zones. The move announced by the […]

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White House moves to block asylum for migrants crossing Mexico

By Paul Handley Agence France-Presse WASHINGTON, D.C. (AFP) — The Trump administration moved Monday to declare most migrants who cross the US southern border after passing through Mexico ineligible for asylum. A new rule redefining asylum eligibility — to take effect on Tuesday — is the latest attempt to stem the flow of undocumented migrants into the country, and comes amid White House frustration at Congress’s failure to toughen immigration laws. “The United States is […]

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Canada grants asylum to woman who sheltered Snowden in Hong Kong

OTTAWA, Canada (AFP) — Canada has granted asylum to a woman who helped Edward Snowden hide in Hong Kong after his leaks exposed US global surveillance programs, a refugee rights association said Monday. Vanessa Rodel and her 7-year-old daughter Keana were scheduled to arrive in Toronto later Monday on a flight from Hong Kong, the non-profit organization For the Refugees said. Rodel was among a group of people who sheltered Snowden, a former CIA employee […]

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Trump appeals asylum ban to Supreme Court

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — President Donald Trump’s administration asked the Supreme Court Tuesday to allow him to enforce a ban on granting asylum to illegal immigrants, after suffering two lower court setbacks. The Justice Department told the high court that the ban, announced by Trump on November 11, needed to be enforced immediately to deter thousands of Central Americans now at the US southern border from crossing into the country illegally in search of […]

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US suspends asylum for illegal border crossers

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The United States will no longer allow people who enter the country outside of formal border crossings to claim asylum, officials said Thursday, unveiling a new crackdown on illegal immigration. The restriction on asylum claims will seek to address what a senior administration official called the “historically unparalleled abuse of our immigration system.” The new rule was published by the Department of Homeland Security and is expected to get President […]

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