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CMS Migration Update is a weekly digest of news and other information related to national and international migration.  It is designed to educate faith leaders regarding vulnerable immigrant populations, developments in the immigration field, pastoral resources and the religious touchstones of diverse faith traditions on migrants and newcomers. It should not be relied upon to provide advice or counsel in immigration cases. The publication is provided by the Center for Migration Studies of New York (CMS), an educational institute/think-tank devoted to the study of international migration, to the promotion of understanding between immigrants and receiving communities, and to public policies that safeguard the dignity and rights of migrants, refugees and newcomers. CMS is a member of the Scalabrini International Migration Network, an international network of shelters, welcoming centers, and other ministries for migrants.
Thomas J. Shea
Editor
Rachel Reyes
Director of Communications
August 16, 2016

Australia Allows Abuse of Refugees to Deter Others, Rights Groups Say

The New York Times (August 3, 2016)
 
Researchers from Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch are reporting that asylum seekers and refugees detained by Australia on the tiny Pacific island of Nauru are deliberately subjected to abuse and mistreatment as a way to deter other refugees from seeking protection in Australia. In a joint report, the organizations allege that detainees are denied adequate medical care, are regularly victims of crime, and suffer depression and anxiety. The government of Australia denies the allegations and contends that the policy of detaining refugees who are arrested trying to reach Australia by sea is necessary to deter people from taking the dangerous journey. The impoverished island of Nauru, which relies on financial aid from Australia, regularly denies visas to rights groups and journalists seeking to visit the detention center, making it difficult to verify the government's claims. The researchers, however, did not reveal their employers' information when applying for their visas. The United Nations and rights groups have criticized the policy as cruel and extreme.
 
To read more, visit http://nyti.ms/2ahulbz.
 
To read the report, visit https://www.hrw.org/news/2016/08/02/australia-appalling-abuse-neglect-refugees-nauru.

Germany's AfD Leader Wants Failed Asylum Seekers Housed on Islands

BBC (August 13, 2016)
 
According to this article, Alternative für Deutschland (AfD or Alternative for Germany) is a right-wing, anti-migrant, populist, and Eurosceptic German political party. AfD leader Frauke Petry told a German newspaper that the German Federal Office of Migration and Refugees should be converted into an office of emigration to ensure the immediate departure of "illegal migrants" from Germany. She added, “Illegal migrants and asylum seekers whose applications are rejected will be accommodated on the two islands outside Europe that are protected by the United Nations.” Although Ms. Petry did not identify which islands, the German press believes she means the Pacific islands of Nauru and Manus where Australia detains its refugees and asylum seekers. This article reports that AfD, with its anti-immigrant message, has grown in popularity in Germany and is now ranked third in opinion polls behind the two parties in the governing coalition.
 
To read more, visit http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-37072726.

Young Immigrants to Canada Passionate about Spirituality

The Vancouver Sun (August 8, 2016)
 
According to Statistics Canada and pollsters at the Angus Reid Institute Young, younger immigrants are almost three-times more likely than native-born Canadians to participate in religious activities, whether Christian, Sikh or Muslim. One of the immigrants who participated in the survey explained that participation in religious activities helps her adjust to her new life in Canada and to provide her direction. Another immigrant said that he did not know anyone when he first arrived in Canada and participating in religion provided some common ground. Immigrants account for 70 percent of Canada's population growth. Forty-four percent of new arrivals are Christian, leading some to believe that the influx is a driving force behind why Christian churches in Canada are avoiding declines in church attendance.

To read more, visit http://vancouversun.com/opinion/columnists/young-immigrants-to-canada-passionate-about-religion.

Norway's Muslim Immigrants Attend Classes on Western Attitudes to Women (Video)

The Guardian (August 1, 2016)
 
Following reports of sexual assaults by Muslim refugee men against women in Europe, the Norwegian government now requires all asylum seekers to attend classes on women's rights and how to respect women. If they fail to attend the classes, they will lose their benefits. Journalist Jenny Kleeman sits in on a class, interviews participants, and asks whether Western values can be taught in a classroom.
 
To view the video, visit https://www.theguardian.com/world/video/2016/aug/01/norway-muslim-immigrants-classes-western-attitudes-women-video.

South Sudan: Scale of Refugee Exodus Straining Capacity in Neighbouring Countries, Warns UN

UN News Centre (August 12, 2016)
 
The United Nations reports that six countries near South Sudan are struggling to respond to the more than 930,000 refugees who have fled the South Sudanese civil war. The UN also reports that there are 1.61 million people internally displaced within South Sudan due to violence, break down in law and order, and deteriorating economy. According the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the agency is facing critical funding shortages, receiving only about 20 percent of the $608.8 million needed to meet refugees’s basic needs. In July, violence broke out between the South Sudanese government and the opposition. This led to an increase in refugee flight; three quarters of whom headed to Uganda and 90 percent of whom are women and children. With so many refugees living close together in refugee settlements, the UN also fears a disease outbreak for which currently over-stretched health services will be unable to respond. UNHCR appealed to the global community to continue to financially support countries receiving refugees so that refugees can receive help to overcome the trauma of displacement and regain their human dignity.
 
To read more, visit http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=54671#.V7HpP5grKUl.

Escape to New York

The New Yorker (August 9, 2016)
 
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has claimed that Mexico is not sending the United States its "best people" but "criminals" and "rapists" instead. However, author Francisco Goldman writes that the "worst people” are actually the corrupt politicians, elites and narco cartels in power in Mexico and Central America. According to Goodman, the “best people” from those countries include those who have no other recourse but to flee their home countries in search of protection in the United States. Fortunately for those Central Americans who arrive in New York City, immigration judges are open to their claims for asylum – even if it takes two years or more to go through the asylum process. Central American asylum seekers who bring their claims in other parts of the United States are not as lucky.
 
To read more, visit http://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/escape-to-new-york.  

Moment in Convention Glare Shakes Up Khans’ American Life

The New York Times (August 5, 2016)
 
Khizr and Ghazala Khan are naturalized US Citizens from Pakistan. Their son, Humayun, a captain in the US Army, was killed in Iraq protecting his unit from suicide bombers. He is buried as a hero in Arlington National Cemetery. The Khans suddenly received attention after addressing the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia and criticizing Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump for his proposal to ban Muslim immigration. This article profiles the Khans from their native Pakistan to their life in America. Following Humayun’s death, the Khans remain supporters of the US army. Khizr always speaks at the annual commissioning ceremony for Army ROTC cadets, and the Khans hold annual dinners with the cadets. Khizr, who carries a pocket Constitution with him and famously waved it during his DNC speech, makes sure to give each cadet their own copy. 
 
To read more, visit hhttp://nyti.ms/2b9bnkB.

Shah Rukh Khan's Detention Proves Racial Profiling is Alive in US

The Times of India (August 14, 2016)
 
Indian celebrity and Bollywood star, Shah Rukh Kahn, was detained without explanation by US Customs and Border Protection at Los Angeles International Airport on August 11th. According to author Andrew Buncombel, this is the third time the celebrity has been detained while entering the United States. In 2013, Khan, who is Muslim, wrote about his experiences at US airports and observed that not everyone was treated equally. Buncombel adds, “The incidents involving so many Muslims — visitors and citizens alike — being hauled aside for additional questioning or being asked to get off planes because they unnerve other passengers, suggests racial profiling by the security forces remains alive and well in the US, 15 years after the Al-Qaeda attacks on New York and Washington."
 
To read more, visit http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Shah-Rukh-Khans-detention-proves-racial-profiling-is-alive-in-US/articleshow/53696163.cms.

NEW FROM CMS

 

The Center for Migration Studies Launches New Website

(August 10, 2016)
 
CMS announces the launch of its completely redesigned website at www.cmsny.org. The new site offers simple navigation, mobile responsiveness, and advanced search functions in a clean, modern design so visitors can easily access CMS’s research, publications, events, multimedia and archive collections.

In conjunction with the launch, CMS is releasing the first paper in its series on “Rethinking the Global Refugee Protection System.” Visitors to the new homepage can watch a highlights video of CMS’s two-day conference on this theme at which refugees, government and UN officials, scholars, and civil society representatives sought to re-conceptualize the global refugee protection system and develop actionable recommendations for protecting refugees worldwide. This first paper in this series, “Prospects for Responsibility Sharing in the Refugee Context,” is accompanied by a video conversation with author Volker Türk, UNHCR’s Assistant High Commissioner for Protection. The papers in this series will be published in CMS’s Journal on Migration and Human Security.

To view the new CMS website and stay updated on the “Rethinking the Global Refugee Protection System” initiative, including the full JMHS refugee protection collection, video interviews with authors, and complete footage of the CMS conference, visit www.cmsny.org.

If you are a migrant or pastoral worker and wish to submit an article or reflection to the CMS Migration Update, please email Tom Shea at tshea@cmsny.org
Copyright © 2016 Center for Migration Studies, New York, All rights reserved.


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