In June, the Trump administration proposed a new rule that would make it virtually impossible for refugees to obtain asylum status in the United States. If implemented, the new regulation would eliminate gender-based asylum entirely and forbid asylum judges from hearing any cases involving “private” disputes wherein the persecutors are not directly linked to the […]
Trump Administration Is Now Blocking Most Legal Pathways to Immigration
In the last four months, the Trump administration has used fear of the coronavirus pandemic to severely restrict most avenues for legal immigration, effectively making it impossible to legally migrate to the United States. In early March, the administration issued a public health order that mandates the immediate removal of migrants, including children and asylum […]
Coronavirus Pandemic Spreads to ICE Detention Facilities
A leaked Department of Homeland Security (DHS) coronavirus report reveals that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has placed nine detainees in medical isolation. This report coincides with ICE’s confirmation that a detainee in New Jersey has tested positive for COVID-19. These developments suggest that the coronavirus has begun spreading in ICE facilities, placing ICE’s nearly […]
Guatamalan Refugee Maria Celeste Ochoa Yoc de Ramirez Dies in ICE Custody
22-year-old Maria Celeste Ochoa Yoc de Ramirez died in ICE Custody in Fort Worth, Texas, on Sunday. This marks the eighth death in ICE Custody since October. The cause of death was “autoimmune hepatitis, complicated by septic shock and acute liver failure,” according to an ICE Press release. Ochoa Yoc de Ramírez had been hospitalized […]
The Safety of Refugee Girls in Lebanon is in Crisis
A recent survey of 400 refugee girls at the age of 10-19 in Lebanon showed that 70% of them feel frighten traveling during the day by themselves, whereas 90% of them reported that they feel unsafe at night. These young girls talked about how men are attacking them, and how they fear being raped. “We’re […]
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Migrant Minor Dies in US Border Patrol’s Custody
Yesterday, Carlos Gregorio Hernandez Vasquez, a sixteen year old Guatemalan boy, died in U.S. Border Patrol custody in Texas after being detained for a week; he is the fifth minor to die in U.S. custody since December. The number of migrants held in ICE custody has now reached 52,398 people, an all-time record. Hernandez was […]
LGBTQ Migrants are the First to Reach US Border
This week LGBTQ members from the migrant caravan were the first to reach the U.S. border in Tijuana, Mexico. LGBTQ members arrived at the border before the rest of the caravan because they were escaping discrimination and harassment from within the caravan itself as well as the dangers members faced traveling through Mexico. While fleeing […]
Supreme Court Upholds Trump Administration’s Travel Ban by Blocking Court of Appeals Decision
On Tuesday, the United States Supreme Court blocked a lower court’s decision that exempted refugees from the Trump Administration’s travel ban. The US 9th Circuit Court of Appeals had ruled that refugees who currently have contracts with resettlement sponsors or refugee organizations would be permitted to enter the country while the legality of travel ban […]
Executive Order Barring Muslims and Refugees from Entering the U.S. Sparks Outrage
Last week, President Trump issued an executive order entitled “Protecting the Nation From Terrorist Attacks by Foreign Nationals” banning the entry of people from seven Muslim-majority countries into the Unites States.
Olympic Refugee Team Shines Spotlight on Global Crisis
The Summer Olympic Games are set to launch in Rio de Janeiro on Friday, and for the first time ever there will be a team composed entirely of refugees, shining a light on the global refugee crisis and providing hope for displaced people.
Angela Merkel Named TIME’s 2015 Person of the Year
Today, German Chancellor Angela Merkel was named Time’s 2015 Person of the Year for her leadership on the Syrian refugee and Greek debt crises.
