OTTAWA, Canada (AFP) — Canada, which takes in more African refugees from Israel than any other nation, has voiced concerns to the Jewish state over its planned mass deportation of African migrants, an official said Monday. A spokesman for Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland said Ottawa is “concerned” that Israel is working to expel thousands of Eritreans and Sudanese who entered illegally over the years, giving them an ultimatum: leave by April 1 or risk being imprisoned […]
Tag: migration
Call for justice as Joanna Demafelis’ body returns home from Kuwait
ILOILO, Philippines (AFP) — More than a hundred relatives and supporters of a Filipina maid whose body was found stuffed in a freezer in Kuwait brandished banners demanding justice as her coffin was returned home on Saturday. The family of Joanna Demafelis openly wept as the white casket was unloaded at an airport cargo terminal in the central city of Iloilo. “Justice for Joanna D. Demafelis,” was emblazoned on banners and on T-shirts worn by the crowd […]
‘Deportados Brand’: Mexicans stand up to Trump with T-shirts
by Yussel Gonzalez © Agence France-Presse MEXICO CITY, Mexico (AFP) — Few people know gate “N” at Mexico City’s airport but three times a week it is the arrival point for the latest group of Mexican immigrants deported by the United States. Waiting to meet them is Adan Jacome. Jacome, 45, goes to the terminal to offer the support of a group of immigrants also repatriated to Mexico, and who are the brains behind “Deportados Brand,” a small […]
Amnesty condemns ‘forced’ returns of Afghan asylum seekers
KABUL, Afghanistan (AFP) – A surge of failed Afghan asylum seekers “forcibly” returned from Europe are at risk of torture, kidnapping and death in war-torn Afghanistan, Amnesty International said Thursday. Almost 9,500 Afghans went back to their homeland in 2016 after their applications for asylum in Europe were rejected, compared with nearly 3,300 a year earlier, the human rights group said. The figure covers asylum seekers who were detained and then deported from European countries, and those […]
Puerto Rico’s new migration to Florida could turn state Democratic
by Leila Macor Agence France-Presse AIBONITO, Puerto Rico (AFP) – Hurricane Maria’s devastation in Puerto Rico looks likely to trigger a major wave of migration to Florida, which could push the politically important US state to the Democratic side, analysts said Sunday. That’s how it looks for Franchesca Rivera, a 32-year-old schoolteacher who teaches in Aibonito, a town in the center of Puerto Rico that has been destroyed by the hurricane. “If I do not […]
Internet hindering fight against human trafficking: experts
SAN JOSE, Costa Rica (AFP) — The anonymity afforded by the internet — especially in the dark web — is hindering efforts by organizations to fight human trafficking, especially the sexual exploitation of minors, experts from key groups said Tuesday. “The issue of the dark web, which for its form and configuration is extremely untraceable, is it makes it very difficult to find the criminals we are looking for,” Rosilyne Borland, a specialist on migrant […]
‘Are we really the problem?’ ask aid groups saving migrants
Privately-run aid organizations rescuing migrants off Libya have slammed the idea of creating a “code of conduct” for them to follow, saying European ministers tackling the crisis are bungling their response. Italy, France and Germany held a working dinner on Sunday to prepare the ground for a six-point plan to address the biggest migrant phenomenon since World War II, to be submitted to the bloc at a meeting on Thursday in Talinn. Top of […]
US promises no mass deportations in bid to calm Mexico
by Nicolas REVISE Agence France Presse MEXICO CITY, Mexico (AFP) — US officials promised Mexico no “mass deportations” or use of military force to expel immigrants, moving to calm tensions over President Donald Trump’s vow to crack down on “bad dudes” illegally residing in his country. US Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson met with Mexican ministers who expressed “concern and irritation” over Trump’s combative stance on trade and […]
Trump wall could harm butterfly’s migration: Mexican official
MEXICO CITY, Mexico (AFP) — The monarch butterfly population dropped by a quarter in its Mexican wintering grounds this season and US President Donald Trump’s planned wall could affect its migration from Canada, Mexican authorities said Thursday. The orange and black butterfly covered 2.91 hectares (7.2 acres) of pine and fir forest in the 2016-2017 season, compared to 4.01 hectares the previous year, a 27.4 percent decline, the government said. The monarch population is estimated […]
Southern nations gear up for EU future showdown
ATHENS, Greece (AFP) – by John HADOULIS Sabine WIBAUX Southern EU leaders on Friday sought to close ranks on migration, extremism and austerity with the bloc’s future on the line, and ahead of a showdown with hardliners next week. Bringing together the members worst hit by the EU’s twin recession and refugee crises, the mini-summit will focus on “protecting borders, fostering growth, fighting against immigration… and acting together against terrorism,” French President Francois Hollande said at the […]





