Tag: migrants

Extreme heat is new danger stalking US-bound migrants

By Hérika MARTÍNEZ CIUDAD JUÁREZ, Mexico (AFP) – In the Mexican desert near the US border, security forces are on alert after a man was found dead from heat stroke on the journey to what he hoped would be a better life in North America. The 45-year-old Mexican man’s body was found buried among sand and bushes under the merciless sun, a week after a woman died from dehydration in the northern state of Chihuahua, […]

UK confirms first migrants held for Rwanda deportation flights

LONDON, May 1, 2024 (AFP) – The UK government confirmed Wednesday it had detained an unspecified number of migrants in recent days for deportation to Rwanda in July under its controversial new policy. It comes a week after lawmakers ended months of parliamentary wrangling and passed a law allowing some asylum seekers to be deported by declaring Rwanda to be a safe third country. The new legislation circumvented a Supreme Court ruling last year that […]

Large group of migrants force way across Texas border

HOUSTON, March 22, 2024 (AFP) – A “large group of migrants” crossing into the United States from Mexico broke through razor wire Thursday and rushed the border wall, the border patrol said, the latest episode in a simmering national immigration crisis. Illegal immigration is a hugely contentious topic in the United States, and an issue already figuring prominently in the campaign for the November presidential election. Republicans blame President Joe Biden for the recent record […]

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 […]

UN warns thousands trafficked into online crime in SE Asia

GENEVA, Aug 29, 2023 (AFP) – Hundreds of thousands of people are being coerced in Southeast Asia by criminal gangs into carrying out online scams, often under the threat of torture, the United Nations said Tuesday. Many have been trafficked into working in online criminality and face serious violations such as torture or sexual violence, the UN said in a report. “People who are coerced into working in these scamming operations endure inhumane treatment while […]

URGENT ¥¥¥ 18 suspected migrants die in Greek forest fire: firefighters

ATHENS, Aug 22, 2023 (AFP) – Eighteen suspected migrants were found dead Tuesday in a forest fire raging in northeastern Greece, the fire department said. The bodies were found near the national park of Dadia, a region bordering Turkey that is a frequent entry point for migrants, fire department spokesman Yiannis Artopios said in a televised address. This is a developing story.

Saudi border guards killed hundreds of Ethiopian migrants: HRW

LONDON, Aug 21, 2023 (AFP) – Saudi border guards fired “like rain” on Ethiopian migrants trying to cross into the Gulf kingdom from Yemen, killing hundreds since last year, Human Rights Watch said in a report Monday. The allegations, described as “unfounded” by a Saudi government source, point to a significant escalation of abuses along the perilous route from the Horn of Africa to Saudi Arabia, where hundreds of thousands of Ethiopians live and work. […]

Six dead after migrant boat capsizes in Channel

LILLE, France, Aug 12, 2023 (AFP) – Six people were killed when a boat carrying migrants heading to Britain sank in the Channel early Saturday, French maritime officials said, as a search continued to find those still missing. A spokeswoman from the French coastal authority Premar said between five and 10 passengers were still missing, while 55 had been rescued. Three French ships, a helicopter and a plane have been mobilised to search the area […]

Stranded migrants saved, but dozens missing off Italy in rough seas

ROME, Aug 6, 2023 (AFP) – At least 30 migrants are missing following two shipwrecks off the Italian island of Lampedusa, according to survivor testimony, as rescuers on Sunday winched to safety 34 others stranded on the rocks by rough seas. Around 28 people were reported lost at sea by survivors on one boat, while three were reported missing from the second, after both went down in stormy weather on Saturday, said the International Organization […]

UN chief calls on Tunisia to end migrant expulsions

UNITED NATIONS, United States (AFP) — UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called Tuesday for Tunisia to stop expelling migrants into desert border areas, and demanded those already stranded in the harsh environment be relocated, a spokesperson said. “We are deeply concerned about the expulsion of migrants, refugees, and asylum-seekers from Tunisia to the borders with Libya and also Algeria,” deputy spokesperson Farhan Haq said. He warned that “several have died” at Tunisia’s border with Libya, while […]

Baby’s body found on Spain beach from migrant shipwreck: police

BARCELONA, July 18, 2023 (AFP) – A baby’s body that washed up on a Spanish beach last week is that of the eight-month-old girl from a shipwreck that killed all 15 migrants aboard, police said Tuesday. The boat carrying the infant and her parents along with 12 others left northern Algeria on March 21 and sank off Spain’s Balearic islands in the Mediterranean on April 6, Spain’s Guardia Civil police force said on a statement. […]

Rescuers search for migrant boats off Canary Isles

MADRID, Spain (AFP) — Spain’s coastguard was on Tuesday searching for three migrant boats reported lost at sea by an NGO a day after rescuing scores of people from another vessel near the Canary Islands. A spokeswoman for Salvamento Maritimo told AFP a rescue plane had been deployed to the area but “did not find anything”. The coastguard has also requested other ships in the area to be on the lookout, she added. During their […]