The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) reported on Wednesday that over 30,000 child migrants crossed the notably hazardous Darién Gap that spans the Panama-Colombia border within the first four months of this year. This alarming figure signifies a 40 percent increase from the same period a year ago. Close to 2,000 of these child migrants traversed…
The Council of the European Union recently adopted the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum, setting forth a reform of its asylum and migration system. Despite opposition from countries like Hungary and Poland, the council pushed through this reform aimed at providing a more structured approach to arrivals, streamlining processes, and promoting equitable burden-sharing among…
Libya has become the latest country to intervene in a contentious case at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), relating to the allegations of genocide against Israel. The official declaration of intervention was filed on Friday and is in respect of the Application of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of…
In a significant development concerning asylum laws, the Australian High Court ruled against an Iranian asylum-seeker’s request to be freed from immigration custody and permitted entrance into the country. The ruling was delivered on Friday, demanding that the petitioner, identified as ASF-17, return to his home country. The applicant ASF-17 had forwarded a habeas corpus…
In response to an unprecedented influx of undocumented migrants within Tunisian borders and growing anti-migrant sentiment, members of Tunisia’s Assembly of Representatives of the People have recently submitted a proposal to the General Legislation Commission. The proposed amendment aims to revise Law 68-7, 1968, a law that manages the legal status of foreigners in Tunisia….
The United Nations International Independent Expert Mechanism to Advance Racial Justice and Equality in Law Enforcement (UN Mechanism) has issued a warning against racial discrimination present within Italian law enforcement structures. This warning follows a comprehensive mission consisting of visits to Rome, Milan, Catania, and Naples where the Mechanism had the chance to assess the…
The mandatory use of CBP One to seek asylum in the US infringes upon the United States’ and Mexico’s international human rights and refugee law obligations, states a report recently published by Amnesty International. The mobile application, designed to process individuals seeking asylum, is reportedly not a valid exclusive method of entry into the US…
The Internal Security Agency of Poland recently announced an investigation into former judge Szmydt Tomasz, who fled to Belarus and claimed asylum. The focal point of this investigation is centered around Tomasz’s potential access to classified information. Appointed as a judge in 2012, Tomasz was reportedly on holiday leave when he absconded. Upon his request…
Asylum Aid, a notable UK charity that lends a hand in providing free legal counsel and assistance to refugees and asylum seekers, has recently declared its intentions to commence legal action against the Home Office’s Safety of Rwanda plan. The organization’s primary objective is to ascertain that all individual cases against deportation to Rwanda are…
The state of Manipur in India has deported 38 individuals back to Myanmar on Thursday in an attempt to address the tide of refugees fleeing the political unrest in Myanmar. With this recent wave of deportations, the total number of deportees now amounts to 77, marking the conclusion of the first phase of repatriation efforts….
London’s Metropolitan Police arrested 45 demonstrators on Thursday during an initiative to prevent asylum seekers from being transported to the Bibby Stockholm barge. Protestors valiantly voiced their discontent, resulting in charges such as obstructing the highway, hindering the police, and assaulting officers. Their objective was to prevent the transferral of asylum seekers from a London…
Ecuador has initiated proceedings against Mexico at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), accusing it of violating international law by granting political asylum to its former Vice President, Jorge Glas. Glas, already convicted of corruption and bribery in connection with the Odebrecht case, was further being investigated for corruption pertaining to the use of funds…
On Monday, the European Commission unveiled that nearly a quarter (24.3 percent to be exact) of new asylum applicants in 2023 were under 18 years old, not including data from France, Poland, and Cyprus. Earlier in 2023, Eurostat announced a 20 percent increase in new asylum claims across the EU, bringing the total to roughly…
The UK National Crime Agency (NCA) has issued charges against two individuals for their role in an English Channel crossing that led to fatal outcomes. The men have been protested on charges related to immigration offenses tied to the occurrence that led to the deaths of five migrants, inclusive of a child. In the tragic…
King Charles III has given his assent to the UK government’s Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill 2024. The bill has now officially become law after receiving Royal Assent, which signifies the final stage in the British legislative process. The bill provides the UK government the power to send asylum seekers to Rwanda, leveraging…
The UK Parliament on Tuesday approved the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill, a controversial piece of legislation that designates Rwanda as a “safe country” for certain asylum seekers awaiting application assessments. This bill effectively allows for the deportation of irregular migrants under the UK-Rwanda international treaty on asylum partnership. Interestingly, the advancement of…
The Australian Human Rights Commission recently published a report detailing concerning issues at the Yongah Hill Immigration Detention Centre in Northam, Western Australia. The findings, based on inspections, interviews and consultations carried out through 2023, reveal serious problems in areas such as drug trafficking, inadequate healthcare, and overall welfare of detainees and staff. In the…
The United Nations’ Refugee Agency (UNHCR) Cyprus spokesperson, Emilia Strovolidou, has called for Cyprus to cease forcibly rebuffing Syrian refugee boats coming from Lebanon, in violation of international human rights law and non-refoulment principle stipulated by the 1951 Refugee Convention. The Associated Press and European human rights group EuroMed Rights have both reported on this…
In an announcement made by Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides, it was revealed that the Mediterranean nation has suspended processing of asylum applications from Syrian nationals. This decision comes as a response to the recent surge in the arrival of Syrian political asylum seekers by sea to Cyprus. As indicated by UNHCR Cyprus, the number of…
The German Bundestag has recently authorized legislation granting the issuance of payment cards to asylum seekers and refugees for the distribution of state benefits, a bill initially met with contention. This nationwide mandate received approval after a conference between Chancellor Olaf Scholz and state prime ministers late last year. Here, a consensus on the prepaid…
This week, the European Union (EU) Parliament passed a legislation concerning the rights and treatment of migrants and asylum seekers within its jurisdiction. The law aligns with the broader objectives of the Migration and Asylum Pact, aimed at enhancing the existing rights of these individuals and establishing a firm procedure for their treatment across the…
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) announced on Thursday that Mexico had filed a case seeking provisional measures against Ecuador. This development stems from a dispute over the forceful entry of Ecuadorian authorities into the Mexican embassy in Quito, which violates the inviolability of a diplomatic mission. The forcible entry followed the expulsion of the…
In a notable turn of events, Peru’s Foreign Ministry has revoked its earlier decision to enforce a visa requirement on Mexican visitors. This decision was taken due to implications for the nation’s tourism industry and the country’s devotion to the free movement of people and goods. The visa requirement was initially abolished with the implementation…
Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has announced the suspension of diplomatic relations with Ecuador following a forcible entry by Ecuadorian police into the Mexican embassy in Quito and the subsequent arrest of the former vice president of Ecuador, Jorge Glas. This chain of events took place shortly after the Ecuadorian government’s decision to expel…
The Finnish Ministry of Interior has decided to indefinitely extend the closure of crossing stations on its land border with Russia, as reported on Friday. This extension applies to the border crossing stations that were expected to reopen on April 14, further expanding the closure that was announced in February. Along with the closures at…