MIGRATION UPDATE

Urgent European Action Needed to Stop Rising Refugee and Migrant Deaths at Sea

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) (July 24, 2014)

UN High Commissioner for Refugees, António Guterres has called on European governments to create a plan to prevent migrant deaths in the Mediterranean Sea, which have numbered roughly 800 in 2014 to date. The migrants are primarily fleeing conflict and civil war in northern Africa. Guterres has called for heightened rescue operations, more robust asylum procedures, and the creation of new pathways for legal migration.

To read more, visit http://www.unhcr.org/53d0cbb26.html.

Toolkit for Advocating for the Rights of Unaccompanied Children

The Ignatian Solidarity Network (August 11, 2014)

Since 2011, the number of unaccompanied children arriving in the United States has increased more than seven-fold with a projected 90,000 due to arrive by the end of this year. The Jesuits, the Ignatian Solidarity Network, and Jesuit Refugee Services USA have produced a toolkit entitled “The Kingdom of Heaven Belongs to Such as These” that is designed to help parishioners address this issue “from a faith-based perspective grounded in human dignity.” 

To read more, visit http://ignatiansolidarity.net/toolkit-advocating-rights-unaccompanied-children/?utm_source=ISN+Updates+List&utm_campaign=9c2f7b28ad-Toolkit&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_f721035495-9c2f7b28ad-197155457.

Migrant Children, Uninvited Guests, and Welcoming the Stranger

The Huffington Post (August 13, 2014)

Several Members of Congress support amending the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008 (TVPRA) so that children from “non-contiguous” states would be screened by U.S. border enforcement officials and rapidly removed if they are determined (1) not to have been victims of trafficking, (2) not to credibly fear trafficking or persecution if returned, and (3) able to “withdraw” their applications independently. These truncated procedures would prevent many traumatized children from accessing an attorney, articulating their claims, or receiving a hearing before an immigration judge.  Donald Kerwin, Executive Director of the Center for Migration Studies, critiques the case for amending the TVPRA set forth by Congressman Steve King (R-IA). Mr. Kerwin’s article also draws heavily on the insights of leading Old Testament scholar, Fr. James Walsh, S.J., to discuss King’s past criticism of members of “the faith community, including conservative elements, [who] have taken the position that we have a moral and religious obligation to welcome illegal immigrants.”

To read more, visit http://www.huffingtonpost.com/donald-kerwin/migrant-children-uninvited-immigration_b_5673300.html.

Ousted Chief Accuses Border Agency of Shooting Cover-ups, Corruption

The Center for Investigative Reporting (August 14, 2014)

James F. Tomsheck, the former head of the Internal Affairs unit of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), has publicly criticized the U.S. Border Patrol for covering up officer misconduct and corruption.  He is the first high level member of the CBP to address this severe problem publicly.

To read more, visit https://beta.cironline.org/reports/ousted-chief-accuses-border-agency-of-shooting-cover-ups-corruption/.

In Court, Immigrant Children Are Moved to Head of Line

The New York Times (August 14, 2014)

This past week saw the beginning of the New York City immigration court’s so-called “rocket docket” for unaccompanied children from Central America.  Normally, removal proceedings can take years to work through the court system in New York. Under the Obama administration’s new guidance, the children’s proceedings are being fast-tracked so that they may be deported within months. An underlying reason for this new policy is to send a message that Central Americans who migrate to the United States illegally will be sent back home -- in the hope that fewer people will try making the dangerous trek northward.  Many advocates fear that this new policy will prevent children from receiving fair hearings.

To learn more, visit http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/15/nyregion/in-court-children-lead-line-of-migrants.html?emc=edit_tnt_20140814&nlid=47251438&tntemail0=y&_r=0.

Iraq Crisis: US and Britain Call Off Rescue of Yazidis on Mount Sinjar

The Guardian (August 14, 2014)

In last week’s Migration Update, we reported that thousands of internally displaced Yazidis were trapped on Mount Sinjar in northern Iraq by ISIS militants, who were seeking to force the Yazidis to convert to Sunni Islam. U.S. airstrikes on ISIS positions allowed many Yazidis to escape, obviating the need for a risky military operation to rescue them.

To read more, visit http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/aug/14/iraq-crisis-us-britain-rescue-yazidis-mount-sinjar.

To view a YouTube clip from the Associated Press about Yazidi refugees arriving in Syria, visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DtYTXC79XZI.

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