Italy: The new plan for immigration and asylum
Last Friday the government presented its new plan on immigration and asylum. A hardline solution based on forced repatriation, the extension of the system of administrative detention and a shortening of the time needed to process asylum requests by means of a reduction of guarantees and unpaid work for asylum seekers. The article at Detusche Welle and that of the Times.
Malta: European leaders’ myopia
Meanwhile at the informal meeting held in La Valletta European leaders have decided to continue their myopic and faulty policies, trying at all costs to close the Mediterranean route. The article at Irin News.
France: Crimes of solidarity, the sentence (suspended) against Cedric Herrou
Guilty of standing together. In Europe, showing solidarity with migrants is constantly becoming more of a criminal act, and we are beginning to see the first sentences being handed down. First of all, there is Cedric Herrou, the farmer from the Roya Valley who, because of his humanity, is risking up to five years in prison and a fine of thirty thousand euros. His trial concluded Friday with a suspended fine of three thousand euros. His story as told by Mathilde Frenois at Internazionale and by Ilaria Sesana at Altraeconomia.
Sweden: Crimes of solidarity, the story of Fredrik
The Swedish journalist Fredrik Önnevall, on trial for having helped a desperate Syrian minor travel from Greece to Sweden has fared worse. He has received a sentence (suspended) for trafficking, and 75 hours of social service. Though the court recognised the humanitarian reasons behind his act, it did not consider it enough for an acquittal. The article from the Guardian and the video recap from Al Jazeera.
United Kingdom: The end of the Dubs scheme
In England the government has made an about face as regards its duty to accept a few thousand unaccompanied minors in fulfilment of the so-called “Dubs scheme”. A choice that has serious consequences – one that abandons hundreds and hundreds of minors on the streets and in the hands of traffickers – and which has been defined as the British version of the travel ban. The articole from the Financial Times and that from the Guardian.
The Europe that is closing its doors, just like in Trump’s America
Europe is trying to close its doors to migrants – without curing itself of the atrocious consequences of such policies of closure – just like in Trump’s America. The article from Quartz.
A letter from Lampedusa to Los Angeles
An island in a frozen sea. The story of Lampedusa by director Gianfranco Rosi arrives in Los Angeles with the nomination for the Oscar. The article from the New York Review of Books.
The legal battle against Trump
In America a true legal battle is underway against Trump’s discriminatory policies towards refugees and migrants. Everything there is to know, explained (and updated) at Vox.
Guadalupe, deported after 20 years: the effects of Trump’s crackdown on immigration
The extremely grave consequences of Trump’s crackdown on immigration and its human costs are already evident. For example, here is the story of Guadalupe, deported in the middle of the night after more than 20 years in America. The article from the New York Times and that of Vox.
Goodbye America, Hello Canada
The number of people who, in spite of the cold, are seeking to flee the United States by crossing over the border on foot is increasing. The article from the New York Times and that at Broadly.
Translation by Alexander Booth.
Header photo: sit-in #NoMuslimBan (via CILD).
